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The differences between game developers and animators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a game developer, becoming an animator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a game developer has an average salary of $91,009, which is higher than the $76,853 average annual salary of an animator.
The top three skills for a game developer include unity, game development and game engine. The most important skills for an animator are animation, motion capture, and storyboards.
| Game Developer | Animator | |
| Yearly salary | $91,009 | $76,853 |
| Hourly rate | $43.75 | $36.95 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 173,596 | 551 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Game developers are professionals who are responsible for designing and producing video games for computers, mobile devices, or game consoles by taking the concept of video game designers and turning them into playable games. By using their background in software development and mathematics, game developers must work with teams to create visual content for a game and writing code to implement all the game's features and functionality. They are required to handle new game feature requests and make improvements to the game even after production. Game developers must also demonstrate their skills in artificial programming intelligence for non-player characters.
The animators are specialized artists who conceptualized ideas from their creative minds with technology applications. Animators cater to different specialties depending on their expertise. They used multiple techniques and tools to create a digital masterpiece. An animator is required to have an excellent time and project management skills to meet deadlines. They should also be detail-oriented and technology savvy to keep up with the latest trend in the digital market. Animators are required to have regular communication with the respective department for the updates or adjustments as needed.
Game developers and animators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Game Developer | Animator | |
| Average salary | $91,009 | $76,853 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $127,000 | Between $52,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | California | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Media |
There are a few differences between a game developer and an animator in terms of educational background:
| Game Developer | Animator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Animation |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between game developers' and animators' demographics:
| Game Developer | Animator | |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |