Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Video Game Designers
Occupation · SOC 15-1255.01
Design core features of video games. Specify innovative game and role-play mechanics, story lines, and character biographies. Create and maintain design documentation. Guide and collaborate with production staff to produce games as designed.
Also called: Design Director · Designer · Game Designer · World Designer · Environmental Artist · Game Design Consultant · Gamemaster · Level Designer · Computer Game Designer · Computer Video Game Designer · Concept Artist · Content Creator
Job family: Computer and Mathematical Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-15-1255-01/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+7.0% by 2034)
- 9,100 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $98,090/yr
95th-percentile task overlap — yet about 9,100 openings a year (+7% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 95th | 1.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 86th | 0.3 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.3), with simple added tooling (β 0.7), and including AI-powered software (γ 1.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Determine supplementary virtual features, such as currency, item catalog, menu design, and audio direction. | 29.1% | |
| Consult with multiple stakeholders to define requirements and implement online features. | 20.0% | |
| Collaborate with artists to achieve appropriate visual style. | 2.3% | |
| Create and manage documentation, production schedules, prototyping goals, and communication plans in collaboration with production staff. | 0.6% | |
| Develop and maintain design level documentation, including mechanics, guidelines, and mission outlines. | 0.4% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +7.0% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 9,100 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 128,900 → 137,900 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Tasks
All 24 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Balance and adjust gameplay experiences to ensure the critical and commercial success of the product. Core · importance 4.7
- Create core game features, including storylines, role-play mechanics, and character biographies for a new video game or game franchise. Core · importance 4.5
- Devise missions, challenges, or puzzles to be encountered in game play. Core · importance 4.5
- Conduct regular design reviews throughout the game development process. Core · importance 4.4
- Solicit, obtain, and integrate feedback from design and technical staff into original game design. Core · importance 4.4
- Develop and maintain design level documentation, including mechanics, guidelines, and mission outlines. Core · importance 4.3
- Document all aspects of formal game design, using mock-up screenshots, sample menu layouts, gameplay flowcharts, and other graphical devices. Core · importance 4.2
- Create and manage documentation, production schedules, prototyping goals, and communication plans in collaboration with production staff. Core · importance 4.2
- Provide feedback to designers and other colleagues regarding game design features. Core · importance 4.2
- Provide feedback to production staff regarding technical game qualities or adherence to original design. Core · importance 4.1
- Create gameplay prototypes for presentation to creative and technical staff and management. Core · importance 4.0
- Guide design discussions between development teams. Core · importance 4.0
- Oversee gameplay testing to ensure intended gaming experience and game adherence to original vision. Core · importance 3.9
- Present new game design concepts to management and technical colleagues, including artists, animators, and programmers. Core · importance 3.9
- Prepare two-dimensional concept layouts or three-dimensional mock-ups. Core · importance 3.8
- Keep abreast of game design technology and techniques, industry trends, or audience interests, reactions, and needs by reviewing current literature, talking with colleagues, participating in educational programs, attending meetings or workshops, or participating in professional organizations or conferences. Core · importance 3.6
- Collaborate with artists to achieve appropriate visual style. Core · importance 3.6
- Consult with multiple stakeholders to define requirements and implement online features. Core · importance 3.6
- Review or evaluate competitive products, film, music, television, and other art forms to generate new game design ideas. Core · importance 3.6
- Write or supervise the writing of game text and dialogue. Core · importance 3.6
- Determine supplementary virtual features, such as currency, item catalog, menu design, and audio direction. Core · importance 3.5
- Prepare and revise initial game sketches using two- and three-dimensional graphical design software. Core · importance 3.5
- Create gameplay test plans for internal and external test groups. Core · importance 3.3
- Provide test specifications to quality assurance staff. Core · importance 3.0
Work activities
- Analyze market or customer related data.
- Communicate project information to others.
- Update knowledge about emerging industry or technology trends.
- Develop testing routines or procedures.
- Design video game features or details.
- Supervise information technology personnel.
- Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
- Prepare graphics or other visual representations of information.
- Test software performance.
- Document design or development procedures.
- Manage documentation to ensure organization or accuracy.
- Manage information technology projects or system activities.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Design | 4.3 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 4.2 | |
| Communications and Media | 3.5 | |
| Mathematics | 3.3 | |
| Psychology | 3.3 | |
| English Language | 3.3 |
Abilities
| Fluency of Ideas | 4.1 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Originality | 4.0 | |
| Near Vision | 4.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Written Expression | 3.9 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.9 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.8 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.8 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.4 | |
| Visualization | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.1 |
Transferable skills
| Programming | 4.0 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.6 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.4 | |
| Time Management | 3.4 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 | |
| Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | |
| Operations Analysis | 3.0 | |
| Technology Design | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | |
| Active Learning | 3.5 | |
| Writing | 3.3 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 51.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 57.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services , Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs , Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services , Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies , Visual and Performing Arts . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 55.0% | |
| High School Diploma | 15.0% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 10.0% | |
| Some College Courses | 10.0% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 10.0% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Artistic | 6.4 | |
| Investigative | 4.2 | |
| Enterprising | 3.9 | |
| Conventional | 3.9 | |
| Realistic | 2.8 |
Interest areas
| Creative Writing | 6.3 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 6.3 | |
| Visual Arts | 5.8 | |
| Media | 5.6 | |
| Information Technology | 5.0 | |
| Management/Administration | 3.0 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 2.5 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 5.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 4.0 | |
| Innovation | 3.0 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 3.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $47,840 |
| 25th percentile | $64,990 |
| Median (50th) | $98,090 |
| 75th percentile | $141,860 |
| 90th percentile | $192,180 |
| People employed | 111,400 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 15-1255), not for the specialty alone.
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Information · Sector | 34,540 | $120,580 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 31,850 | $93,040 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 6,190 | $108,200 |
| Finance and Insurance · Sector | 6,060 | $121,710 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 5,900 | $86,990 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 5,430 | $112,110 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 5,130 | $69,280 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 4,290 | $99,660 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 4,100 | $73,250 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 2,730 | $127,410 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 2,580 | $75,370 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 1,390 | $59,650 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information · Sector | 16.44× | 34,540 |
| Newspaper Publishers · National industry | 8.86× | 580 |
| Television Broadcasting Stations · National industry | 7.68× | 360 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 4.09× | 31,850 |
| Radio Broadcasting Stations · National industry | 3.47× | 130 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 3.05× | 6,190 |
| Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry | 2.96× | 130 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters · National industry | 2.29× | 120 |
Related occupations
Part of the Arts, Entertainment, & Design and Digital Technology career clusters.
- Web and Digital Interface Designers · 15-1255.00 Compare →
- Special Effects Artists and Animators · 27-1014.00 Compare →
- Graphic Designers · 27-1024.00 Compare →
- Web Developers · 15-1254.00 Compare →
- Computer Programmers · 15-1251.00 Compare →
- Film and Video Editors · 27-4032.00 Compare →
- Software Developers · 15-1252.00 Compare →
- Producers and Directors · 27-2012.00 Compare →
- Computer Hardware Engineers · 17-2061.00 Compare →
- Computer Systems Engineers/Architects · 15-1299.08 Compare →
- Art Directors · 27-1011.00 Compare →
- Desktop Publishers · 43-9031.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Video Game Designers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services · field of study
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
See where this work sits in the bigger picture.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Video Game Designers show 95th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 9,100 annual U.S. openings
- Video Game Designers rank in the 95th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 9,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+7%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $98,090, across about 111,400 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Video Game Designers show 95th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 9,100 annual U.S. openings • Video Game Designers rank in the 95th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 9,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+7%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $98,090, across about 111,400 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Video Game Designers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-15-1255-01 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Video Game Designers." 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. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-15-1255-01
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Video Game Designers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-15-1255-01
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-15-1255-01,
title = {Video Game Designers},
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. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-15-1255-01}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.