how much do a game designer make in japan
How much money does a Video Game Designer make in Japan?
Average Monthly Salary
430,000 JPY
( 5,160,000 JPY yearly)
LOW
232,000
JPY AVERAGE
430,000
JPY HIGH
649,000
JPY
A person working as a Video Game Designer in Japan typically earns around 430,000 JPY per month. Salaries range from 232,000 JPY (lowest) to 649,000 JPY (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Video Game Designer salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Video Game Designer Salary Distribution in Japan
The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range
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Salary Range
Video Game Designer salaries in Japan range from 232,000 JPY per month (minimum salary) to 649,000 JPY per month (maximum salary).
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Median Salary
The median salary is 395,000 JPY per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Video Game Designer(s) are earning less than 395,000 JPY while the other half are earning more than 395,000 JPY. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
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Percentiles
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Video Game Designer(s) are earning less than 282,000 JPY while 75% of them are earning more than 282,000 JPY. Also from the diagram, 75% of Video Game Designer(s) are earning less than 480,000 JPY while 25% are earning more than 480,000 JPY.
What is the difference between the median and the average salary?
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
Video Game Designer Salary Comparison by Years of Experience
How does experience and age affect your pay?
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Video Game Designer salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Video Game Designer with less than two years of experience makes approximately 270,000 JPY per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 340,000 JPY per month, 26% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 449,000 JPY per month, 32% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
" On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark. "
Additionally, Video Game Designer(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 528,000 JPY per month, 18% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 584,000 JPY per month, 11% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 622,000 JPY per month, 6% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Video Game Designer average salary change by experience in Japan
| 0 - 2 Years | 270,000 JPY | |
| 2 - 5 Years | +26% | 340,000 JPY |
| 5 - 10 Years | +32% | 449,000 JPY |
| 10 - 15 Years | +18% | 528,000 JPY |
| 15 - 20 Years | +11% | 584,000 JPY |
| 20+ Years | +6% | 622,000 JPY |
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers
Video Game Designer Salary Comparison By Education
How do education levels affect salaries?
Displayed below is the average salary difference between different Video Game Designer(s) who have the same experience but different education levels.
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Video Game Designer salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Certificate or Diploma, the average salary of a Video Game Designer is 340,000 JPY per month.
While someone with a Bachelor's Degree gets a salary of 449,000 JPY per month, 32% more than someone having a Certificate or Diploma degree.
A Master's Degree gets its holder an average salary of 615,000 JPY per month, 37% more than someone with a Bachelor's Degree.
Video Game Designer average salary difference by education level in Japan
| Certificate or Diploma | 340,000 JPY | |
| Bachelor's Degree | +32% | 449,000 JPY |
| Master's Degree | +37% | 615,000 JPY |
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Japan costs anywhere from 2,570,000 Yen(s) to 7,720,000 Yen(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers
Video Game Designer Salary Comparison By Gender
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Video Game Designer employees in Japan earn 5% more than their female counterparts on average.
| Male | 440,000 JPY | |
| Female | -5% | 418,000 JPY |
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary Comparison By Gender in Japan for all Careers
Video Game Designer Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage in Japan
How much are annual salary increments in Japan for Video Game Designer(s)? How often do employees get salary raises?
Video Game Designer
Video Game Designer(s) in Japan are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 11% every 18 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.
The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.
Japan / All Professions
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
How to calculate the salary increment percentage?
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
"The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in Japan is 6%."
Annual Increment Rate By Industry 2020
| Banking | 8% | |
| Energy | 7% | |
| Information Technology | 6% | |
| Healthcare | 5% | |
| Travel | 4% | |
| Construction | 3% | |
| Education | 2% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Japan for the year 2020. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs
Video Game Designer Bonus and Incentive Rates in Japan
How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?
A Video Game Designer is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
47% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 53% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 4% to 5% of their annual salary.
| Received Bonus | 53% | |
| No Bonus | 47% |
Types of Bonuses Considered
Individual Performance-Based Bonuses
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance Bonuses
Occasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based Bonuses
Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year Bonuses
These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
Bonuses Are Not Commissions!
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?
The main two types of jobs | |
| Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
| Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
| Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
"Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine."
Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
Video Game Designer Average Hourly Wage in Japan
The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in Japan is 2,480 JPY. This means that the average Video Game Designer in Japan earns approximately 2,480 JPY for every worked hour.
Hourly Wage = Annual Salary ÷ ( 52 x 5 x 8 )
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
Video Game Designer VS Other Jobs
The average salary for Video Game Designer is 6% less than that of Other IT. Also, Other IT salaries are 12% less than those of Information Technology.
Salary comparison with similar jobs
| Applications System Specialist | 441,000 JPY |  +3% |
| Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Specialist | 642,000 JPY | +49% |
| Artificial Intelligence Developer | 646,000 JPY | +50% |
| Blockchain Associate | 485,000 JPY | +13% |
| Blockchain Developer | 457,000 JPY | +6% |
| Computer Animator | 444,000 JPY | +3% |
| Computer Hardware Engineer | 417,000 JPY |  -3% |
| Computer Operator | 348,000 JPY | -19% |
| Computer Technician | 404,000 JPY | -6% |
| Copy Editor | 433,000 JPY | +1% |
| Data Center Technician | 437,000 JPY | +2% |
| Documentation Specialist | 457,000 JPY | +6% |
| Ethical Hacker | 450,000 JPY | +5% |
| GIS Analyst | 489,000 JPY | +14% |
| Global BI Analyst | 532,000 JPY | +24% |
| Hardware Design Engineer | 503,000 JPY | +17% |
| Hardware Technician | 405,000 JPY | -6% |
| Help Desk Analyst | 505,000 JPY | +18% |
| Informatics Optimization Specialist | 550,000 JPY | +28% |
| Information Assurance Analyst | 511,000 JPY | +19% |
| Information Technology Infrastructure Engineer | 443,000 JPY | +3% |
| Information Technology Quality Specialist | 531,000 JPY | +24% |
| Information Technology Trainer | 514,000 JPY | +20% |
| Interface Designer | 426,000 JPY | -1% |
| Microsystems Engineer | 519,000 JPY | +21% |
| Numerical Control Programmer | 418,000 JPY | -3% |
| Records Manager | 425,000 JPY | -1% |
| Scrum Master | 408,000 JPY | -5% |
| Software Sales | 480,000 JPY | +12% |
| Software Specialist | 459,000 JPY | +7% |
| Storage Engineer | 407,000 JPY | -5% |
| Systems Engineer | 410,000 JPY | -5% |
| Systems Integrator | 498,000 JPY | +16% |
| Technical Sales | 518,000 JPY | +21% |
| Technical Trainer | 549,000 JPY | +28% |
| Technical Writer | 483,000 JPY | +12% |
| Tester | 414,000 JPY | -4% |
| Usability Engineer | 500,000 JPY | +16% |
| User Experience Consultant | 535,000 JPY | +25% |
| User Experience Design Expert | 551,000 JPY | +28% |
| User Experience Researcher | 559,000 JPY | +30% |
| User Interface Designer | 510,000 JPY | +19% |
| Video Game Designer | 430,000 JPY | +0% |
| Visual Information Specialist | 465,000 JPY | +8% |
| Writer and Documentor | 440,000 JPY | +2% |
Salary Comparison By City
| Fukuoka | 430,000 JPY |
| Hiroshima | 407,000 JPY |
| Kawasaki | 412,000 JPY |
| Kobe | 452,000 JPY |
| Kyoto | 450,000 JPY |
| Nagoya | 464,000 JPY |
| Osaka | 465,000 JPY |
| Saitama | 410,000 JPY |
| Sapporo | 463,000 JPY |
| Sendai | 405,000 JPY |
| Tokyo | 517,000 JPY |
| Yokohama | 466,000 JPY |
Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Japan earn 4% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
| Private Sector | 504,000 JPY | |
| Public Sector | +4% | 525,000 JPY |
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
how much do a game designer make in japan
Source: http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=107&loctype=1&job=12716&jobtype=3