Also called: World Designer, Map Designer
Builds the maps, levels, and missions players explore.
A level designer blocks out a dungeon with gray boxes in Unreal Engine, places enemies and secrets, then plays it over and over to fix pacing.
Game industry pay estimates (no single BLS category); big studios pay more but layoffs have been frequent since 2023.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Game design degree or modding portfolio.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Game Design, Architecture.
Growing about average. Volatile hiring.
Medium risk for 10 years. Procedural and AI tools generate layouts; crafting levels with pacing and challenge still needs designers.
Classes: Geometry, Art, AP Computer Science, Creative writing.
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.