Game Dev Salary Avg 40 Lacs!!

OK Too Much talks about the games.
Lets Shed some light on the Guys who make them happen.

These statistics are garnered from The Game Developer Salary Survey conducted by Game Developer Magazine. The study pinpoints the average salary at "mainstream" US-based companies during 2011 at $81,192 (up from $80,817 in 2010). But when broken down by position and expertise, you come up with the numbers listed below.

Art and Animation - $75,780 (up from $71,354)
Audio - $83,182 (up from $68,088)
Business - $102,160 (down from $106,452)
Game Design - $73,386 (up from $70,223)
Production - $85,687 (down from $88,544)
Programming - $92,962 (up from $85,733)
Quality Assurance - $47,910 (down from $49,009)

Source:How Much Do Game Developers Make? - Games News at IGN

With that avg figures its clear that Max Profit Goes To Publisher.
Ofcourse everybody knew that.

Still these guys sincerely deserve such large bucks for miracle that they create on screen.

Though its still next to impossible to quote such gigantic figures for Indian Game Devs on individual basis. :shock:

Will be turning to GD very soon :mrgreen:

This should not come as surprise as Gaming industry is the largest entertainment industry.

yeah man..bigger than Hollywood.
Currently estimated at around 68 bn $!!!
expected to grow to 112 bn$ in next 2-3 yrs.

Though most of it is centralised in Japan /UK /US.

Well most developers are there so its more centralised there. With time that will change.

What do you expect??
Indians turning into Grade A game dev..country where education=job=engineering/doctor.???!!!

What does one need to know to be a GD?

^didnt you check march issue of Digit.
Fast Track Bundled with it "Career In Game Development"
has all your answer..

In general it requires passion for not only PLAYING games but also THE ART OF MAKING IT.

Imagination beyond conventions and creativity is prerequisite.
Then comes the technical part which is bit exhaustive to explain.

Its not a child's play to become a GD. First the imagination + creativity required for it, intense & deep programming knowledge (especially c++), 3d stuffs resulting in a game engine.

^ The process of Game Development can be divided b/w people which know specific things
One imagines another executes it

Also for simple game we have many softwares available

@OP
The figure is 'mean' or 'mode'

Of course duties are distributed but being in that are you are supposed to have all the basic fundamentals (which also lists creativity IMO)

Hmm wudnt trust stats too much. Handful of particular games hit it big, so few studios make obscene amounts of money at that time. Its new platforms, new mechanics, and new ways of establishing transactions... Try to check out in what form the payment was made to the studios that earnd the big bucks. The "industry" is actually selling itself cheaper and cheaper, prices spiralling downwards towards the 'free' price point, so game devs r making a lot less money than they can. Expect heavy changes here as ads may b driving this industry now not consumers, a lot of ur gaming content is sponsored

dashing.sujay said:
Of course duties are distributed but being in that are you are supposed to have all the basic fundamentals (which also lists creativity IMO)

To get a degree, yes.
For developing,not necessary but helpful.
BTW everyone has a lil bit of creativity.

Well actually Ads have already started rolling in games. Example - Burnout paradice

Niilesh said:
To get a degree, yes.
For developing,not necessary but helpful.
BTW everyone has a lil bit of creativity.

But it should be in right direction.

G

but then u have to have work life balance..these guys dont have peace in personal life...lot of targets to meet ..see if u get more money.. need to compromise some thing

40Lacs no need to do MBA/MS etc

There goes my million dollar dream.

when i was in HS..i had a dream to become a GD..searched a lot how to become one..but job market..study opportunity etc. in India made me back out of that dream!!

But I still dream of it..may be one day I'll atleast know something of game developing..may be some day I'll get enough time to study on this..sad I'm never going to become one!!

dashing.sujay said:
Of course duties are distributed but being in that are you are supposed to have all the basic fundamentals (which also lists creativity IMO)

Yes.

For A Game designer know-how of every aspect of game development is must whether its 3d designing .scripting,story writing,programming,etc.Because Game designer's job is to control the whole project handled by artists,programmers,etc for which standard knowledge of all the fields is essential.

More importantly there are multiple personnel for different sections of games mainly in big Game projects with high budget..most of the Indie and casual games are brought up by team of 2-10 people so extensive knowledge of each person in concerned field is must since a bunch of guys have to handle all the responsibilities.

For beginners it is required that one should have artistic and logical vision along with solid knowledge a programming language like C++(jAVA is hardly used for mainstream console Game programming),scripting language like Lua/UnrealScript,Skills in 3D Package like 3dsMax/Maya and Ability to handle either 3D Game Package like UnrealEngine/UnrealED/Unity or self-developed engine(which is never a case for individuals).

G

How are the 3d models designed?Which software?and how are they imported into games?

3D Character models and environment are made in Zbrush and max/maya and imported in Game package like UDK/unity by saving those files in .FBX format and then using default import tool in UDK.
I am currently working on a new UDK project so i just remember this.

You're quoting the salary as 40 lakh considering the USD payout. Lot of other normal IT jobs pay more that that.

^^ITS Not about comparison of jobs where we decide which one has higher salary ..its about the game devs in specific and how much do they make on avg for keeping us entertainded

Thats why it has been posted in gaming section instead of careers or news section.

More importantly unlike IT/Engineering where if you have good degree from extremely reputed College such as IIT which puts you in a position to claim hi-paid job in good company like intel,microsoft etc with even newcomers being offered 50lac+ package .you can simply forget about similar case in gaming industry.
GD life is life of hard knocks..nothing can help you have even 20lac salary as newbie in this industry.It takes patience and persistence to make your name in Gaming WORLD.
Specially in india where people prefer making fun out of someone who dares to say 'I Wannabe A Game Designer"/"Wanna have my own Gaming Studio"!!

*alltheragefaces.com/img/faces/png/obama-really-not-bad.png

Sujeet said:
Will be turning to GD very soon

if youre becoming an indie(and not supported by some publisher) GD start small first
1.mobile game dev
then
2.PC indie games(release via steam/gamersgate)
then
3.REAL games PC/Console
and of course you need to increase manpower for every bigger venture e.g level designer,UI designer etc

if you're becoming a game dev dont ever release your game in india(unless its a mobile/indie game)
for the simple reason that your game will be pirated like hell if it becomes popular

i too want to become a gd more of a level character designer though....
and my role models are CDprojekt and capcom(both are publishers/developing studio in one)
one day i will make my own game studio....

my aim is to open up my own game production company someday..! but sadly my for my dad i need a bachelor's degree first...

when i told him i wanted to become game programmer he said that you dont want to study.. i mean WTH!!!!!!! :O:O:O

A

Salary means nothing. If you knew the modicum of work involved, the external pressures, time limits, workforce constraints, "crunch time", etc. in this industry, you would think twice before taking it up. The good salaries are there for a reason - such jobs *will* take a toll on your personal lives.

If you know the risks and the rewards and have the courage, determination, drive and creativity, then by all means go for it.

If you are just a person dreaming of high salary and status, a great married life with kids etc., forget about it, you will never be successful in this industry.

That is my 2 cents on this issue.

CommanderShawnzer said:
if youre becoming an indie(and not supported by some publisher) GD start small first
1.mobile game dev
then
2.PC indie games(release via steam/gamersgate)
then
3.REAL games PC/Console
and of course you need to increase manpower for every bigger venture e.g level designer,UI designer etc

if you're becoming a game dev dont ever release your game in india(unless its a mobile/indie game)
for the simple reason that your game will be pirated like hell if it becomes popular

i too want to become a gd more of a level character designer though....
and my role models are CDprojekt and capcom(both are publishers/developing studio in one)
one day i will make my own game studio....

Yeah I know that all. Still thanx for reminding.

12 of the top 25 studios that made the most money in 2011 released for the iOS platform, 6 PC, 2 Wii, 1 each for Xbox 360 and PS3, the remaining 2 are multi-platform and 1 is both Android and iOS
9 of the 25 are Indie
so dont think big studios are earning the big bucks, iOS is def ruling the gaming roost
DEVELOP 100: THE WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL GAME STUDIOS
gonno go down the list and check out the studios more

1.mobile game dev
then
2.PC indie games(release via steam/gamersgate)
then
3.REAL games PC/Console

^ thats old thinking the challenge now is to make good microsized games that are immersive but casual - in the sense play for many short sessions instead of a few long sessions. Mobile game dev is where all the action is at.

Small teams can also make more money in this arena so although the competition is that much tougher, the payoff can potentially be much more than the 40lac figure

AcceleratorX said:
Salary means nothing. If you knew the modicum of work involved, the external pressures, time limits, workforce constraints, "crunch time", etc. in this industry, you would think twice before taking it up. The good salaries are there for a reason - such jobs *will* take a toll on your personal lives.

If you know the risks and the rewards and have the courage, determination, drive and creativity, then by all means go for it.

If you are just a person dreaming of high salary and status, a great married life with kids etc., forget about it, you will never be successful in this industry.

That is my 2 cents on this issue.

For last two years i have been consistently honing up skills of C++/HTML5/Python ;Photoshop/Illustratot ;UDK/Unity;Max/Maya for the sole purpose of making my own game project come to life.

Degree doesnt matter to me neither am i gonna waste my 4-5yr in a f@#$$ college instead i will keep working on my project till wont be a success.

Have already applied for DSK IC but the gigantic fee of 32+lac for 5yr course isnt helping me and even after 100%scholarship on course fee i have to pay around 10.2 lac which is very difficult considering that they are not affiliated by Government though there certification is of no use for me.I just want to learn. Never wished for a job as a GD.

Some day i am gonna make this s%$# happen for sure.Mark my words.

Anorion said:
12 of the top 25 studios that made the most money in 2011 released for the iOS platform, 6 PC, 2 Wii, 1 each for Xbox 360 and PS3, the remaining 2 are multi-platform and 1 is both Android and iOS
9 of the 25 are Indie
so dont think big studios are earning the big bucks, iOS is def ruling the gaming roost
DEVELOP 100: THE WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL GAME STUDIOS
gonno go down the list and check out the studios more

^ thats old thinking the challenge now is to make good microsized games that are immersive but casual - in the sense play for many short sessions instead of a few long sessions. Mobile game dev is where all the action is at.

You keep talking of casual games.What about someone willing to make hardcore game??

In the list indiagames is the only indian one and that too beacause of its multinational nature credited to Disney;its new owner.

Just try counting studios from US/UK/japan..oh i forgot rest all belongs to these Nations only.

^^start with some novel idea and small game.

Ok a company like gameloft that churns out quality games on all platforms didnt make it, neither did Rovio that held on to a single sale model, but the company that made stick cricket did make it to the list so these are the moneymaking trends
1) microtransactions - in game economy and additional content that can be purchased in game
2) time spent in game. Hardcore games get over in a few hours. Even skyrim peaked over a span of a couple of weeks. People keep playing casual games for longer than they play the so called serious games. Portal 2 has a start, beginning and end, bejeweled goes on forever.
3) advertising - companies in racing games as an eg
4) ease of payment - mobiles are convenient and more trustworthy than desktops
5) multiplayer and pvp - not worth buying all the stuff just 4 urself

The countries in the mix is an interesting study tho mebbe its worth plotting on a splatter map
US - 36, Japan - 19, UK - 13, Canada - 6, Sweden - 4, South Korea, Germany - 3 and Austria 2 in teh 100

Faun said:
^^start with some novel idea and small game.

Already started!!! :smile:

A salary of 80 - 90K USD per annum is actually very average pay considering the cost of living in US. In comparison, its almost the same standard of living as someone earning 8 -9 Lacs per annum in India.

Secondly, its a very stresful life as a GD and the work is very repetitive and monotonous thru out the project cycle. That coupled with the stringent timelines and 6.5 working days a week really takes a toll on a person and almost makes it not worthwhile to earn and "average pay"

Finally after toiling day and night towards a working title and see millions of us downloading a pirated copy takes away any satisfaction of getting into this career.

That being said, the only folks who are in this industry are ones who are truly passionate about what they do and are willing to make these sacrifices to do what they love.

AFAIK, each person in this field is here only by choice and passion which is actually really awesome.

Becoming a game dev just for the high salary is a nasty thing to do.Become one only if you like hardcore programming.

Neuron said:
Becoming a game dev just for the high salary is a nasty thing to do.Become one only if you like hardcore programming.

Might wanna rethink.
One can be game designer without knowing a single line of code.
Thats what game artist and designers do.
Programming has separate deparmtent and more importantly one can accomplish simple game projects using unity/UDK(many more and simple tools such as construct2 are available too) without knowing any serious programming.

Sujeet said:
Might wanna rethink.
One can be game designer without knowing a single line of code.
Thats what game artist and designers do.
Programming has separate deparmtent and more importantly one can accomplish simple game projects using unity/UDK(many more and simple tools such as construct2 are available too) without knowing any serious programming.

If you are creating projects of your own then yes.But if you want to join a game development organization like Blizzard you gotta do the hard thing.The pay is high for the same reason.

Neuron said:
The pay is high for the same reason.

The Layoff is also high :mrgreen:

the engine is the main property of the big studios, some are exceptions Valve has a store

Neuron said:
The pay is high for the same reason.

Pay is not high, especially at GD level. The pay is very ordinary.

patrick4 said:
Pay is not high, especially at GD level. The pay is very ordinary.

LOL Just one thing

Cliff Bleszinski: is the design director(essentially Game Desginer) for Epic Games and has a net worth of $15 million. Cliff Bleszinski has accumulated his net worth through his creativity in the designing of popular video and pc games, such as Gears of War for Xbox 360. He was born in North Andover, Massachusetts in 1975.
NET WORTH :15MN$

There are hundreds of other Game desginer with celebrity status ,and very high net worth made solely out of Game Development.Just for info.

Anorion said:
the engine is the main property of the big studios, some are exceptions Valve has a store

Game engines are assets.
The main property of a game studio is the IP-Intellectual property(original game concept and game created).
There are hundred of studios who use 3rd party Engine Like Unrela/Cryengine etc .
e.g. Rocksteady renowned for Batman AC & Batman AA.