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The differences between game developers and game engineers 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 game engineer. Additionally, a game engineer has an average salary of $104,976, which is higher than the $91,009 average annual salary of a game developer.
The top three skills for a game developer include unity, game development and game engine. The most important skills for a game engineer are unity, python, and game engine.
| Game Developer | Game Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,009 | $104,976 |
| Hourly rate | $43.75 | $50.47 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 173,596 | 242,571 |
| 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.
The main task of a game engineer is to design software programs for computer games. Game engineers develop gaming networks and programs for third-party-usage. They create the mechanics of the games, which are coordinated with a story. Also called specialized software engineers, they create coding sequences for gameplay. They may need to establish various codes for gaming devices. The skills they need include knowledge of gaming trends, teamwork skills, programming language proficiency, and creativity.
Game developers and game engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Game Developer | Game Engineer | |
| Average salary | $91,009 | $104,976 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $127,000 | Between $72,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Novato, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a game developer and a game engineer in terms of educational background:
| Game Developer | Game Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between game developers' and game engineers' demographics:
| Game Developer | Game Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% | Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5% |
| 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, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 31.3% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |