Definitely good to start by doing a search, if not by google, then at least a thread search of polycount - it's actually a commonly asked question, so some might get sour seeing yet another topic about it. just lettin ya know.
- Company (E.g. EA, Midway etc..)
- Experience (Of course the more experienced you are the more you will be paid)
- Position (You can have various ranks like Chief Artist etc..)
yes. Salaries in the UK don't start at 30k, it's more like 18-22k for an entry level position. Top whack for ADs can be whatever, but i've never met a non-director artist on more than 50k.
- Company (E.g. EA, Midway etc..)
- Experience (Of course the more experienced you are the more you will be paid)
- Position (You can have various ranks like Chief Artist etc..)
The threads are listed from date posted, so the bottom ones are older than the top, so some of the information may not be 100% accurate. But it should definitely give you a good starting point.
Can we sticky this thread or make a sticky thread about salaries? Seems like it is asked every other month. Or these people who ask can just type "game artist salaries" in google, tends to get the right results!
6 figures is actually also possible in the form of severance pay & cashing in your stocks, if one sticks with a fairly successful studio long enough to get "the package".
I was wondering about this the other day and seems relevant to this topic. I heard that some studios used to give bonuses (not sure if that is the correct term) for every game sold e.g. £1 per disc to the team which was then split between everyone after a period of time or if sales hit a target.
Does that still happen these days, or have I misunderstood what I was told?
p.s. the £1 per disc is just a figure I picked from my head lol.
$3k and over depending on where you live, experience, project, company, and the day of the week. It's too vague to give a specific number for this position.
You know what, if salary is a primary concern for you maybe you should think about doing something else for a living.
Will you make enough $ to pay your mortgage / rent, support your family, have cable, internet, etc.? YES.
Will you ever be "rich?" Probably not.
When your alarm goes off, will you ever have to decide whether or not you would rather blow your head off than face another daily grind? Probably not.
If this is your passion, and what you really want to do then go for it. Otherwise, bugger off. You'll only be just another burden on the industry.
Dude, no BS to anyone out there, I would take a job at a company making minimum wage!!! Let's sweeten this deal. You would not even have to give me a full 40 hour work week...That would make you not have to offer me benefits! I would be your coffee and donuts bitch, if the company did not mind teaching me the ways...I don't care, I just want to learn the process and have a skill set to give myself a better career in this industry.
Also, my wife already told me I could make minimum wage and she would be happy as long as I am contributing. :poly124: She has been carrying me through college. I love my wife!
You know what, if salary is a primary concern for you maybe you should think about doing something else for a living.
Will you make enough $ to pay your mortgage / rent, support your family, have cable, internet, etc.? YES.
Will you ever be "rich?" Probably not.
When your alarm goes off, will you ever have to decide whether or not you would rather blow your head off than face another daily grind? Probably not.
If this is your passion, and what you really want to do then go for it. Otherwise, bugger off. You'll only be just another burden on the industry.
Hmm thats what i have been thinking.
I mean i could take product designing for industrial design. And they make a lot of money. But i would love this job. Has any1 heard of people that trnasfer from the game industry to the movie industry. Wouldnt they get more money then?
I was wondering about this the other day and seems relevant to this topic. I heard that some studios used to give bonuses (not sure if that is the correct term) for every game sold e.g. £1 per disc to the team which was then split between everyone after a period of time or if sales hit a target.
Does that still happen these days, or have I misunderstood what I was told?
p.s. the £1 per disc is just a figure I picked from my head lol.
That would be very good. Even if it with 10 cents per disc sold.. If you sold 100,000 copies in the first week. thats already 10k added too ur paychek.
And even if they did do that, would they even it with the whole team?
You know what, if salary is a primary concern for you maybe you should think about doing something else for a living.
Will you make enough $ to pay your mortgage / rent, support your family, have cable, internet, etc.? YES.
Will you ever be "rich?" Probably not.
When your alarm goes off, will you ever have to decide whether or not you would rather blow your head off than face another daily grind? Probably not.
If this is your passion, and what you really want to do then go for it. Otherwise, bugger off. You'll only be just another burden on the industry.
I like my job. I like games. I like everything about it but I´d say that this job can be just as much of a grind as any other jobs. No? Go make me some freaking rocks for the next five months then and then some LOD´s and collision meshes.
Salary is just as important as having a nice job IMO. You need to be able to have a nice and comfortable life outside of work aswell. What if you got a family etc? Life is more than work. GRANTED! I´d certainly choose this job versus a more boring one even if i gained less money.
I see it as a job. A very fun job sure but still a job and I´d prefer if I didn´t get exploited by my studio. I guess im just a burden to the industry
I like my job. I like games. I like everything about it but I´d say that this job can be just as much of a grind as any other jobs. No?
No ... we still get to sit on our asses and make game for a living ... not that we don't deserve to be compensated for our expertise and talent, but, at the end of the day, we don't dig ditches or empty trash containers for a living, do we?
Salary is just as important as having a nice job IMO. You need to be able to have a nice and comfortable life outside of work aswell. What if you got a family etc? Life is more than work. GRANTED! I´d certainly choose this job versus a more boring one even if i gained less money.
I see it as a job. A very fun job sure but still a job and I´d prefer if I didn´t get exploited by my studio. I guess im just a burden to the industry
I absolutely, 100% agree with you. It's just that ...I have seen so many "kids," who have landed their first actual, real life job in this industry take it for granted ... anyone who knows me will tell you that I am one of the first to speak out when I feel that we, as game industry employees, are being abused / taken for granted. But, at the same time, let all of us who have made it this far stop and smell the roses. We are all damn lucky to be as gifted and talented as we are to be working in this industry. Do we all deserve to be paid top dollar? ABSOLUTELY! But let us never forget that there are people who make far much less, for doing much harder labor. We all deserve to be well compensated for our talents, but let none of us ever take it for granted.
Replies
Really, you guys don't get paid as much as me?
- Company (E.g. EA, Midway etc..)
- Experience (Of course the more experienced you are the more you will be paid)
- Position (You can have various ranks like Chief Artist etc..)
So usually it ranges between £30,000 to £60,000
Thats what i've heard anyways, could be wrong.
yes. Salaries in the UK don't start at 30k, it's more like 18-22k for an entry level position. Top whack for ADs can be whatever, but i've never met a non-director artist on more than 50k.
Also another factor: LOCATION
income question
Game Artist salaries in LA?
Average industry income?
How much do you earn?
2007 Game developers salary survery (GamaSutra)
how's the salary for artists??
Starting pay for entry level jobs in the industry?
The threads are listed from date posted, so the bottom ones are older than the top, so some of the information may not be 100% accurate. But it should definitely give you a good starting point.
-caseyjones
Jokes apart, it's like another job, very bad paid if you work in the wrong place.
With or without bonus(es)? :poly136:
6 figures is actually also possible in the form of severance pay & cashing in your stocks, if one sticks with a fairly successful studio long enough to get "the package".
Does that still happen these days, or have I misunderstood what I was told?
p.s. the £1 per disc is just a figure I picked from my head lol.
Will you make enough $ to pay your mortgage / rent, support your family, have cable, internet, etc.? YES.
Will you ever be "rich?" Probably not.
When your alarm goes off, will you ever have to decide whether or not you would rather blow your head off than face another daily grind? Probably not.
If this is your passion, and what you really want to do then go for it. Otherwise, bugger off. You'll only be just another burden on the industry.
Dude, no BS to anyone out there, I would take a job at a company making minimum wage!!! Let's sweeten this deal. You would not even have to give me a full 40 hour work week...That would make you not have to offer me benefits! I would be your coffee and donuts bitch, if the company did not mind teaching me the ways...I don't care, I just want to learn the process and have a skill set to give myself a better career in this industry.
Also, my wife already told me I could make minimum wage and she would be happy as long as I am contributing. :poly124: She has been carrying me through college. I love my wife!
Hmm thats what i have been thinking.
I mean i could take product designing for industrial design. And they make a lot of money. But i would love this job. Has any1 heard of people that trnasfer from the game industry to the movie industry. Wouldnt they get more money then?
That would be very good. Even if it with 10 cents per disc sold.. If you sold 100,000 copies in the first week. thats already 10k added too ur paychek.
And even if they did do that, would they even it with the whole team?
I like my job. I like games. I like everything about it but I´d say that this job can be just as much of a grind as any other jobs. No? Go make me some freaking rocks for the next five months then and then some LOD´s and collision meshes.
Salary is just as important as having a nice job IMO. You need to be able to have a nice and comfortable life outside of work aswell. What if you got a family etc? Life is more than work. GRANTED! I´d certainly choose this job versus a more boring one even if i gained less money.
I see it as a job. A very fun job sure but still a job and I´d prefer if I didn´t get exploited by my studio. I guess im just a burden to the industry
No ... we still get to sit on our asses and make game for a living ... not that we don't deserve to be compensated for our expertise and talent, but, at the end of the day, we don't dig ditches or empty trash containers for a living, do we?
Been there, done that. It still beats working in an actual rock quarry, don't it?
I absolutely, 100% agree with you. It's just that ...I have seen so many "kids," who have landed their first actual, real life job in this industry take it for granted ... anyone who knows me will tell you that I am one of the first to speak out when I feel that we, as game industry employees, are being abused / taken for granted. But, at the same time, let all of us who have made it this far stop and smell the roses. We are all damn lucky to be as gifted and talented as we are to be working in this industry. Do we all deserve to be paid top dollar? ABSOLUTELY! But let us never forget that there are people who make far much less, for doing much harder labor. We all deserve to be well compensated for our talents, but let none of us ever take it for granted.