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The differences between game engineers and software design 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 engineer and a software design engineer. Additionally, a game engineer has an average salary of $104,976, which is higher than the $98,799 average annual salary of a software design engineer.
The top three skills for a game engineer include unity, python and game engine. The most important skills for a software design engineer are software development, python, and software design.
| Game Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $104,976 | $98,799 |
| Hourly rate | $50.47 | $47.50 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 242,571 | 315,080 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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.
A software design engineer or SDE is part of a software development enterprise. Software design engineers determine the problems or issues and figure out how to establish programs to ease and automate the situations. They fabricate style sheets for the management of the individual aspects of huge engineering projects. It is their job to develop strategies for hardware architecture and software engineering. They also handle and mentor engineering interns for professional guidance.
Game engineers and software design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Game Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $104,976 | $98,799 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $152,000 | Between $74,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a game engineer and a software design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Game Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between game engineers' and software design engineers' demographics:
| Game Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5% | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% |
| 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, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |