Schmooples' Den! The DA News Discussion Thread

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You know what we can do to fun police? Block. 

Can folks from Canada/USA tell me is she dissatisfied by those rates or not? Is it low by game dev standards to get 40k a year?

A couple more examples of BW salaries...

Jason Swan @frsty13
#GameDevPaidMe

12.50/hr Contract QA - Bioware (2011-2012)
54k Assoc. UI Programmer - Carbine (2013-2016)
86k Tech Design - Big Fish (2016-2017)
26/hr (indie) Tech Design - House of How (2018)
42/hr Contract Programmer - 343 (2019)
110k+ - Sr.UI Scripter - Bioware (2019-current)

Ryan Treadwell @ Ryan_Treadwell
Here's my #GameDevPaidMe.

Blizzard/Lead GM/2010: $40k
ZeniMax Online/CS Producer/2011: $60k
Big Huge Games/Associate Producer/2012: $55k
BioWare/Dev Manager/2014: ~$75k
Certain Affinity/Lead Producer/2019: $94k

I doubt that it'd have reached Insomniac's salary, but isn't Assistant Writer at least 1, if not 2, grades before Senior Writer? Even if studios could have different names and grades, it seems possible to me that with the same grade, her salary would've been higher.

I do wonder if there are differences in salaries between the various studios that EA owns, based on how successful they are.

I can see BW arguing that sure, we pay less than a big studio in LA, but the cost of living in Edmonton is far less, so maybe you come out ahead in the end...?

Its probably a sign of where I work but I'd be thrilled to be paid 31K a year doing what I love.

Conal Pierse @conalpierse
#GameDevPaidMe
White cis-male
BioWare
2013 - $45k Content Strategist (~$15k bonuses and stock)
2015 - $62k Community Manager (~$40k bonuses and stock)
By 2017 my salary was $75k, but I was making over $100k since 2015 largely due to unvested stock rewards.

Ashley Ruhl @ashleyruhls
32 year old cis white woman.
#GameDevPaidMe as a cinematic/narrative designer:

2011 BioWare, $12/hr
2012 Trion Worlds $60k
2013 Telltale $45k -> 65k over 2 years
2016 BioWare $37/hr
2017 Telltale (remote), $40/hr
2018 Gunfire $45/hr
2019 Gunfire $75k
2020 BioWare $82k

I have 9 years of experience in the industry, in particular a very niche field. I'm still considered mid-level, despite my attempts to advance to senior/lead. There's always understandable reasons at the time as to why, but it does get frustrating.

And even typing that out makes me feel like I'm asking too much to be considered a senior developer. There's that gut feeling that says "You'd have that role if you actually earned it. You're just not there yet."

Not sure where "there" is.

Johnny Owens @itsjohnnyowens
I'll add to #GameDevPaidMe

Volition - Gameplay Programming Intern - $15/h
GameSalad - Junior Engineer - $44k/y RFT
BioWare Austin - Platform QA Tools Engineer - $25/h TFT
Volition - Associate Programmer III - $61k/year RFT
Sledgehammer Games - Audio Scripter - $30/h TFT
Ubisoft San Francisco - Tools Engineer - $70k/y RFT
Retro Studios - Tools Engineer II - Started $80k/y + bonus, currently $96k/y + bonus, RFT

I am assuming Edmonton probably has a cheaper standard of living, like the Midwest US - plus Canada has socialized healthcare, which is absolutely huge.

In Los Angeles, you basically have to share a house with multiple roommates on any salary under $80k. But $80k is probably super comfortable in the Midwest/Edmonton. 

Actually!

Keeping your pay a secret is actually not benefitting you at all but is letting employers take advantage of their staff! It's actually better for you (the employee) to discuss pay with your co-workers becuase it helps prevent corporations from unfair pay gap.

Employers encourage such behavior because it allows them to pay two people vastly different amounts for the name job.

Based on my mood at the time, I will argue that DA2 was the best of the three. MAybe because they worked on it personally, they see more flaws than I do. Even my hubs thinks DA2 has the best story, and that's what I'm here for.