Game Developer magazine has published the results of its annual game developer salary survey in the July 2002 issue.

"Games are becoming an ever greater force in mainstream entertainment and culture, and with this trend comes increased interest in career opportunities in game development," said Jennifer Olsen, Editor-in-Chief, Game Developer magazine. "And because game development combines both entertainment and high-tech, the industry is well positioned to thrive in a variety of economic conditions."

Survey highlights include:

The average game programmer salary is $66,000.

A technical director with 6 or more years experience earns an average of $104,000.

Game artists earn an average of $61,000.

A game designer with one year of experience earns an average of $52,000, with the highest salary reported at $300,000.

Game producers earn an average of $76,000.

Developer salaries are highest in California and Texas, where game development studios tend to cluster.

Women in the game industry fare better than women in other industries, earning 89 cents on the dollar, exceeding the national average of 76 cents.

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) will host the full article online starting July 18, 2002 at www.igda.org/salary.htm along with other resources for careers in game development.

Sounds good, doesn't it? I have already send out my application for that $300.000 game-designer job!

*Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Source: N-Philes