Average US industry salaries up 7% in 2008
Business and marketing come top of earnings survey, while QA posts were bottom
The average salary in the US videogames business went up by 7 per cent between 2007 and 2008, according to the latest issue of Game Developer magazine, and reported by Gamasutra.
That average came in at USD 79,000, compared to USD 74,000 the year previously, with people employed in the business sector earning the most - on average VPs and executive directors netted USD 131,085, while general business employees and those in marketing took home USD 102,143.
That contrasted sharply, as expected, with salaries for QA staff - USD 39,571 - which were roughly the same as the previous year. That section of the industry was, however, noted as having a large majority of "lesser experienced" staff, while the number of females in the QA workforce more than doubled from 6 to 14 per cent.
The general rise in earnings comes despite anecdotal evidence that the overall number of jobs in the US has fallen, but that's more than offset by experienced professionals able to command a higher wage.
The average salary breakdown by sector in the US, according to the magazine, is as follows (in USD):
- Senior Business: 131,085
- Business/Marketing: 102,143
- Programming: 85,024
- Production: 82,905
- Audio: 78,167
- Art/Animation: 69,532
- Game Design: 67,379
- QA: 39,571
- Average: 79,000