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The differences between visual artists and game artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a visual artist and a game artist. Additionally, a game artist has an average salary of $86,932, which is higher than the $81,873 average annual salary of a visual artist.
The top three skills for a visual artist include animation, maya and visual development. The most important skills for a game artist are animation, maya, and sketch.
| Visual Artist | Game Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $81,873 | $86,932 |
| Hourly rate | $39.36 | $41.79 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 7,209 | 5,040 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Visual artists are the type of artists that engage their audience through their eyes. This type of artist expresses their feelings in different ways. They can use any material to make their feelings known. Sometimes, they express their feelings using carved wood, digital imagery, and installations from objects they find randomly. They may use water vapor or bee pollen to let the world see their feelings, thoughts, and ideals. They can also choose to work independently or work with studios that produce cartoons, develop games, and have a fixed schedule to work on a project.
This individual is tasked with just one thing, and that is to create 2D or 3D art for visual elements in video games. Their task is crucial in the process of creating games. They visualize how a game will look and ensure it comes out exactly that way. They design a few preliminary sketches and develop them according to the general style of the video game. They are required to work on components like characters, textures, vehicles, colors, lighting, objects, and environment.
Visual artists and game artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Visual Artist | Game Artist | |
| Average salary | $81,873 | $86,932 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $127,000 | Between $56,000 And $133,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sparks, NV | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | - | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a visual artist and a game artist in terms of educational background:
| Visual Artist | Game Artist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Fine Arts | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between visual artists' and game artists' demographics:
| Visual Artist | Game Artist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5% | Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |