What do game designers do, how much do they earn and what do you need to do to embark on a career as one? Answers to these questions and more are included in this infographic

The infographic has been compiled for Schools.com, a site that provides information about careers and college courses in the United States and Canada and online.  

The idea of having a career in game design is relatively new - well it has to be video games themselves are only a couple of generations old and look how far we have come from the days of Pong. 

Even newer is the idea that Game Design is something you could study at college - but yes you can enroll in a degree course either on campus or online, an option offered by the University of Advancing Technology, a private for-profit institution with a campus in Tempe, Arizona. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 59 percent of multimedia artists and animators, which includes computer and video game designers, are self-employed but if you want to join a company you'll need to be a team player.

There is also a wide spread of salaries, again using data  from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics The lowest 10% have annual wages of less than $35,000 while the top !0% have earn almost three times as much. The median is $60,830 and to do better than average join a company in California, New York or Washington.

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Proficiency in math and programming is listed as one of the key skills - the others being understanding game-play theory, good communications and story telling skills, a talent for thinking imaginatively and the ability to work collaboratively and independently.

The infographic also includes the information that the number of women hired by game companies has tripled since 2009 - but women still only make up 11% of the game industry workforce so that is still lots of scope for improving the gender balance here.