3. Programmer

Computer programmers are the masters of the technical side of video games.

Using various computer languages, they write thousands upon thousands of lines of code. These are basically the instructions that tell the game how it’s supposed to function.

How well (or how badly) the game’s artificial intelligence behaves depends on the skill of the artificial intelligence programmers. Thanks to advances in A.I. technology, we can now have in-game enemies and characters who behave realistically given specific circumstances. Similarly, the physics programmer ensures the virtual world behaves like the real world. Thanks to them, cars don’t go flying into the moon if your avatar accidentally bumps into them, and 3D apples fall to the ground should they be dropped. Graphics programmers develop the 3D and/or 2D graphics for the game. Network programmers allow online interactions and multiplay between players.

Don’t forget the programmers who built the user interface, and those programmers who develop the tools that makes the process of developing games easier for the whole team. And the person in charge of the whole gang? That’s the lead programmer, who makes sure everyone’s on point.

Computer scientists and engineers make a load of money – more than $90,000 annually. It’s why a lot of people choose this route for their video game careers.