How Much I Get Paid as a Game Programmer 

Before, I started developing mobile applications to earn more money, working for 1 hour felt like death to me. Then I tried game development and when I got up from the computer, 5 hours had passed and I never understood it and then I decided that if you do what you love well, you will achieve much greater success and of course that much money :D

Bro can make educational and good quality content without trying

It's hard for me as a Spaniard to understand how a yearly 140k pay does not reach for a house and a amazing level of life-style, here in Spain we are able to live by our own and even start a mortage for a own house when we reach the 30k-40k point a year. The rent cost there must be insane. Hope everything ends up well, and that you both end having your goals fulfiled!

I think there’s definitely two types of people. Those who would rather work in a job they love for less pay and those who would rather do what earns them more money. Both are completely justified as well and neither is better than the other. I'm definitely in the former group though, some of my happiest times were earning 18 dollarydoos an hour on a farm and I'm considering going back to it (to slightly higher wages now lol)

This is super useful information as an aspiring software/game dev. I'm at this weird crossroads right now. I graduated from a computer science program last year in and unfortunately did not have the foresight to do co-op to gain some experience in the field. I did some traveling for some months after that and decided to give game dev a shot. During a 4-month period of job hunting with no luck, I took some courses online and made a few portfolio pieces in unreal and unity (and a game jam). I had fun and I think I could be good at it, but I wouldn't say I'm excited to create something new every day. I'm constantly blown away by the creativity of new indie games coming out and I now realize the amount of work that it takes to make games. I love playing games and dissecting mechanics, coming up with new ideas/implementing them, story, etc., but I think my other passions in life are equally as important to me if not more. All that being said. I'm lucky enough that very soon I'm moving to Montreal with a good support system and some connections, and I have to make a choice between putting all my eggs in game development, or doing something else. My questions for you are: 1. Would you say that a programmers working in the games industry all have a fiery passion to make games? 2. Do you think that working in the games industry generally leads to less, more, or similar flexibility with travel, working hours, etc than other fields? I'm glad you're feeling some economic stability and wish you continued success in the future!

Awesome story. I wish California treated you better.. 140k a year just to afford an apartment is insane. Best of luck friend

Passion is fine but one must think about retirement, quality of life and job security. Nowadays you can easily get 90-140k right of the college as a fresher in big tech. So doing game development as part time as your hobby while doing software development job is not so bad. Its not fulfilling but trust me when you see your bank account you will be happy. You can get out of the industry in 12-15 years and do whatever you want because you will be financially free by then.

Prey is one of my favorite games ever. It's so cool you worked for that project. I have been thinking about going into game dev and hearing more about how much you made makes me think it can be worth it but I would try to avoid high COL areas. Thank you for sharing.

Was funny to hear how you can't afford rent with your sky high salaries. Here in eastern europe as junior dev I made 14.4k/year and now as mid level I make 31.2k/year and and still manage to buy and pay everything I need.

Still looking for a job.. Thanks for the videos, been quite useful to me. Going for Software Engineer :)

Bro, This is the most insightful video I have ever seen. ❤

My dude. You seem like the most friendly guy; I've been lucky enough to work with developers as kind and passionate as you. People who feel excited and privileged to be doing the work that they're doing, and sharing their knowledge and experience with those around them. Thumbs, sub, bells etc. Thanks for the great post.

Oh wow you worked on Prey 2017? Much love dude, literally became one my favourite games ever, and I've been gaming for 20+ years, you guys did great.

Dude thanks for sharing! Orange County is so expensive, I miss it though. I hate that our industry takes advantages of people's passions and under pays us.

People are saying that game programmers earn less than non game programmers for years, and that is bullshit. Which area of software field do you think earn more than game programmers ? How you came to that conclusion? Game programmers, in general, earn more than generalist full stack, front end, backend web monkeys. They earn more or on par with embedded software engineers. They only earn 20-30% less than cloud, infrastructure, AI and big data engineers. Don't choose a field based on just earning potentials, because the tech is so volatile that every field is changing rapidly in time, no one now's which field is gonna be lucrative. Choose a field you love, you'll get better at it and you'll earn more. That's it, life is too short.

145K in california is like 50k in the midwest. I know you get to work on some really neat projects but that is working for peanuts.

Enjoyed your content man, you really do just get to the point vs some of the other creators out there who love to dance around the issues. Ever since I was a kid I've had this thing for fixing bugs in apps and games I've encountered and after I had kids I just sorta stopped thinking about it. I'm stuck in the place I am right now for complicated reasons and all of my 4 boys are starting to take interest in the things I love including my dabbling in programming and I'm taking a serious dive back into it as a way to connect with my kids. I think I'd be a hell of a debugger/QA type but even if I don't excel I think it would be amazing to give my sons who want to do it a head start

Top man. If you love the job you're doing, you'll never have to work a day in your life. I strongly believe this and would always be happier on less money loving my career.

Worked at visual concepts as a designer for a few years but recently got laid off. Recently started learning C++ just because it seems more stable to become a programmer and i also enjoyed coding and debugging code in c# when i spent time independently working on unity projects. i know cpp is much more complex but i think i'll have fun with it

I love your passion for game development and how you've stuck with it, but I'd also like to throw in my two cents. I spend all of my professional time developing backend software systems in the medical space. These are things that the majority of people spend 0% of their life thinking about. Despite that, they are absolutely necessary, and drive a hugely important aspect of our lives. The funny thing is that the necessity of my work isn't even what drives me. I LOVE solving these problems. And I don't believe that the solutions I work on are applicable to my professional space exclusively. I've developed generic work engines that would absolutely benefit the server side components of online gaming infrastructures. As programmers, we often solve problems that can be applicable in many applications. If you enjoy solving these problems, you can find great enjoyment in programming regardless of the field that your software applies to.

Dude, you have had a great career so far!!!

Couldn't agree more. I've found over time people are more infactuated with a high paying job position, rather than a position that's enjoyable and sustainable. When having a partner that works as well - 2 incomes no children - there's more leeway with finding a fulfilling position in life!

You did 3 video and explained more and better the topic than 50 bs video. It is always inspiring and helpful to see people that do their job for years and talking about it. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing! Big fan of Prey and of Civ 6!

Game development attracts me so much but i fear going in.

It's been always my dream is to become a game developer like you. And I am already became a big fan of you(you have inspired me a lot), will you make a complete study guide for us? Like what should we learn for betterment (according to your experience), how to prepare for job, and how to just become a better developer

When taking a game development course at my Uni I got heavily discouraged cause I did all the work in my group's project twice. I haven't touched Godot/Unity since then and I found a career in enterprise software engineering. Even though I don't love what I'm doing it enables me to invest in my future without worrying about finances whatsoever. I admit, there is no passion for CS anymore but driving a 911 in mountain passes is fun af.

Wishing you a happy and fulfilling life filled with joy, love, and success in all your endeavors.

Awesome video bro! As someone who is looking to change careers and also loves video games this information is great. I always though all video game devs struggle and while I love my current career the rewards just aren’t worth it for me anymore. Glad to know I wouldn’t have to face the same kind of situation lol

Very cool video and insightful stuff. I'm kind of on the opposite side of this - I make very good pay doing web development but I would rather be working on games.

Hey man good to see another video up. All the best bro

This is awesome Chris. I'm currently upgrading my arsenal of knowledge, I think you have just inspired me to look more into game dev

I would happily take a pay cut to move from web dev to game dev

Thanks for the video!! Having such a detailed insight on someone who has great experience helps a lot on making a bunch of scary decisions

I’m currently a software engineer still pretty early in my career, and I didn’t pursue video game development because I thought it was less realistic as a career, but over a year into my second software engineering job, I’m realizing it’s not very fulfilling for me. I’ve fooled around in Unity but I feel like it would take too much effort to make a career shift as I don’t have any actual training in game development (just the simple Udemy course or two). And the big thing for me is that I really like making and tuning game mechanics, but I’m not great at coming up with the big ideas.

Thank you for reminding me of the good times bro! USA is a land of opportunity. I didn’t make (and not making) as much money as you do, but I’ve done well even as an effing legacy programmer. I reached retirement age, so don’t forget about savings!

Solid Snake : "As a Game Programmer?!"

As far as finding a job and starting a career, do you think it's better for an aspiring game dev programmer to just practice general C++ programming skills (and making small game projects in Unreal and whatnot) or is it better to be specialized and dive in really deep into something specific, like enemy AI, gameplay, game engine creation, writing shaders, etc?

From what I learned in my lifetime, if a job or title or position has many fishes in the sea that are passionate / inspired about it, it's a chance for exploitation, like always putting up a "Hiring" post somewhere. The only way to get around it is if you're a brand like the developers of Sekiro or Elden ring, or you're the founder / co-founder of that game / product.

I love yours videos and being an aspiring game dev, you inspire me to become one. Thank you for sharing your experience.

The GIS joke lol. I gave up eventually and told people “I make maps”.

Game development tends to be among the lowest paid programmer jobs because the competition / turnover rate is high. Especially for larger studios, every year there is a fresh batch of starry eyed young professionals who are passionate about game development. And willing to work for cheaper if it means they get to participate in the industry. As for smaller or indie studios, they simply cannot afford to pay as much as other larger studios, as such the main driver is passion for game development.

Its really nice to know you better Chris, I felt attached to your way of advicing people in the begging of their carears like me. Also liked that you sound really aware of the problems in the game industry. Btw I oppend the link of the microfone but they charge twice the price of the product to send it to Brazil, I'm needing one and I was hoping to help you pay yours as you said but that don't sound as a great deal haha! Keep up with the content :)

You seem like a nice, genuine person. Have a sub.

That is amazing. Really amazing. Working on different companies with different projects that is amazing.

Thanks for sharing, sounds like an adventurous life !

I'm from Brazil and my dream is to be a Game Programmer and live in the USA, at the moment I'm looking for opportunities. Nice video!

Im so very thankful that ive found your channel SyncMain :) I may be to old to become a programmer, but ive bought a book and i try my best. It's fun. And i can still do hobby projects and play around with gadgets. Ive played 1000+ hours plus on Civ 6, so fun to hear that you where a part of making it. What i would love to listen more to is when you take the first step towards programming with graphics(c++) The first project where you make something move around etc.

Respect! You are such a gem of a developer. Please make more videos.

Thank you for sharing your experience.. but you also have to do sports, because if you lose your health, no one is going to give it back to you, on top of that, in the USA, getting sick can mean bankruptcy... The problem with working with companies that overexploit you is that they end up ruining your health, because you don't even have time to go for a walk or play sports... Very good, regards.

please more videos from you I want to know more about your career and give more advices and thank you for sharing

Exploitation is well known within the gaming industry. Insane OT (some unpaid as you mentioned), crazy dealines and lower salary compared to the "regular software" industry in exchange for your passion. That's not even accounting for the job insecurity, with massive layoffs weather the project you were working was successful or not.

I liked and subscribed the moment I heard you mention charity/leaving a link to a charity in your description, I respect the way you think my man

I forgot to tell to everyone who is developing games. If you really loves that - you working not becayse of position or the big salary. Life is all about to enjoying the best of we love, so lets do it.

Super great video, packed with information. Cheers!

any tips for getting into game programming companies? I've been applying for months, but just can't seem to find any job that is willing to accept me. I've applied for at least 200 jobs within the past couple of months, with little to no replies so far. I love game development; mostly working in Rust and C++ currently, but just not getting accepted is extremely discouraging.

Dude this video has been very informative!! Thank you for the awesome content!

it's good to have goals in life and pursue happiness. Anyone can realize their dreams as long as they work towards them!

Ty for sharing your experience!

Cool that you worked on Prey, at Arkane for a bit there. :D

Such an awesome genuine channel and video, you are such a cool guy

How much data structures and algorithms are important in game programming?

I like this guy. I’m glad I found your channel!

Thanks for the vid man :) Looking forward for some technical content from You :)

I like your temperament SyncMain. Your energy is about what I see in the Tech industry from the guys that are "settled in" i.e. are actually great at what they do, have no desire to be "showy" or stand out in any particular way, and just like to be helpful by contributing their skills to projects and companies that they feel match what their own goals are. Can you talk about how your personality changes, or doesn't change over time? Like, starting out are you full of energy enthusiasm etc, and when things start to take a downward turn as they do for basically everyone in any industry - how did you keep from spiraling down like many others do, OR how did you find your way out. Is it temperament, or friend circles, etc etc. or life lessons learned etc. Me personally, I think a calmer temperament generally will tend to do better in more difficult and complex industries like programming because the longer term toll of being "wired" year after year like a salesperson might for example, is going to grind someone into a pulp when they run up into problems that make you have to stop and think for a little bit. In short I think your personality is more reflective of a segment of Software Engineers out there that is under-represented in RU-vid - and the ones I'll prefer to watch, more specifically. Thank you for being you

you've worked on Mafia 3? I remember not being able to play that game for not having a decent pc. That game is amazing. Nice work! Can you make a detailed video on what responsibilities a person might have in the various roles in game dev...

So I just watched all your videos and thank you so much man, I was getting really anxious if I was learning the correct way, I just got out of High School(learned python and mysql there) and am beginning to learn to code on my own, I don't know what * should do, but after watching your videos I think I should just learn what I enjoy. Really thanks man, and please share tips and advise for starting programmers.

Great retrospective, was always wondering how much people are getting paid in the video game industry. For me personally, I started as a student worker, making 13 euro/hour, working 10 hours a week. I went through 2 companies at that time and worked on embedded/IoT projects - mostly internal tools, proof-of-concepts and whatnot. It was just enough not to trigger tax-free amount, so it was great for a student - some experience and extra ~500 euro/month. In 3rd year of my bachelor agree I got an internship at top20 tech company in the world (according to market caps), but it was a smaller, European branch. I was making 15 euro/hour as a full-time intern (40 hours/week), as an engineer working on VS/VSC extension related to a product the company was selling. A few months ago I started to work as a Junior Software Engineer in a reputable company, and I am making 52k euro/year + bonus + around 10k in stocks yearly, for a total of around 75k euro pre-tax.

i am a new game dev your video helped me alot

To not be able to buy a house for such a salary in that area is crazy

The ones that pay high salaries are just the big companies like Google

Hey! Im happy to hear that things went good your way , i think that people underestimate how hard it is to be a game programmer. I'm currently a junior in my country with a salary of 26K a year , and it is considered the standard here. Fml.

Interesting, I remember Ready At Dawn from their little game "Deformers" which I adored. I was really sad when it actually came out and saw the player numbers :P.

Hey, I wanna ask some questions: What is your role in game dev? Where could you go / What roles could you work as with your current skill set if you were to leave Game development?

Thank you for your content, you are great!

So informative !!!! thank you

Awesome video 😎 👍

over 100K a year and still no saving?? wtf? crazy

Hi , I'm a big video game player for a long time, more or less actively competitive depending on games but w/e. I'm kind of disappointed with the quality of most games especially triple A's these days, so I've started my journey to try to make my own video game someday. Started to learn C++ to begin with 1 month ago ( got lots of free time, not so stressed, so I'm able to focus on it for few hours a day ), then imma see what's the best way to go after I at least understand the basics, I wanna learn and understand about the online part of the picture aswell. Already played around a bit with Unreal Engine 5. Any tips for my journey ? Thanks to share your story :)

so proud of you man. im also getting into coding and love to game as well so i downloaded the eclipse ide and now looking for a good program to teach me. I also like cyber security too

Thanks for the insight man, big ups for the australia footage too lol

hey man, if u have free time, maybe u should start a class or post tutorials on how to start an indie game tutorial on ur channel, trust me, many people would love that bro

Love the videos! What computer would you suggest to new game developers. How about best cheap computers to get started, maybe both desktop and laptops. I think a lot of people get sucked into over paying / under performance. I think it would be a great topic for a man of your caliber. Also you seem so genuinely nice and that is so rare in today's world and you help make this world better without even realizing it! Plus I loved the games you worked on!

Love the candor.

thankyou, the insight was enlightening

thanks for sharing , man

Love this video man, thanks so much for sharing. I hope you keep making videos like these, they will gather up subscribers in no time! In my country, unfortunately, game dev jobs are crazy scarce, and the good ones pay half (or less) than the typical back-end role at a SaaS company... I have tried looking for remote jobs in game dev but the few that I come across, are really not that interesting (gambling stuff, mini games for elderly people... you get the gist). Do you have any insights as to the need of working at the office / lack of remote positions in the game dev industry? side-note: i find it so crazy that the market decides to pay so much more for a person doing APIs in vs a person who knows a lot about systems programming. I would really like to unveil this mystery - does it mean games are not profitable, or that game companies are just exploring the passion of their employees?

Hi Chris! I have a question: what are three examples of video games that a beginner programmer should create in C++ to catch recruiters' attention?

Transparent and without nonsense, I love it! Great Video!

Wow super awesome to find out you worked on mafia 3. I remember playing it on my toaster pc at 13 fps🤣🤣. Real good times. It was a core i7 4200u and nvidia gt740m pc

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Hi great video , I would like to see what is your day in the life looks like maybe office or working from home type of style video (:

Happiness should be everyone's goal. Money is a short term motivator.

Thank you for sharing. Kudos

Hey Chris, I love your content! I was wondering, How important are math and physics for aspiring game programmers? I mean, at what level of math and physics should one know in order to become a game programmer? Your guidance on this topic would be highly appreciated! Keep up the great work! 🎮👍

the cat at the end tho HAHHAHA

I’m a GIS analyst and I make 150k a year in local government. Why do NGO pay GIS professionals so much less?

Very usefulllllllll 🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏👏

Love this vid

Would be really cool if you could make a video on the interview process