We've had this come up before, and with good reason its widely considered not wise to post your salary anywhere. There are surveys that document that stuff that Im sure you could find. Try google?
I would love some PM's on actual prices as I am expected to be hired soon and don't want to get under paid. Yes I understand the, how much am I/my time worth to me but, the employer has different plans.
So in all seriousness could someone give me some information ball park figures would be fine.
I wish you all could chitchat about this though I understand many reasons why not to >>publicly<< that is.
well you have to take many things in to think about. Location of company. Size of the company. Your experience. What do you think you are worth?
A person making 40k / year in San Diego isn't living that great compared to someone making 40k / year in North Carolina. Look at cost of living and houses.
I loved San Diego but it was expensive as hell but I'll tell you what after winter in Maine this year my wife will be ready to move back.
Just do a lot of research. Wouldn't hurt to call companies and do a quick phone interview and ask them how much artists make on average in a position you are going for.
Just dig around and you will figure out good numbers. Some places will be negotiable and some won't. Also benefits are a huge bonus and if a company will pay off school loans is huge as well.
Can you really ask for average salary during interview? Is that a good idea? I'm interested about this as well as I'm graduating and will have to look for job soon. As soon as my reel is strong enough ._.
no just make some calls to companies and ask to just do a quick phone interview to learn more about the company. Not during your sit down interview. Some companies wont mind doing it. Others will schedule one for you. Just make contact and try to find out.
Getting a sorry we can not give you that information rather than never trying because then you will never know.
$!nz : if its your first job and you want to stay IN NYC... i say go for whatever you can get... i looked for jobs there for like 2 years and there was just NOTHING, half the companies i wanted to work for actually closed down during the time i was looking for work there. Honestly i recommend getting out of NYC if you want some real work, its a kickass place and probably easier if you have family living there, but most places there are either nonfunctioning casual game studios, cell phone game companies or mod teams turned "pro".
as for the rest of you... register on gamasutra they have detailed surveys of how much people make doing this stuff for different experience levels and areas of the country... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand ... go.
An entry-level game artist should probably expect to earn around 50k annual, give or take a few thousand. This assumes some training in the production of in-game assets, such as a course on game design, or proven experience on a mod-team. Most companies want entry-level artists who have proven experience producing game-specific art. They don't have to spend as much time and effort on training that way. A trained game artist familiar with production pipelines is worth 50k annual. You will want to push for a higher salary if the job is in California, as the cost of living is really high there.
A senior artist with years of industry experience under his/her belt can expect to make between 60k - 75k annual, depending on how powerful their portfolio is.
Just as a note for potential interviewees...you don't ask about salary until AFTER they've offered you the job. This is pretty much true of any profession. It is taboo to bring up the subject of monetary compensation in the interview proper. Wait for the potential employer to ask about what salary range you are looking for. If they are interested in hiring you, they WILL ask this sooner or later. It is acceptable to inquire about benefits, such as health insurance, 401k, and such...although this is also information that is usually volunteered by the employer. DO NOT ask about salary during the interview, not even about average industry salaries. That is something you should research ahead of time.
Yeah I didn't mean ask during the interview. Call ahead of time to studios. Even studios you aren't applying to but in the same area as where you want to work.
jesse: you're saying call studios around where you live and ask them how much they pay even if they're not considering you for any position? yeah i don't think thats going to work like... 99.8% of the time. stuff like this really isn't public, if you really want to know how much u should be getting find someone you know in the industry and ask them how much they think you should be getting paid, or find a survey on gamasutra, they're pretty accurate.
Game Developer/The IDGA used to do annual salary surveys. IIRC for artists with 0-3 years of experience could expect an average between 30-50k, varying with skill level, location, etc, but thats the only stat I can remember with any sort of accuracy. They have a couple of older ones (2003 I think is the newest) on gamasutra.com. I'm sure they have more recent ones printed in issues of Game Developer but I can't find the issue with the most recent one.
[ QUOTE ]
An entry-level game artist should probably expect to earn around 50k annual, give or take a few thousand. This assumes some training in the production of in-game assets, such as a course on game design, or proven experience on a mod-team. Most companies want entry-level artists who have proven experience producing game-specific art. They don't have to spend as much time and effort on training that way. A trained game artist familiar with production pipelines is worth 50k annual. You will want to push for a higher salary if the job is in California, as the cost of living is really high there.
A senior artist with years of industry experience under his/her belt can expect to make between 60k - 75k annual, depending on how powerful their portfolio is.
[/ QUOTE ]
Some of that didn't make much sense. Your suggested overall range is just too narrow. As an average US starting salary for somebody fresh out of school, 50k is wildly optimistic. Then you go on to say that a trained game artist is worth 50k, eh? And for a seasoned vet just 10k more than that? A (very good), highly experienced artist in CA can command into 6 figures in the current job market.
Like Adam said, there are just too many variables here to just go wildy throwing numbers around that are pulled out of thin air.
However, I'll agree with you on one point. Don't ask about salary *during* an interview for chrissakes.
I was talking in generalities. 40k was used as an absolute minimum. If a game company is going to be hiring ANYONE, they need to be prepared to lay down at least 40k. That's even true for an absolute entry-level employee, with no prior industry experience, and a company that's located out in the sticks. That same company could expect to pay 75k or more for a good artist with five or more years of experience.
As I mentioned, all of these factors change based on location. California is a very expensive state to live in, and most salaries reflect this. All of those figures can be bumped up by as much as 20k if the job is located in California. New York City is also an area where the average salary would naturally be increased.
The original poster asked for some general figures. I was just trying to provide some general figures. It is important to research the area where the company you are applying to is located. Knowing what the cost of living is will help you to adjust your salary expectations. But that's common sense for any job in any industry.
Replies
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/266/are_you_in_demand_2006_game_.php
I heard Daz makes Millions of Dollars...and has a wacom made of solid gold
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I actually heard it was diamond studded platinum.
-caseyjones
I just cashed my first check for $10.35. That's pretty good right?
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As a contract artist for Liquid, that is considered EXCELLENT.
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I just cashed my first check for $10.35. That's pretty good right?
[/ QUOTE ]
As a contract artist for Liquid, that is considered EXCELLENT.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah I hear i'm in the higher pay level too. I feel so lucky
So in all seriousness could someone give me some information ball park figures would be fine.
I wish you all could chitchat about this though I understand many reasons why not to >>publicly<< that is.
A person making 40k / year in San Diego isn't living that great compared to someone making 40k / year in North Carolina. Look at cost of living and houses.
I loved San Diego but it was expensive as hell but I'll tell you what after winter in Maine this year my wife will be ready to move back.
Just do a lot of research. Wouldn't hurt to call companies and do a quick phone interview and ask them how much artists make on average in a position you are going for.
Just dig around and you will figure out good numbers. Some places will be negotiable and some won't. Also benefits are a huge bonus and if a company will pay off school loans is huge as well.
Good luck. Hope this helped a little.
Getting a sorry we can not give you that information rather than never trying because then you will never know.
as for the rest of you... register on gamasutra they have detailed surveys of how much people make doing this stuff for different experience levels and areas of the country... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand ... go.
A senior artist with years of industry experience under his/her belt can expect to make between 60k - 75k annual, depending on how powerful their portfolio is.
Just as a note for potential interviewees...you don't ask about salary until AFTER they've offered you the job. This is pretty much true of any profession. It is taboo to bring up the subject of monetary compensation in the interview proper. Wait for the potential employer to ask about what salary range you are looking for. If they are interested in hiring you, they WILL ask this sooner or later. It is acceptable to inquire about benefits, such as health insurance, 401k, and such...although this is also information that is usually volunteered by the employer. DO NOT ask about salary during the interview, not even about average industry salaries. That is something you should research ahead of time.
That's all there is to it. Just expect a decent wage and go forth.
I found something on gamasutra and it's quite the read:
http://www.gdmag.com/research/
75-pages start reading! Just remember take it one day at a time
This is a joke btw... This information can be found free on the net...
An entry-level game artist should probably expect to earn around 50k annual, give or take a few thousand. This assumes some training in the production of in-game assets, such as a course on game design, or proven experience on a mod-team. Most companies want entry-level artists who have proven experience producing game-specific art. They don't have to spend as much time and effort on training that way. A trained game artist familiar with production pipelines is worth 50k annual. You will want to push for a higher salary if the job is in California, as the cost of living is really high there.
A senior artist with years of industry experience under his/her belt can expect to make between 60k - 75k annual, depending on how powerful their portfolio is.
[/ QUOTE ]
Some of that didn't make much sense. Your suggested overall range is just too narrow. As an average US starting salary for somebody fresh out of school, 50k is wildly optimistic. Then you go on to say that a trained game artist is worth 50k, eh? And for a seasoned vet just 10k more than that? A (very good), highly experienced artist in CA can command into 6 figures in the current job market.
Like Adam said, there are just too many variables here to just go wildy throwing numbers around that are pulled out of thin air.
However, I'll agree with you on one point. Don't ask about salary *during* an interview for chrissakes.
As I mentioned, all of these factors change based on location. California is a very expensive state to live in, and most salaries reflect this. All of those figures can be bumped up by as much as 20k if the job is located in California. New York City is also an area where the average salary would naturally be increased.
The original poster asked for some general figures. I was just trying to provide some general figures. It is important to research the area where the company you are applying to is located. Knowing what the cost of living is will help you to adjust your salary expectations. But that's common sense for any job in any industry.