Gaming has become a multi-billion dollar industry, rivalling the movie and music business. Being an enormous enterprise, it offers many job opportunities for gaming enthusiasts. For the avid gamer, pursuing a career in this field would most certainly be a dream job. Whether you are a DOTA fan or can’t resist the action-packed Fortnite, nothing is stopping you from being a part of the professional gaming world. If you are creative and love the world of fantasy or have coding skills worthy of bragging rights, these are some of the highest-paying jobs in the gaming world.
What’s more, you will be amazed to learn how many gamers turned their true passion into a career and have made an impressive income. As the proverbial saying goes,” do what you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”….
Game Animator
Being a game animator is no easy feat. Have you ever stepped into a game and been utterly amazed by its absolute realism? The sense of realism and sublime portrayal of movement in games are thanks to animators. These individuals are responsible for bringing to life these magical and resplendent worlds that take us away from reality.
They are a quintessential component to game development. Skillfully combining technology and art, they create the moving environments and interactive animated images that keep us gamers glued to our screens. With an average annual salary of $51,259, this is the essence of what dreams are made of!
One of the most influential animators in the industry is die-hard gamer Andy Welihozkiy who not only worked as the lead animator for Grand Theft Auto V but also has other impressive titles under his belt including Red Dead Redemption, and L.A. Noire. He is a big influencer in the gaming world, leaving fans gobsmacked with his achievements and legendary skills.
Script Writers
An epic game requires an equally epic storyline and relatable characters. Ever played a game and felt emotionally connected to a character? Thank a writer. Just take a look at the superb award winning masterpieces of writing created by the artistic Tom Abernathy whose work includes Saboteur, Destroy All Humans!, and Heavy Gear. Abernathy, a game veteran of 15 years was awarded the top writer award and while he writes actual screenplays for movies, he took his passion and skill and blended it in the most epic way possible. Another noteworthy icon in the industry to look up to is Drew Karpyshyn who is the mastermind behind Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Jade Empire.
Writing has become so complex and comprehensive these days that many game’s storylines are equivalent to the quality of an epic novel. As a game writer, your responsibility will be to create the plot and narrative for the game and write the dialogue for the characters, portraying their personalities and idiosyncrasies. If you have quick fingers and an unstoppable imagination you could earn a cool $50,209 per annum in this field!
Audio Engineer
A noteworthy sound engineer to look up to in this industry is none other than avid gamer, James Battley who is known for his impeccable work in Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Fortnite, Spider-Man, and Quantum Break. Audio engineers create all of the wonderful, unique sounds and background music you hear in the gaming experience. These professionals also record the voice-actors performances and sync those recordings with the dialogue of the game’s characters. Sound is essential to creating the ambience of games and can transform a world of boring into something truly mystical and mysterious.
The creation of sound effects and audio design pushes you to explore your imagination as you come up with ways to create original and evocative sounds. To enter into this field, a diploma or degree in sound engineering is usually a requirement, but once you have bagged yourself this certificate, the typical annual salary for these audio experts is around $53,336. Not too bad for doing something you are passionate about!
Game Tester
Who wouldn’t want to test out games for a living? Before you get all excited, there’s more to the job than what it sounds. You have to pay attention to every intricate detail and the QA side of things require someone who strives for perfection. Game testers work closely with game designers and programmers and quality assurance is the keyword here. As a tester, you would be responsible for detecting any errors or bugs in all areas of the game and ensure that it comes to market as a flawless masterpiece.
It is a job that requires a lot of patience and for those who enjoy problem finding and solving, this could just be the perfect fit for you. The starting salary for newbie game testers is a humble $18,000 annually. However, experienced testers in the industry earn up to $70,000 per annum. Talk about striking gold!
Being a game tester also opens the door for a lot more opportunities. Take Tommy Tallarico for example. Tallarico started his love for video games and turned it into a lucrative career as a game tester and soon moved on to composing original music for major titles such as Sonic and the Black Knight, Metroid Prime, and Spider-Man proving that nothing is impossible in the video game industry!
So there you have it, the highest paying jobs for all you avid gamers out there. Let this serve as inspiration that you too can become a household name in the industry, and make your passion fruitful in so many ways. Be sure to follow and check out the above mentioned gamers to get inspired by their work, ethics, and skills! As they say, “let the games begin”