The video game industry offers a wide range of exciting and diversified careers, in a dynamic and constantly evolving industry.
For young (and not-so-young) people looking for a career direction, understanding the ins and outs of the various video game professions can be a real asset in the field. Here’s a detailed overview of the various roles and professions in video games!
Video game professions: a constantly changing ecosystem
The video game industry is a rich and diverse universe, offering a multitude of exciting careers.
Far from its modest beginnings, it has evolved into a gigantic ecosystem where every link in the chain contributes to the creation of unforgettable gaming experiences, pushing technical, creative and experiential innovations ever further.
Far beyond the traditional roles of game artist or game designer, the field offers a variety of video game professions. The variety of specializations available offers unique opportunities for those seeking to enter this dynamic sector.
Video game designer / Video game creator
Game design is the architecture of video games. It’s the actual design of video games, and the best-known video game profession: gameplay, rules, story, game balancing, etc. to ensure an engaging and fun user experience.
The game designer is a creative person who imagines the universe, actions and interactions that will populate the game.
Equivalent level of education in France: Bac+3
Employability: Fair
Game designer junior salary France: €1800
Game designer senior salary France: €3500
Game designer average annual salary in Montreal: $67329
Other job titles : Concepteur·trice de jeux vidéo, créateur·trice de jeux vidéo, designer jeux vidéo, game designer.
UX/UI Designer
These UX design professionals conceive the user interface and user experience, ensuring that menus, buttons and game screens are intuitive and pleasant to use. It’s their job to ensure a good gaming experience, and they must be well versed in human psychology and cognitive functions to fulfill the role of ultra-specialized game designer.
Education level : Bac+5
Employability: Very good
UX designer junior salary France: € 2650
UX designer senior salary France: €3500
UX designer salary (average annual salary) in Montreal: highly variable, between $66,000 and $120,000.
Other job titles : UX designer, UI designer, user experience designer, interaction designer, information architect, user interface designer, user experience architect, user experience designer/designer, interaction designer, user interface and experience designer/designer, UX/UI design specialist, user interface architect, user experience expert
Game Programmer / Game Developer
The video game programmer is the builder of the game world. He or she transforms ideas and designs into functional code, creating the mechanisms that drive the game, from artificial intelligence to physical interactions.
The video game programmer, or video game developer, is involved at all levels of the production team.
Equivalent level of education in France: Bac+3
Employability: Very good
Salary junior video game programmer France: €3,100
Senior game programmer salary France: €6000
Salary of a game programmer (average annual salary) in Montreal: $100,000
Other job titles : Video game programmer, video game developer
Game Artist
This is the creative video game profession par excellence. Game art designers create the visual elements of the game, such as characters, backgrounds, landscapes and animations.
The game artist handles all the visual aspects of a video game in the absence of a specialist (character designer, 2D/3D computer graphics artist, texture artist, etc.). This requires great versatility. He or she may also move into a management role, supervising the same video game professions.
Equivalent level of education in France: Bac+5
Employability: Good
Junior game artist salary France: €2500
Senior game artist salary France: €3350
Average annual salary for a game artist in Montreal: $71,000
Other job titles : Game art designer, game art director, 2D/3D game artist.
Concept Artist
A concept artist is a creative professional who specializes in the initial visual design of a game’s key elements. This crucial role involves bringing the game’s artistic vision to life by creating concept illustrations that define the general appearance of characters, environments, objects and other graphic elements.
The concept artist works closely with the game development team, including game designers, 3D artists and scriptwriters, to ensure that the artistic vision is coherent and aligned with the game’s theme and story. In short, the concept artist paves the visual way for the entire video game project.
Education level : Bac+5
Employability: Fair
Salary concept artist junior France : € 2000
Senior concept artist salary France: €4100
Concept artist salary (average annual salary) in Montreal: $69,000
Other job titles : Concept designer, design artist, concept visual artist, pre-production artist, concept illustrator.
Texture Artist / Texture art designer
Surface specialists, they create the textures that give objects and environments a realistic or stylized appearance. Their work is essential to players’ immersion in the game.
Education level : Bac+5
Employability : Fair
Salary texture artist junior France: € 2666
Senior texture artist salary France: €5000
Texturing artist salary (average annual salary) in Montreal: $77,000
Other job titles : Mapper, texture art designer, 3D texture artist, 3D artist
Lighting Artist
These artists play with light to bring scenes to life, creating the atmosphere and tone of the game. Their work is crucial to making the game visually impressive and guiding the player’s attention. He is part of the large visual effects team.
Education level : Bac+5
Employability: Very good
Lighting artist junior salary France: €2200
Lighting artist senior salary France: €3200
Lighting artist salary (average annual salary) in Montreal: $56,000
Other job titles : Lighter, 3D artist
Game environment artist
These artists build the worlds in which players evolve. They design the settings, from futuristic cities to enchanted forests, ensuring that each environment is at once immersive, beautiful and functional, under the directives of the level designer and in coherence with the overall design.
Education level : Bac+3
Employability: Fair
Environment artist junior salary France: €2000
Environment artist senior salary France: €2800
Environment artist salary (average annual salary) in Montreal: $66,000
Other job titles : Environment designer, environment artist, 3D environment artist, 3D artist
Character designer
Character design artists bring the game’s characters to life, from initial conception to 3D modeling. Their work is crucial to creating believable, engaging characters. The character designer is an expert in 3D modeling and texturing.
Education level : Bac+3
Employability: Good
Chara designer junior salary France: €2100
Chara designer senior salary France: €5000
Chara designer salary (average annual salary) in Montreal: $60,000
Other job titles : character artist, chara designer
Level artist
The level artist’s mission is to create visual components for the various levels or environments of a video game. Their ultimate goal is to accentuate gameplay, level design and narrative aspects, adding a captivating visual dimension to the gaming experience.
Education level : Bac+3
Employability: Average
Level designer junior salary France: €1750
Level designer senior salary France: €3000
Level designer salary (average annual salary) in Montreal: $58,000
Other job titles : level designer
Sound designer
They create the game’s sound universe, from sound effects to background music, playing a key role in the player’s immersion and emotional experience.
Education level : Bac+3
Employability: Fair
Sound designer junior salary France: €1700
Sound designer senior salary France: €3300
Sound designer salary (average annual salary) in Montreal: $68,000
Video game animator / 2D/3D Animator
Animators bring the game to life, handling the movements of characters and interactive elements, objects or animals in the game world, making it dynamic and realistic. Depending on the type of game, this may involve 2D or 3D animation, or both.
Education level : Bac+3
Employability: Good
3D animator junior salary France: €2100
3D animator senior salary France: €3700
2D/3D animator salary (average annual salary) in Montreal: $69,000
Other job titles : 3D animator, 2D animator, 3D modeler, 2D modeler
Video game Producer
The game producer manages the project as a whole, overseeing budgets, teams and other video game trades, and deadlines. Without a game producer, a video game would never see the light of day.
Education level : Bac+5
Video game producer junior salary France: €2500
Video game producer senior salary France: €3400
Video game producer (average annual salary) in Montreal: $120,000
Other job titles : Game producer, video game project manager
Lead positions – the heads of each trade
In every field, there are lead positions, such as lead designer, lead artist or lead programmer.
These roles involve not only expertise in their specific field, but also team management and project coordination skills.
Average lead salaries in Montreal are around $120,000, and these positions are particularly sought-after as they also imply more experience.
The tech-artist: a profession at the crossroads of art and technology
Tech-art is a unique discipline in the video game industry. This hybrid role requires a combination of technical and artistic skills, making the tech-artist a bridge between artists and programmers.
Entering the video game industry
For young people who are passionate about video games and looking for their own path, the tech-artist profession represents an opportunity to combine creativity and technical skills.
It’s a job that’s in high demand and well-paid from the outset (the average annual salary for a technical artist in Montreal is $86016). It also allows you to explore both the artistic and technical sides of the gaming business, enabling those who wish to specialize later in their career.
By choosing to specialize as a tech-artist, a junior can open the doors to a rapidly expanding profession, particularly in Montreal, one of the major centers of this industry worldwide.
That’s why Rubika Montréal has chosen to concentrate its efforts on techart training : with the right training and a willingness to learn and innovate, the path to a successful career in video games is within reach of all graduates.
Role and responsibilities
– Technical facilitator : The tech-artist helps solve the artists’ technical problems, ensuring that their visions are realizable in the game.
– Tool creator : They develop tools and scripts to automate tasks and improve workflows.
– Optimization : They play a crucial role in optimizing game performance, ensuring that visual aspects are both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Skills and training
– Technical and artistic skills : A good command of 3D modeling and programming software, and an understanding of artistic principles are essential.
– Specialized training : Rubika Montréal offers a dedicated program that prepares you specifically for the skills required to become a tech-artist.
Opportunities in Montreal: a global hub for the video game industry
Montréal is more than just a hub in the video game industry; it’s a veritable giant on a global scale.
Recognized as one of the world’s leading video game production centers, Montréal proudly ranks as the world’s 5th largest.
This dynamic, culturally rich city is an ideal playground for industry professionals and aspiring professionals alike. In fact, Montreal offers a propitious and dynamic environment for all video game professions.
The presence of major studios and a booming indie scene create a rich environment of opportunities for specialized professionals.
Why choose a career as a tech-artist?
– Growing demand : The constant evolution of technologies and artistic techniques in video games is increasing the demand for professionals capable of navigating between these two worlds.
– Creativity and innovation: This profession offers the opportunity to work on highly creative aspects while applying cutting-edge technical skills.
– Diversity of projects : As a tech-artist, you could be working on a wide variety of projects, from AAA to indie games.
Cutting-edge training for tech-artists
Schools offering specialized training in tech-art are quite rare, since the curriculum includes almost all the disciplines involved in the video game industry. The program combines theoretical and practical courses, covering both the artistic and technical aspects of the profession.
At Rubika, students also benefit from a dynamic learning environment, with access to state-of-the-art equipment and teachers from the industry.
To enter the program, you’ll have to pass an entrance exam, which will enable the jury to assess your motivation and potential to enter the school.
Program benefits
– Hands-on approach : Real-world projects are a key component of the program, providing valuable field experience.
– Industry network : Industry links enable students to connect with professionals and build a network even before graduation.
– Adaptability to trends : The program is regularly updated to reflect the latest industry trends and technologies.
Each video game profession requires a unique set of skills and passions, and there’s a place for all types of creatives and technicians in the industry.
Whether you’re passionate about art, storytelling, technology, or even music, there’s a role for you in video game creation.
This constantly evolving industry offers endless opportunities for innovation and creativity, allowing everyone to find their own path and become a key player in the creation of tomorrow’s game worlds!
