9781422275122

A teen plays an online computer game.

settings. Computer games are extremely popular. Sixty-four percent of Americans own a device that they use to play computer games, according to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). In 2017, Americans spent a whopping $29.1 billion on video game content, up from $17.5 billion in 2010. The computer game industry provides many jobs. There are more than 2,710 video game company locations (meaning some companies have more than one office) across 84 percent of the congressional districts in the United States, according to the ESA. Approximately 220,000 people work in the U.S. computer gaming industry. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of other game workers are employed at companies around the world. Some gaming professionals are self-employed. This means that they work for themselves instead of for a company or other organization. They develop and sell their games, or are hired by companies and other employers to do development work part time.

12 COOL CAREERS IN SCIENCE: COMPUTER GAME & APP DEVELOPERS