Also called: Game Composer
Writes music for games that changes as players explore and fight.
A game composer writes battle music that gets more intense when enemies appear, and calm exploration music, then works with programmers so the music changes smoothly.
Highly variable.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. A bachelor's in music or composition, then several years scoring indie games to build a portfolio; most join ASCAP or BMI for royalties.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Music Composition.
Growing about average. Competitive.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI music tools cover cheap indie and mobile games; adaptive scores for bigger titles still need composers, but fewer breaks.
Classes: AP Music Theory, Computer science, Piano, Music.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2041.
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.