Game and Multimedia Developers

ANZSCO ID 261211

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
650
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
81%
Female Share
16%
Average age
32

Summary

Game and Multimedia Developers create and manipulate computer animation, audio, video and graphic image files into multimedia programs to produce data and content for CD-ROMs, information kiosks, multimedia presentations, websites, mobile telephone resources, electronic gaming environments, e-commerce and e-security solutions, and entertainment and education products.

Also known as: Electronic Game Developer, Multimedia Developer, or Multimedia Programmer.

A university or Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in a relevant information technology field (such as computer science, game design, animation, media and communication) is usually needed to work as a Game or Multimedia Developer. There are also a wide range of vendor and industry certifications available that may substitute for formal qualifications.

Tasks

  • Analyses, designs and develops internet sites applying a mixture of artistry and creativity with software programming and scripting languages and interfacing with operating environments.

  • Designs and develops digital animations, images, presentations, games, audio and video clips, and internet applications using multimedia software, tools and utilities, interactive graphics and programming languages.

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Analytical
  • Creative
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Multimedia Specialists and Web Developers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 81% of people employed as Game and Multimedia Developers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 15 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 43 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
39.3%
2
Education and Training
13.6%
3
Information Media and Telecommunications
10.4%
4
Arts and Recreation Services
7.9%
5
Other industries
16.9%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

20.6% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

39.6% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

25.9% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

4.5% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

5.4% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

0.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

3.1% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Game and Multimedia Developers All Jobs Average
NSW 20.6 31.6
VIC 39.6 25.6
QLD 25.9 20.0
SA 4.5 7.0
WA 5.4 10.8
TAS 0.5 2.0
NT 0.5 1.0
ACT 3.1 1.9


  • Around 82% of Game and Multimedia Developers live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Victoria and Queensland have a large share of employment relative to their population size.

    The region with the largest share of workers is Melbourne - Inner.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
32
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
16%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Game and Multimedia Developers is 32 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 16% of the workforce. This is 32 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Game and Multimedia Developers All Jobs Average
15-19 2.2 5.0
20-24 13.3 9.3
25-34 45.5 22.9
35-44 27.9 22.0
45-54 9.1 21.6
55-59 1.4 9.0
60-64 0.6 6.0
65 and Over 0.0 4.2
Median Age 32 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A university or Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in a relevant information technology field (such as computer science, game design, animation, media and communication) is usually needed to work as a Game or Multimedia Developer. There are also a wide range of vendor and industry certifications available that may substitute for formal qualifications.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Printing & Graphic Arts and Information and Communications Technology VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Game and Multimedia Developers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 11.0 10.1
Bachelor degree 53.4 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 16.4 11.6
Certificate III/IV 6.0 21.1
Year 12 11.9 18.1
Year 11 0.8 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.5 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Multimedia Specialists and Web Developers who can communicate clearly, work well in a team and have strong interpersonal skills.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 55%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 55%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 54%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 52%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 50%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 48%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 46%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 46%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 46%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 46%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 43%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 43%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 43%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 43%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 41%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 41%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 41%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 41%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 41%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 39%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 79%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 77%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 70%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 69%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 56%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 49%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 40%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 35%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 33%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 33%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 33%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 30%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 26%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 21%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 20%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 19%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 18%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 18%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 15%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 15%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 59%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 54%

    Visualization

    Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • 54%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 54%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 52%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 52%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 52%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

  • 52%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 52%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 50%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 50%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 50%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 46%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 45%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 43%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 43%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 41%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 39%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 84%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 81%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 78%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 71%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 69%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 69%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 68%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 66%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 64%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 60%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 59%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 57%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 57%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 55%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 55%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 55%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 55%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 55%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 55%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 53%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 57%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 43%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 43%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 24%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 19%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 81%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 71%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 69%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 62%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 62%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 48%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 97%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 95%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 93%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 92%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 91%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 90%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 89%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 88%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 88%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 86%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 82%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 81%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 78%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 77%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 77%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 76%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 76%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 75%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 72%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 67%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 27-1014.00 - Multimedia Artists and Animators.


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