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The differences between game artists and production artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a game artist, becoming a production artist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a game artist has an average salary of $86,932, which is higher than the $61,870 average annual salary of a production artist.
The top three skills for a game artist include animation, maya and sketch. The most important skills for a production artist are graphic design, adobe photoshop, and adobe creative suite.
| Game Artist | Production Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $86,932 | $61,870 |
| Hourly rate | $41.79 | $29.75 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 5,040 | 59,103 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
This individual is tasked with just one thing, and that is to create 2D or 3D art for visual elements in video games. Their task is crucial in the process of creating games. They visualize how a game will look and ensure it comes out exactly that way. They design a few preliminary sketches and develop them according to the general style of the video game. They are required to work on components like characters, textures, vehicles, colors, lighting, objects, and environment.
A production artist is responsible for managing digital content, meeting clients' standard specifications and requests for successful project completion. Production artists must have computer proficiency, especially on utilizing various software tools and applications to create illustrations and layouts. They also work closely with the creative team, cooperating in brainstorming sessions to ensure the consistency for each assigned task. A production artist should be keen on details, adjusting outputs as needed to maintain the highest quality for the actual presentation.
Game artists and production artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Game Artist | Production Artist | |
| Average salary | $86,932 | $61,870 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $133,000 | Between $40,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | - |
There are a few differences between a game artist and a production artist in terms of educational background:
| Game Artist | Production Artist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between game artists' and production artists' demographics:
| Game Artist | Production Artist | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0% | Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 13% |