If you’re like me, you may have spent hours playing your favorite video games. Unlocking new levels, playing with friends, some of my best memories involve playing video games. Game coding is one of the most influential jobs in the tech industry as your work is experienced by people throughout the globe. Game coding is also highly creative as you are creating brand new worlds for others to experience. So, what is it like to be a game coder? Is being a game coder as lucrative as one might imagine? Career Karma is here to give you the breakdown.
What Do Game Coders Do?
Before we can dive into the numbers, let’s take a step back and evaluate what exactly game coders do. Video game coders/programmers are software engineers that write the code that makes video games run. Programmers will typically specialize in one aspect of the video game’s coding such as graphics, functionality, or audio. Job growth for this field is high with a 17% increase in programming jobs by 2024. Many game coders also have a background in game design and sometimes play a part in the conception and design aspects of the game in addition to coding.
How Much Do Game Coders Make?
So, how much do game coders make? The average video game coder makes $76,000 per year which translates to about $36.00 an hour. The lowest ten percent of earners made $39,000 annually while the highest ten percent of earners made over $123,000. These numbers are just averages and the amount that you make can also be greatly affected by experience. A timeline of earnings shows the increase your salary might have overtime.
- 0-5 years: $56,000
- 5-10 years: $71,000
- 10-20 years: $79,000
- 20+ years: $98,000
How to Become a Game Coder
So, if game coding is right for you, you may be wondering how to get started. One of the best ways to learn to code is through coding bootcamps. Through coding bootcamps, you will learn a variety of coding languages and have the chance to build a real world portfolio. Coding bootcamps are also adamant about job placement so you will have a huge support system to help you find your dream job at Roblox, Apple, or Microsoft. Career Karma can help match you to the best coding bootcamp to suit your needs. Even after you’ve been accepted into your desired bootcamp, Career Karma continues to provide support through our community of peers and experts.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
