Game development and design is a growing industry in Australia that attracts some of the best design and programming talent around. Game design and development is offered by many universities and other institutions as a course and there are lots of studios bobbing up, producing games for various platforms. What kind of salary can you pull as a game developer or designer in Australia?
Unlike teaching and policing, which I looked at earlier this week, there’s no real award salary rate for game development and design. Salaries in the gaming industry are more flexible and negotiable.
According to SEEK, game designers create and develop the structure of gamesmanship and make creative decisions about interfaces, maps, scenarios, characters and storylines.
Within that discipline, there are a number of different skillsets ranging from animation and other artistic elements through to software development. So, being in “game development” can mean a lot of different things.
That diversity of different skills and roles is reflected in the range of salaries paid in the industry.
For example, figures from SEEK suggest the median salary for a game designer is $72,666 with a range of $63,333 and $81,999. Payscale says Video game Programmers have a median salary of $65,000 with a range between $48,000 and $74,000. Indeed suggests an average salary of $79,628 but currently has positions advertised with salaries in excess of $100,000.
If you’re looking to get started in game development there are several degree course available in Australia. For example, the SAE Institute offers several different diploma and degree course in several cities. Swinburne University in Melbourne offers a variety of different degrees that have majors in various aspects of game creation as does Griffith University.
The good news is that the cost of entry to prove you’ve got skills isn’t too hard.
You can develop games for various platforms and distribute them independently and use that as a way of showing potential employers what you’re capable of. Publishing is relatively easy, particularly through the iOS and macOS app stores as well as the Android Play Store.
It’s also important to show you’re up within the latest tech. The ability to use virtual reality and other emerging technology is handy and can differentiate you from others seeking to enter this increasingly competitive arena.
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