What Is a Video Game Designer? Career Overview + FAQ

What is a video game designer?

Video game designers create the worlds, characters, stories, rules, and overall gameplay of video games. The number of designers on a video game can vary from one to dozens working together to bring the vision for a video game to life. 

Video game designing might be the right job for you if you have a passion for storytelling and integrating characters and plots into interactive gaming. You can use your creativity to design new video games for consumers and educators. 

What does a video game designer do?

As a video game designer, you’ll create games for computers and game consoles. You may do everything from brainstorming game ideas to developing the characters, plots, and settings. Typically, you’ll work as part of a creative team.

Not only will you conceptualize ideas, but you’ll also work out the details of how players will play the game, create the different levels, and determine the length of playing time. In some cases, game designers may help write the code for gameplay and ensure the audio and video run smoothly.

What’s the difference between a video game designer and a video game developer?

A video game designer creates a game’s theme, characters, plot, and skill levels. A game developer works on the coding, programming, and testing of the game to ensure that it’s ready for the market. 

Read More: What Is a Game Developer (and How Do I Become One)?

How much do video game designers make?

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes video game designers in the job category multimedia artists and animators, which has an average annual US salary of $78,790. The BLS anticipates 5 percent growth for this field between 2021 to 2031, on par with the national average for all jobs [1]. Glassdoor lists an average total pay of $81,228, including an average base salary of $69,092 and average additional compensation such as commission, profit sharing, and bonuses of $12,136 [2].

Read more: Video Game Designer Salary + 2023 Career Guide

Types of video game design jobs

As a video game designer, you might work on a project from start to finish, or you might have a specialization. For example, some game designers might work as sound engineers or game testers. Others might compose the music, or they might work as a level designer.

Read More: What Is a Game Tester and How Do You Become One?

Multimedia artists and animators

• Median annual salary (US): $78,790 [3]

• Job outlook (projected growth from 2021 to 2031): 5%

• Multimedia artists and animators create graphic and interactive images for a game. They can also work in television, film, or be self-employed.

Art directors

• Median annual salary (US): $100,890 [4]

• Job outlook (projected growth from 2021 to 2031): 4%

• As an art director of a video game, you’ll oversee the graphic designs and ensure they convey the visual concept intended for gameplay. Art directors can find career opportunities in advertising, publishing, and television. 

Graphic designers 

• Median annual salary (US): $50,710 [5]

• Job outlook (projected growth from 2021 to 2031): 3%

• Graphic designers create visual elements for video games. Your job might include selecting the images, fonts, and colors for projects using digital platforms such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. 

Read more: What Does a Graphic Designer Do? (and How Do I Become One?)

Web developers and digital designers 

• Median annual salary (US): $78,300 [6]

• Job outlook (projected growth from 2021 to 2031): 23%

• As a web developer or digital designer, you might work to ensure the game is navigable and that all functions work properly. Your duties could include making sure the game is user-friendly and has an appealing look.

Read more: What Does a Web Developer Do (and How Do I Become One)?

Video game designer skills

As a video game designer, you’ll need a variety of skills to create games that are enjoyable. Take a look at some of the skills employers may seek in a video game designer in the lists below.

Workplace skills

Video game design can be highly collaborative, requiring designers to work on teams of varying complexity to bring a game to life. 

• A passion for gaming

• Communication skills

• Creativity

• Flexibility

• Problem-solving skills 

• Project management

• Resource management

• Willingness to work as part of a team 

Technical skills

Video game designers need technical skills to execute the functionality of video games. Employers also like to see candidates who have strong video game-playing experience. Some skills include: 

• Ability to use computer graphics 

• Animation skills 

• Adobe Photoshop proficiency

• Familiarity with design theory

• Knowledge of software and hardware development 

Video game designer education and training

Video game design is a competitive field, and college degrees and internships can help build your experience and skills. Both school and internships can provide you with projects to add to your portfolio. If you’re not attending school, you might consider taking a bootcamp to help enhance your resume and provide additional portfolio content and knowledge in a shorter timeframe. 

Consider earning a degree. 

Seventy-four percent of video game designers have a bachelor’s degree, while 12% hold an associate [7]. Degree programs are offered in game design, but other degree programs can qualify you for a career in video game design. The most common majors for video game designers include photography (14%), computer science (14%), and graphic design (12%). 

Some of the other degree fields aspiring video game designers may pursue include:

• Interactive arts 

• Computer animation 

• Computer engineering

• Digital art

• Communication

Read more: Your Guide to Game Design Degrees

Complete an internship.

Internships can be available and sometimes required when studying for your degree. You can find internship opportunities on company websites and job posting sites like Indeed or LinkedIn.

An internship offers a chance to gain real-world experience help determine if a career in video game design is a good fit. 

Get started in video game design with Coursera

Learn fundamental concepts of gaming design in Introduction to Game Design, part of the Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization from CalArts.

In the Epic Games Game Design Professional Certificate, you'll learn to create worlds that captivate and inspire while also building the foundational skills needed for game design with Unreal Engine.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)