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Studio & indie
Game Developer
The most competitive job in software, for less money than software.
Typical pay
$65k-$130k
How you get in
Portfolio of shipped games; CS degree common
Outlook
Volatile; the industry cycles hard
Game developers build the code behind games. Passion for the medium means an oversupply of applicants, which pushes pay below equivalent software roles and makes crunch and layoffs endemic to the industry.
A day in the life
- 9:30aStand-up, then triage bugs from QA
- 10:00aImplement a gameplay feature in engine
- 12:30pLunch
- 1:30pProfile and optimize a frame rate problem
- 3:30pPlaytest build review with designers
- 5:30pFix what the playtest broke
How to get in
Ship games and build a portfolio
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$0-$2,000
Credential
None — shipped games are the credential
- Learn C++ or C# and one engine deeply
- Finish and ship small games — finishing matters far more than scope
- Enter game jams to build a body of completed work
- Apply with a portfolio of things people can actually play
Computer science degree
Duration
4 years
Cost
$40,000-$200,000
Credential
BS in computer science
- Complete a CS degree — stronger fallback than a games-specific degree
- Build games outside coursework
- Intern at a studio, which is the main pipeline into full-time roles
- Keeps general software open if the industry cycles down
QA or tools into development
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$0
Credential
None — internal track record
- Get hired in game QA, which is the most accessible studio role
- Learn the codebase and write automation and tools
- Move into an engineering or tools programmer role internally
- A well-worn path, though QA pay is low while you wait
What people love
- · You build the thing you love
- · Deeply technical and creative at once
- · Indie and solo development is genuinely viable
- · Skills transfer to simulation, film and general software
What wears people down
- · Pay is below equivalent software engineering roles
- · Crunch and post-launch layoffs are structural
- · Extremely competitive to enter
- · Studio closures happen regardless of your performance