Is it good pay? I heard it was bad... Also is like a Computer Engineer pay better or is there another computer proffesion that pays better?

This survey is a bit dated (2003) but it should give you a good estimate:
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20040211/olsen_01.shtml

I don't know how easy it would be to compare programmers pay that do one thing to another. I mean, youtube sold for 1.6 billion so I guess that a bit more than most game programmers will get ;-)

Quote: Original post by rsyerigan
Is it good pay? I heard it was bad...

Somebody's been lying to you. The latest game industry Salary Survey is at GameCareerGuide.com

Even an entry-level programmer can live a financial stable life. They generally get paid more than artists/designers. However, producers usually take the biggest piece of the cake.

Your share of the profit is proportional to the amount of money you invest in the project, and those who invest time instead of money get a pre-defined salary for their work. If you have the capital there's nothing stopping you from participating both as a developer and as a producer.

Games Programmers get paid a reasonable salary. For a job that requires you to have spent three years at university and gained a degree it is about what you'd expect.
However games programmers do get paid a bit less than programmers in other areas.
I have just taken a a games programming job and had the choice of this position or a programming job for a telecomunications company. The games job pays £4000 per year less and doesn't include a company laptop like the telecomunications job.
The games job still pays quite a decent salary especially since I still haven't completed my degree yet.
At the end of the day your salary will be dictated by where you work and how successful the company is and also how good you are at your job.

Omid Ghavami: aren't you confusing investors (who provide money) with producers (who supervise production)?

Quote: Original post by therealremi
Omid Ghavami: aren't you confusing investors (who provide money) with producers (who supervise production)?

Doh! Yes you are right [embarrass]
Although a lot of the time the publisher, producer and investor is the very same entity.

According to 'game developers' latest salary survey, the average programmer with less than three years experience is making about $56K.

Quote: Original post by jjd
According to 'game developers' latest salary survey, the average programmer with less than three years experience is making about $56K.

Never forget a very important rule about pay:

What you earn is what you can negotiate with your employer.

Too many people reason along the lines, "game programmers earn less, so I'll ask for less and expect less."

One specific case really stands out in my recent memory. A new hire suggested a certain salary and asked if it was too high. The boss was considering about 50% MORE than what he asking. (In other words, he may have asked for 50K when the boss was thinking about 75K, but those weren't the exact numbers.) Although he did end up with more than what he expected, he ended up negotiating himself substantially less money because of that faulty assumption. Imagine this assumption costing you the amount of a new vehicle every year!

When you are interviewing, don't short change yourself simply because you assume people in this industry earn less. It is a faulty assumption. Veteran game programmers can earn more than experienced developers in other industries. I've worked on both sides of the fence, and consistently received more money and perks in games than outside of them.