Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between game engineers and 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 engineer and a developer. Additionally, a game engineer has an average salary of $104,976, which is higher than the $100,076 average annual salary of a developer.
The top three skills for a game engineer include unity, python and game engine. The most important skills for a developer are javascript, python, and java.
| Game Engineer | Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $104,976 | $100,076 |
| Hourly rate | $50.47 | $48.11 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 242,571 | 262,570 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Developers are usually system or application developers in a company who work on specific projects related to networks or applications from conception to implementation. They attend planning sessions to ensure that the program is feasible. They are responsible for designing the system through coding and basic user interface design. They also work on troubleshooting any challenges that may be met at the testing stage of the program's development. They solve challenges and ensure that minimal problems will arise upon publishing the system or application. They also manage the evaluation to ensure that the program's goals are accomplished and that the end-users are satisfied with the results.
Game engineers and developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Game Engineer | Developer | |
| Average salary | $104,976 | $100,076 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $152,000 | Between $76,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | - |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Finance |
There are a few differences between a game engineer and a developer in terms of educational background:
| Game Engineer | Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | 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 engineers' and developers' demographics:
| Game Engineer | Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5% | Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |