Essential Skills & Ecosystem

Master the tools and technologies driving the $187.7B gaming industry. Navigate your career path from entry-level to expert across creative, technical, and production domains.

Creative Arts Domain

Bringing games to life visually, demanding artistic talent and technical expertise

Skill Progression Pathways Career Growth

3D Modeling & Sculpting
$35K$90K+
Entry
  • Basic mesh creation
  • Simple prop modeling
  • Fundamental topology
BlenderMaya (basics)
Mid-level
  • Character modeling
  • Environment assets
  • UV mapping mastery
MayaZBrush
Senior
  • Pipelines optimization
  • Team leadership
  • Advanced sculpting
ZBrush (advanced)Houdini
Texturing & Shading
$40K$95K+
Entry
  • Basic texture creation
  • Material fundamentals
  • PBR principles
PhotoshopSubstance Painter (basics)
Mid-level
  • Custom material creation
  • Procedural texturing
  • Engine-specific workflows
Substance DesignerSubstance Painter
Senior
  • Advanced shader creation
  • Material systems design
  • Technical art direction
Substance 3DShader coding

Tool Ecosystem Industry Standards

3D Modeling Software
Texturing & Material Creation

Technical Development Domain

Building the systems and code that power interactive experiences

Skill Progression Pathways Career Growth

Game Programming
$50K$120K+
Entry
  • Basic scripting
  • Game logic implementation
  • Bug fixing
C#Unity (basics)
Mid-level
  • Systems architecture
  • Performance optimization
  • Multiplayer networking
C++Unreal Engine
Senior
  • Engine development
  • Team leadership
  • Technical direction
Custom enginesAdvanced graphics
Game Engine Specialization
$55K$130K+
Entry
  • Engine fundamentals
  • Basic shader work
  • Asset pipelines
Unity/UnrealVisual scripting
Mid-level
  • Custom tools creation
  • Engine modification
  • Advanced rendering
Engine source codeCustom plugins
Senior
  • Engine architecture
  • Cutting-edge features
  • Platform optimization
Graphics APIsLow-level optimization

Tool Ecosystem Industry Standards

Game Engines
Programming Languages

Production & Management Domain

Guiding game development projects from concept to release

Skill Progression Pathways Career Growth

Game Production
$70K$120K+
Entry
  • Task tracking
  • Team coordination
  • Basic scheduling
JiraTrello
Mid-level
  • Resource management
  • Risk assessment
  • Milestone planning
MS ProjectHansoft
Senior
  • Strategic planning
  • Cross-team leadership
  • Budget ownership
Analytics suitesBI platforms
Project Management
$65K$115K+
Entry
  • Agile/Scrum basics
  • Documentation
  • Meeting facilitation
ConfluenceSlack
Mid-level
  • Sprint management
  • Process optimization
  • Stakeholder communication
Advanced JiraAgile tools
Senior
  • Multi-project coordination
  • Department leadership
  • Strategic direction
Portfolio managementExecutive reporting

Tool Ecosystem Industry Standards

Project Management Tools
Collaboration Tools

How Ready Are You for Gaming Careers?

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Skills

Certifications

Market Readiness

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Potential Job Matches

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Job Openings on Henry Hire

UX/UI Design Lead (Remote, Gaming)

PlayStation
172,000 - 258,000 year
Sony Interactive Entertainment is hiring a UX/UI Design Lead to join an unannounced project within the PlayStation Studios family. This…
Posted 2 days ago
0 applications

Senior Software Engineer (Remote, Gaming)

Blizzard Entertainment
101,000 - 186,754.00 year
Blizzard Entertainment is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join their Cloud Software team, a group focused on building and…
Posted 2 days ago
0 applications

Senior Technical Artist (Remote)

CD PROJEKT RED
N/A hour
CD PROJEKT RED is hiring a Senior Technical Artist to join the team working on Project Orion, the sequel to…
Posted 2 days ago
0 applications