Animation director vs game artist

The differences between animation directors and game artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an animation director and a game artist. Additionally, a game artist has an average salary of $86,932, which is higher than the $71,266 average annual salary of an animation director.

The top three skills for an animation director include animation, maya and motion capture. The most important skills for a game artist are animation, maya, and sketch.

Animation director vs game artist overview

	Animation Director	Game Artist
Yearly salary	$71,266	$86,932
Hourly rate	$34.26	$41.79
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	4,968	5,040
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Animation director vs game artist salary

Animation directors and game artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animation Director	Game Artist
Average salary	$71,266	$86,932
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $117,000	Between $56,000 And $133,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Las Vegas, NV
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Nevada
Best paying company	Microsoft	Amazon
Best paying industry	Technology	Start-up

Differences between animation director and game artist education

There are a few differences between an animation director and a game artist in terms of educational background:

	Animation Director	Game Artist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Animation	Graphic Design
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Animation director vs game artist demographics

Here are the differences between animation directors' and game artists' demographics:

	Animation Director	Game Artist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 75.1% Female, 24.9%	Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between animation director and game artist duties and responsibilities

Animation director example responsibilities.

Manage animation department, promote to manage video and animation departments.
Lead a team of artists to create the art and animation for motion comics aspects of the show.
Translate storyboards into rough previz animations and work with director adjusting cameras and actions.
Assist with QA of code within Xcode environment.

Game artist example responsibilities.

Create many MEL scripts to help automate routine daily tasks and improve overall productivity.
Work include background art, character design, user-interface design and art, award art, buttons and flash FX.
Create 3d models, and texture paintings.
Conceptualize the look of different levels and stages for PC games.
Model, rig, and texture hero and enemy characters for an untitle project.
Ensure that all assets fit the art style of the game and are ready for animation hand off.

Animation director vs game artist skills

Common animation director skills

Animation, 37%
Maya, 16%
Motion Capture, 6%
Unity, 5%
Medical Care, 5%
CG, 4%

Common game artist skills

Animation, 15%
Maya, 11%
Sketch, 8%
UI, 8%
Unity, 7%
Concept Art, 5%

Animation Director vs. similar jobs

Animation Director related careers

Animation Director related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Industry
Animation Director
Animation Director vs Game Artist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs