Game Designers Earn More In UK Than In US

Mark Graham writes "A number of surveys have recently put out details on the wages games developers earn in various parts of the world. Surveys by Develop in Europe and Game Developer in the US were among these. A report now compares the salary levels of various roles in the US and Europe. Turns out that game designers and producers do better in the UK, while artists and QA/testing wages are relatively the same on both sides of the Atlantic — and QA specifically is the worst paid; the lowest salaries being around £12,000/$25,000 — ouch! Luckily, I'm a programmer, but looks like I need to move country: we have the best paid roles in games development, but programmers are better off in America."

Not unique to the "gaming industry"

[lightversusdark]

Salaries are higher across all walks of life in the UK.
Taxation and the cost of living is however a significantly larger proportion of ones income.
Someone earning in Britain might not expect to keep very much of their salary after tax and bills, but conversely they will not have to save for healthcare or education out of their $25K/a.
Swings and roundabouts.

Re:In Useful Dollars

[azuredrake]

There are a fair number of game companies in Boston, too - 2k Boston, Rockstar New England, Harmonix, Blue Fang Games, and Floodgate Entertainment, to name but a few.

Re:In Useful Dollars

[stonertom]

Slightly off topic, but hey whats /. for. I've seen people move both directions because they end up better off, but it does appear that America has a more purely capitalist approach to life. The time this seems most obvious is not in a properly paid professional job, but when you're just getting started. I'd imagine most of the /. crowd worked minimum wage at some point (AFAIK everyone without parents who pay the bills does), and thats where free health care and stricter employment law really counts. My GF is working in the US ATM, and she has to just make sure not to get ill and put up with working conditions that are illegal by EU standards.

Re:In Useful Dollars

[Anonymous Coward]

Funny, I moved to England from Southern California about 4 years ago. I generally agree with your sentiments, except for a few points.

Cars aren't slightly more expensive to buy, they can be much more expensive. It isn't to do with the weak dollar (which is going nowhere but down). Cars are taxed more in the UK, and depending on engine size, the CO2 tax can be up to 40%. Additionally you also have to pay 17.5% VAT on the car as well. Anyway, I don't have a car anymore, since reading on the train beats sitting in traffic in Los Angeles.

Regarding food, I would say you have to pay about double in the UK to get the same quality. However the UK has pubs with great beer.

The holiday time is definitely great, almost everyone seems to get one month off a year. Its great taking two 2 week holidays in the same year.

I got tired of 365 days of nice weather, so the horrible English weather doesn't seem so bad. I'm looking forward to the summer though (since there was no summer last summer), I haven't felt heat from the sun in a couple years now.

I'm even used to hearing Americans referred to as septics. (Septic tank rhymes with Yank, its a cockney rhyme).

Re:In Useful Dollars

[haystor]

Dallas (and Austin) aren't expensive compared to anything in California.

One reason games have to cluster in the same area is that the development cycle is so cyclical. Large numbers of programmers or artists are needed for specific portions of each project but not for the rest of it. This leads to a small core that stays on the project and the rest are either supplemental staff or are employees that rotate from project to project. Basically, the payroll expands and contracts based not just on projects, but on the specific phase of the project. This is much easier to do if there are lots of other game companies around as there will be an available pool of contractors.