Video Game Designers build programming, judgment and decision making and complex problem solving skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Graphic Designers (88%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Designers | 88% | $62,960 | — | None |
| 2 | Special Effects Artists and Animators | 82% | $102,030 | — | None |
| 3 | Art Directors | 76% | $114,850 | — | None |
| 4 | Search Marketing Strategists | 73% | $78,760Pay for the broader BLS group “Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists” | Not compared | None |
| 5 | Film and Video Editors | 72% | $75,420 | — | None |
| 6 | Producers and Directors | 71% | $90,360 | — | None |
| 7 | Writers and Authors | 68% | $76,910 | — | None |
| 8 | Desktop Publishers | 68% | $55,290 | — | None |
| 9 | Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers | 68% | $76,910Pay for the broader BLS group “Writers and Authors” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Commercial and Industrial Designers | 68% | $83,910 | — | None |
Compared with Video Game Designers, median —. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as video game designers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
88% skill match · $62,960
Service Orientation
82% skill match · $102,030
Operation and Control · Equipment Selection
76% skill match · $114,850
Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources · Coordination
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Graphic Designers (88% skill match, median $62,960), Special Effects Artists and Animators (82% skill match, median $102,030) and Art Directors (76% skill match, median $114,850), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
None of the 25 closest matches pays more than video game designers at the national median (BLS May 2025). Higher-paying moves usually need more training.
24 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. One usually needs a graduate degree: Set and Exhibit Designers.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.