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The differences between game developers and development team members 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 a development team member. Additionally, a game developer has an average salary of $91,009, which is higher than the $27,071 average annual salary of a development team member.
The top three skills for a game developer include unity, game development and game engine. The most important skills for a development team member are PET, customer service, and wine.
| Game Developer | Development Team Member | |
| Yearly salary | $91,009 | $27,071 |
| Hourly rate | $43.75 | $13.01 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 173,596 | 389,951 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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.
A development team member performs various support tasks to help complete projects according to client specifications and requirements. In the information technology industry, a development team member writes codes, creates programs, implements test systems, troubleshoots issues, performs repairs and upgrades, maintains records, and presents reports to managers. In some establishments, they may also have clerical duties such as handling calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documentation, organizing files, arranging schedules, and maintaining a transparent and open communication line with staff for an efficient workflow.
Game developers and development team members have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Game Developer | Development Team Member | |
| Average salary | $91,009 | $27,071 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $127,000 | Between $18,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Tata Group |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a game developer and a development team member in terms of educational background:
| Game Developer | Development Team Member | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between game developers' and development team members' demographics:
| Game Developer | Development Team Member | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% | Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9% |
| 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, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |