So I want those game programmers working with a company to post here, I'm not here about indie development but actually getting hired by a company and programming for them. I want to know on average how much do you actually make? Is it an hourly based or salary based? If you don't mind, what company you work for and what position you are (Like lead programmer and what ever other positions are) Honestly do you guys have a good solid free time for your family? Not just vacations, but like weekends and stuff. Would you say that the chances of getting hired will slim down after lets say 5-6 years? And how do they hire someone? By experience or degree or even what college (CC vs MIT or CalTech is kinda obvious...)

Let me answer that for you.

It'll be rare to get anybody interested in discussing their salary open on a public forum. Generally it's in bad taste to do so.

Pay for most jobs like this is salary based, but if you're a contractor that may not be true. The vacation time and hours worked vary greatly in the industry. Most of these questions depend on the specific company you're looking at.

People hire other people based on if they can do the job or not, and if they are a good fit personality wise... At least to the best of their ability to determine so. Again, you can't really generalize for the entire games industry, but having both experience and a degree is best. A strong portfolio is almost a must. Luck and networking both play a strong role as well. Knowing what specifically you want to work on is pretty important, it's a huge turn-off if you go in and suggest "I'll do everything or anything!" Exact programming positions vary per studio, but typically include Tools, Gameplay, Audio, Rendering, Generalist, Network, Frontend and sometimes others.

These are all things I have picked up from the position of someone who has had only a single coop workterm doing games and who is currently looking for a job. Other people may have other opinions and may have better answers.

Quote: Original post by davidthefat
I want to know on average how much do you actually make?

Slightly less than other programming jobs.

Quote: Is it an hourly based or salaried based?

Every office job I've had has been salaried (in games and business).

Quote: Honestly do you guys have a good solid free time for your family? Not just vacations, but like weekends and stuff.

If anyone has to stay back and do extra hours, it'll usually be the leads first. There is such a thing as "crunch time" though where everyone might be working late nights. I've never worked on a weekend though.

Quote: Would you say that the chances of getting hired will slim down after lets say 5-6 years?

There's no way to know what the market will be like in 5 years time... Could be bigger, could be smaller. It's shrunk a lot in recent times, so I would guess "bigger", unless there's another crash before then.

Quote: By experience or degree or even what college

Experience and talent. Degrees are meaningless (aside from the fact that simply having one is important).

Quote: Original post by M2tM
It'll be rare to get anybody interested in discussing their salary open on a public forum. Generally it's in bad taste to do so.

In every employment contract I've had, you're specifically prohibited from talking about your salary :/ So it's beyond bad taste, it's a breach of contract.

Quote: Original post by M2tM
It'll be rare to get anybody interested in discussing their salary open on a public forum. Generally it's in bad taste to do so.

This matches my perception as well. I've been wondering though if that kind of hesitation to talk about money doesn't lead to abuse; in the case of salaries, unfair salaries that are based less on the value of the employees to the company, and more on the ability to network (of course, sometimes those two might be the same thing...).

Quote: Original post by Hodgman

Quote: Honestly do you guys have a good solid free time for your family? Not just vacations, but like weekends and stuff.

If anyone has to stay back and do extra hours, it'll usually be the leads first. There is such a thing as "crunch time" though where everyone might be working late nights. I've never worked on a weekend though.

But would you say the lower programmers are the first to get layed off though?

Quote: Original post by davidthefat
But would you say the lower programmers are the first to get layed off though?

Not necessarily, but maybe.
When a business has to lay off workers, they'll use some kind of metric to evaluate everyone's "value". Sort this list and the bottom X get laid off.
A simple metric would be output divided by salary. If you're a junior programmer who gets paid a crappy salary, but gets a lot of work done, then you'd have a high rank with this metric and would be safe. On the other hand, if you're a senior programmer on a boat-load of cash and produce the same output, you'll have a lower rank...