Also called: Systems Designer, Content Designer
Designs the rules, challenges, and experiences that make a game fun.
You write a design doc for a new weapon, prototype it, and watch testers play. If they're bored, you change the numbers and try again.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in game design or related; a portfolio of designed games or mods.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Game Design, Computer Science, Psychology.
Growing slowly. Very competitive; industry layoffs 2023-25.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI speeds up prototyping and content, but inventing rules and experiences that are truly fun stays human.
Classes: Creative writing, AP Psychology, AP Computer Science Principles.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-1255.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.