Online and mobile gaming is now the largest gaming platform worldwide. Its revenue in 2019 makes up 45 percent of the whole gaming industry. Mobile gaming alone is estimated to have an income of over 77 billion US dollars this year while PC gaming is estimated to be at 37 billion US dollars.
There surely is money in online gaming. However, many are quick to assume that the only way for a person to make money is to stream the games that they play. This makes sense as we all know that famous online personalities like PewDiePie, JackScepticEye, and Ninja are earning big by playing games online and streaming.
While online game streaming could make you earn money and even be a career path that you could take, there are still other jobs that you can take within the industry. And no, you don’t have to Google ‘How to hack a blackjack game’ just to be able to earn money by playing games online. Here are some job positions that you can take within the online gaming sector.
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1. Games Animator
Many gamers are only ever interested in games with high-quality graphics and picturesque gaming designs. If you’re someone who is into gaming and have the skills in graphic designing, then this may be for you. This job concerns art and technology. You could be the one working on the characters or the environment and atmosphere of the game.
You may need a degree in computer graphics, art, animation, and illustration to get this job in big gaming companies. However, even high school graduates with the right experience and technical skills can also work as a game animator. According to Glassdoor, a game animator could earn as much as 69,168 US dollars each year in the United States.
2. Game Designer
If you still want to be part of the animating process but you don’t have the skills in drawing and graphics, then you could be a game designer. As a game designer, your role is to create the features and the storyline of the game. You will also work on the character bios and other elements in making the video game interesting.
For this job, you will have to work closely with a creative team including the game animators and director. You might need a bachelor’s degree in game design to easily get hired for this. According to recruiter.com, a game designer could earn as much as 70,000 US dollars each year.
3. Game Programmer
This job position is for the gamers out there who know a lot about computers and their technicalities. As a game programmer, your job is to turn the vision of game designers and directors into reality. You’re responsible for coding the game and you need to be good at it.
You will need a degree in computer science or software engineering to get this job. You can also take up a Bachelor of Science in Game Design and Development for this. Glassdoor reports that a game programmer could earn as much as 94,787 US dollars annually.
4. Game Play Tester
If you just really want a career in the gaming industry but you don’t have the technical skills in creating video games, then you may want to be a game tester. This sounds exactly what it is. You will be paid to play games, but you will also have to be a critic.
You don’t need a degree to be able to get this job but it’s better if you have a degree in game design and computer science for this. What’s important here is that you are a real gamer who could point out what’s great and what’s not on the game that you are testing. GetEducated reports that a video game tester could earn as much as 53,030 US dollars each year.
5. Gaming Professional
This could be the dream for many gamers out there. Being a professional gamer means that your income is coming from playing games in tournaments and competitions. Pro gamers are also usually sponsored by different companies just like sports athletes are.
If you are aiming to be a pro gamer, you need to have the proper skills and training. You should be confident enough to join tournaments whether it’s local or international. However, this still could be a short-lived career. There are retired pro-gamers that end up working in game design and programming. When it comes to how much you earn, it depends on the tournaments you join and the sponsors that you have. You could earn as much as 5,000 US dollars each month or even more if you’re really good.
