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The differences between video game animators and game developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a video game animator, becoming a game developer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a game developer has an average salary of $91,009, which is higher than the $81,133 average annual salary of a video game animator.
The top three skills for a video game animator include animation, motion capture and maya. The most important skills for a game developer are unity, game development, and game engine.
| Video Game Animator | Game Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,133 | $91,009 |
| Hourly rate | $39.01 | $43.75 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 2,886 | 173,596 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 40 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
This is a multimedia artist and animator with a specialty in video games. They use a combination of arts and technology to create special effects, interactive animated images, and an environment for video games. They are expected to work alongside other departments to ensure that all visual artwork meets the specifications of clients. They are responsible for researching trends in video game animation, as well as statistics and techniques. Additionally, they may have to compile briefs and reports and even present your ideas and research findings before potential investors.
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.
Video game animators and game developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Video Game Animator | Game Developer | |
| Average salary | $81,133 | $91,009 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $135,000 | Between $64,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a video game animator and a game developer in terms of educational background:
| Video Game Animator | Game Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Animation | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between video game animators' and game developers' demographics:
| Video Game Animator | Game Developer | |
| Average age | 40 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |