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Video Game Designers in New York

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Video Game Designers in New York

Thinking about a career as a Video Game Designers in New York? Here’s what the data says. Design digital user interfaces or websites. Develop and test layouts, interfaces, functionality, and navigation menus to ensure compatibility and usability across browsers or devices. May use web framework applications as well as client-side code and processes. May evaluate web design following web and accessibility standards, and may analyze web use metrics and optimize websites for marketability and search engine ranking. May design and test interfaces that facilitate the human-computer interaction and maximize the usability of digital devices, websites, and software with a focus on aesthetics and design. May create graphics used in websites and manage website content and links. Excludes “Special Effects Artists and Animators” (27-1014) and “Graphic Designers” (27-1024).

What do Video Game Designers Make in New York?

The video game designers working in New York, the median annual wage is $121,700 per year (or about $58.51/hour).Earnings range from $49,330 at the 10th percentile to $208,850 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $49,330 $23.72
25th percentile $77,500 $37.26
Median (50th) $121,700 $58.51
75th percentile $167,520 $80.54
90th percentile $208,850 $100.41
Salary ranges for Video Game Designers in New York

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in New York compared to the national average — is 2.15, suggesting that video game designers are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, video game designers earn a median of $62,617 per year ($30.10/hour), above the New York median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 202,634 video game designers across the United States. In New York alone, about 14,840 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 830 video game designers.

Forecasted number of jobs for Video Game Designers

Top New York Metros for Video Game Designers

The largest metro-area employers of video game designers in New York.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 13,460 $120,430
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY 570 n/a
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 560 $97,010
Rochester, NY 450 $71,930
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 290 $95,560
Syracuse, NY 150 $74,050
Binghamton, NY 120 $136,760
Utica-Rome, NY 50 $94,980
Ithaca, NY 40 $98,130
Kingston, NY 30 $46,670

Top States for Video Game Designers Employment

The table below shows the states where the most video game designers work.

State Number Employed
California 27,210
New York 14,840
Washington 7,840
Texas 7,360
Florida 4,140
Pennsylvania 4,080
Tennessee 3,470
North Carolina 3,360
Georgia 3,070
Colorado 2,740
Virginia 2,740
Massachusetts 2,690
New Jersey 2,450
Illinois 2,140
Ohio 1,940
Michigan 1,800
Minnesota 1,510
Arizona 1,430
Indiana 1,390
Missouri 1,360

Highest-Paying States for Video Game Designers

These states pay the most for video game designers.

State Annual Median Salary
California $130,240
Washington $126,960
New York $121,700
Rhode Island $111,200
Massachusetts $107,560
Hawaii $105,560
Colorado $103,990
Georgia $100,530
Utah $99,300
Vermont $99,160

Skills

The most important video game designers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Programming  4.0 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  3.9 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  3.8 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  3.8 / 5
0
5
Complex Problem Solving  3.6 / 5
0
5
Judgment and Decision Making  3.6 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Design  4.3 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  4.2 / 5
0
5
Communications and Media  3.5 / 5
0
5
Psychology  3.3 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.3 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.2 / 5
0
5

Abilities

Top abilities for video game designers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Fluency of Ideas  4.1 / 5
0
5
Near Vision  4.0 / 5
0
5
Originality  4.0 / 5
0
5
Written Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Information Ordering  3.9 / 5
0
5
Oral Comprehension  3.9 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

  • Balance and adjust gameplay experiences to ensure the critical and commercial success of the product.
  • Devise missions, challenges, or puzzles to be encountered in game play.
  • Create core game features, including storylines, role-play mechanics, and character biographies for a new video game or game franchise.
  • Solicit, obtain, and integrate feedback from design and technical staff into original game design.
  • Conduct regular design reviews throughout the game development process.
  • Develop and maintain design level documentation, including mechanics, guidelines, and mission outlines.
  • Document all aspects of formal game design, using mock-up screenshots, sample menu layouts, gameplay flowcharts, and other graphical devices.
  • Provide feedback to designers and other colleagues regarding game design features.
  • Create and manage documentation, production schedules, prototyping goals, and communication plans in collaboration with production staff.
  • Provide feedback to production staff regarding technical game qualities or adherence to original design.
  • Create gameplay prototypes for presentation to creative and technical staff and management.
  • Guide design discussions between development teams.

Work Activities

  • Thinking Creatively
  • Working with Computers
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Getting Information
  • Processing Information
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
  • Analyzing Data or Information
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Adobe After Effects, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop In-demand technologies: Adobe Photoshop

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Programs that train for this career include:

  • Computer Science
  • Computer Information Systems
  • Information Science
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Software Applications
  • Information Technology

Related occupations to video game designers include:

Also Known As

Computer Game Designer, Computer Video Game Designer, Concept Artist, Content Creator, Design Director, Designer, Environment Artist, Environmental Artist, Game Design Consultant, Game Designer, Game Developer, Game Engineer, Game Master, Game Tester, Gamemaster.

References

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