Video Game Designers vs Computer Hardware Engineers
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Video Game Designers and Computer Hardware Engineers on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”
At a glance
| Dimension | Video Game Designers | Computer Hardware Engineers |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $98,090 | $155,020 |
| Employment | 111,400 | 75,710 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | Growing fast (+7.0%) | Growing fast (+7.3%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 9,100 | 4,700 |
| Typical education · O*NET | Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. | Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. |
| AI exposure · published exposure studies | High · 86th pct | High · 91st pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | — | 79th pct · 42% of tasks |
| Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index | — | Augmentation-leaning (52.2%) |
| Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman | — | Yes |
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.
Skills
Shared: Design, Computers and Electronics, Fluency of Ideas, Written Comprehension, Originality, Near Vision, Active Listening, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Information Ordering, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning, Systems Analysis, Time Management, Mathematics, Writing, Systems Evaluation, English Language, Visualization, Speech Recognition, Speaking, Monitoring, Coordination, Speech Clarity, Operations Analysis.
Specific to Video Game Designers
- Programming
- Communications and Media
- Selective Attention
- Psychology
- Social Perceptiveness
- Persuasion
- Negotiation
- Technology Design
Specific to Computer Hardware Engineers
- Engineering and Technology
- Category Flexibility
- Physics
- Mathematical Reasoning
- Number Facility
- Flexibility of Closure
- Telecommunications
Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).
Tools & technology
Shared: Object or component oriented development software , Development environment software , File versioning software , Operating system software , Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Presentation software , Data base user interface and query software , Process mapping and design software .
Specific to Video Game Designers
Specific to Computer Hardware Engineers
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Video Game Designers or Computer Hardware Engineers — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.
More comparisons
Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.
- Video Game Designers vs Web and Digital Interface Designers
- Video Game Designers vs Special Effects Artists and Animators
- Video Game Designers vs Graphic Designers
- Video Game Designers vs Web Developers
- Video Game Designers vs Computer Programmers
- Video Game Designers vs Film and Video Editors
- Video Game Designers vs Software Developers
- Video Game Designers vs Producers and Directors
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Video Game Designers vs Computer Hardware Engineers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/video-game-designers-vs-computer-hardware-engineers
Singulariki. (2026). Video Game Designers vs Computer Hardware Engineers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/video-game-designers-vs-computer-hardware-engineers
@misc{singulariki-video-game-designers-vs-computer-hardware-engineers,
title = {Video Game Designers vs Computer Hardware Engineers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/compare/video-game-designers-vs-computer-hardware-engineers}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.