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The differences between game developers and applications developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a game developer and an applications developer. Additionally, a game developer has an average salary of $91,009, which is higher than the $89,205 average annual salary of an applications developer.
The top three skills for a game developer include unity, game development and game engine. The most important skills for an applications developer are java, javascript, and C++.
| Game Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,009 | $89,205 |
| Hourly rate | $43.75 | $42.89 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 173,596 | 279,877 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
An application developer is responsible for creating program applications for devices based on clients' specifications and business needs. Application developers must have excellent knowledge of computer systems, as well as a strong command of programming languages to develop customized programs. Duties of an application developer also include running diagnostic tests to ensure the application's performance and stability, providing instruction manuals for reference, performing troubleshooting for any inconsistencies, upgrading design codes for optimization, and launching the application following the client's timetable.
Game developers and applications developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Game Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Average salary | $91,009 | $89,205 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $127,000 | Between $67,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a game developer and an applications developer in terms of educational background:
| Game Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between game developers' and applications developers' demographics:
| Game Developer | Applications Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |