We surveyed 1,689 game designers to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical game designer. Here are the results.

How much intelligence is required as a game designer?

Low

High

Working as a game designer typically doesn’t require the use of high levels of intelligence in daily tasks.

Can I learn to become a game designer?

Intrinsic Talent

Acquired Talent

A career as a game designer typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.

Is it easy to get a job as a game designer?

Easy

Hard

It’s typically quite difficult to find a job as a game designer. If you’re curious about the numbers, check out the job market for game designers.

Info

Do game designers work full-time or part-time?

61% of game designers work in full-time roles while 39% work part-time.

Is being a game designer stressful?

Low

High

Game designers tend not to find their jobs stressful, which likely contributes positively to career satisfaction.

Is being organized important as a game designer?

Low

High

Organization is not considered a particuarly important part of being a game designer.

How competitive is the workplace for game designers?

Low

High

Game designers tend to see lots of competition in the workplace, with desire to get ahead of co-workers being common.

Does being a game designer require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?

Low

High

Game designers will have to sometimes face time pressure on the job.

Are game designers allowed to express themselves creatively?

Low

High

Creativity is intrinsic to being a game designer, and a highly valuable part of the career.

Do game designers have control over the direction of their work?

Low

High

Game designers have high flexibility in the direction of their work, allowing them a lot of freedom in how they accomplish their goals.

Is being a game designer physically demanding?

Low

High

Work as a game designers is not the most physically demanding of careers, falling in the bottom half of all careers.

Are game designers exposed to a wide variety of work?

Low

High

While sometimes repetitive, game designers tend to have opportunities for variety in their work.

Does being a game designer require attention to detail?

Low

High

As in many careers, attention to detail is quite helpful for game designers.

Does being a good game designer require compassion and empathy?

Low

High

Being compassionate and empathetic is considered helpful to those looking to pursue careers as game designers.