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Entry Level Game Developer Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

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Entry Level Game Developer information

See Michigan salary details

$28.3K

$94.5K

$156.9K

How much do entry level game developer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for entry level game developer in Michigan is $94,542.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $71,000.00 and $108,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

Is 30 too old to get into game dev?

Entry level game developers come from diverse backgrounds and ages, and starting at 30 is not too late. Success depends on acquiring relevant skills such as programming, design, or art, and building a portfolio to demonstrate your abilities. Many employers value experience and passion over age, making it possible to enter the field at any age with dedication.

What are some common challenges faced by entry level game developers when working on their first projects?

Entry level game developers often encounter challenges such as balancing creative ideas with technical limitations, adapting to collaborative workflows, and managing tight deadlines. Learning to navigate large codebases, understanding version control systems, and effectively communicating with designers, artists, and senior programmers are key aspects of the role. Overcoming these hurdles requires a willingness to learn, ask questions, and seek feedback from teammates, which helps foster both technical and interpersonal growth within a supportive game development environment.

What Does an Entry-Level Game Developer Do?

As an entry-level game developer, your responsibilities revolve around programming the algorithms and code that control video games. Your duties are to develop action sequences in games, graphical user interfaces, and other basic tools that allow seamless gameplay. You must be conscious of console or computer requirements, such as memory usage and graphics chip limitations, and you should be able to identify and fix glitches in the game quickly. You work closely with other programmers and QA testers to ensure that you deal with these issues systematically.

What is the 80 20 rule in game development?

In game development, the 80/20 rule suggests that roughly 80% of the game's value comes from 20% of the features or work. Entry level game developers often focus on core mechanics and essential assets first to maximize impact and efficiency during development cycles.

Is AI replacing game devs?

AI is increasingly used in game development to assist with tasks like procedural content generation and testing, but it does not replace entry level game developers. Developers are needed to design, program, and oversee AI tools, ensuring creative and technical quality. Skills in programming, game engines, and AI integration remain essential for game development roles.

What is the difference between Entry Level Game Developer vs Junior Game Programmer?

AspectEntry Level Game DeveloperJunior Game Programmer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Computer Science, Game Design, or related fieldBachelor's in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field
Work EnvironmentGame studios, indie developers, or freelance projectsGame development teams, software companies, or indie studios
Employer & Industry UsageCommonly used in gaming industry for entry rolesOften used interchangeably with Entry Level Game Developer in job listings
Common Search & Comparison IntentYesYes

Both roles typically require a bachelor's degree in a related field and involve working in game development environments. While the titles may differ slightly, they often refer to similar entry-level positions focused on coding, debugging, and supporting game projects. The main difference lies in terminology preference among employers, but both roles serve as starting points for a career in game programming.

What does an Entry Level Game Developer do?

An Entry Level Game Developer assists in the creation and implementation of video games by writing code, debugging, and collaborating with other team members such as artists and designers. They typically work under the supervision of senior developers and are often responsible for smaller features or specific tasks within a larger project. Their work may include programming gameplay mechanics, fixing bugs, and learning new tools and technologies used in game development. This role is an excellent starting point for those looking to gain experience and grow within the gaming industry.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Entry Level Game Developer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Game Developer, you need a solid understanding of programming languages like C++ or C#, basic game design principles, and typically a degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field. Familiarity with game engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine, version control systems like Git, and basic graphic or animation tools is highly beneficial. Creativity, teamwork, problem-solving, and effective communication are key soft skills that help you collaborate and adapt in dynamic development environments. These skills ensure you can efficiently contribute to game projects, meet technical requirements, and work well within multidisciplinary teams.

How to be a game developer with no experience?

Entry level game developers typically start by learning programming languages such as C# or C++, and gaining familiarity with game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine. Building a portfolio with small projects, participating in game jams, and pursuing online courses or certifications can help demonstrate skills to employers without prior professional experience.
More about Entry Level Game Developer jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Game Developer jobs in Michigan? The most popular types of Game Developer jobs in Michigan are:
What are popular job titles related to Entry Level Game Developer jobs in Michigan? For Entry Level Game Developer jobs in Michigan, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Entry Level Game Developer jobs in Michigan look for? The top searched job categories for Entry Level Game Developer jobs in Michigan are:
What cities in Michigan are hiring for Entry Level Game Developer jobs? Cities in Michigan with the most Entry Level Game Developer job openings:
Entry Level Game Developer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Entry Level Game Developer job openings in Michigan as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 77% Full Time, 15% Part Time, and 8% Contract. Highlights an 95% In-person, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $94,542 per year, or $45.5 per hour.
Software Engineer - Entry Level

Software Engineer - Entry Level

Gambyt

Ann Arbor, MI • Remote

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Retirement, PTO

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.

Job description

Software Engineer - Entry Level

Location: Remote (US Only) - Eastern Time Zone


About Us

Gambyt's mission is to make real-money gaming products more relevant and accessible to the world. We are specialists in the lottery industry and create products that deliver life-changing winning moments to players while raising billions of dollars every year for good causes such as public education, nature conservancy, and programs for seniors.


Through our agile software development practice, we create digital products such as games, loyalty programs, and user experiences that are loved by players. Our team consists of extremely talented product managers, UX/UI designers, software engineers, project managers and quality testers that collaborate closely to achieve our vision.


We have rebuilt our company around a distributed remote-work engagement model. To help strengthen connections across our team, we provide resources to support employee engagement and well-being, organize monthly virtual activities, and regularly experiment with new benefits for remote work.


Though fully remote, we are headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which was ranked as a top 3 tech hub by Bloomberg, and is located in the first state in the country where all forms of internet wagering (lottery, casino, sports) have been legalized. We are on the ground floor of an industry revolution that is ripe for digital disruption and looking to expand our world-class team.


Job Description

Gambyt is seeking a Software Engineer who is eager to build, ship, and improve real-world production systems used by lottery players across the United States.


This role is ideal for an early-career engineer with strong fundamentals who wants meaningful ownership early in their career. You will contribute to customer-facing features, internal tools, and backend services that power lottery applications. From your first projects, you will be expected to deliver production-ready code with guidance from senior engineers.


This is a high-impact role delivering software for major US state lottery customers. You will collaborate closely with product, design, engineering peers, and client stakeholders to deliver reliable, scalable, and high-quality software.


Key Responsibilities

  • Take ownership of well-scoped features from implementation through deployment with guidance.
  • Ship production features across one or more platforms (web, backend, iOS, Android)
  • Write clean, tested, maintainable code that ships to production
  • Debug issues across the stack using logs, metrics, and systematic problem-solving
  • Collaborate cross-functionally to clarify requirements and deliver high-quality player experiences
  • Participate actively in code reviews, incorporating feedback and learning to make pragmatic tradeoffs

Required Qualifications

  • Strong engineering fundamentals (data structures, APIs, debugging, and testing concepts)
  • Experience building and shipping at least one meaningful project (internship, academic project, personal project, or professional experience)
  • Comfort navigating unfamiliar code and learning new tools quickly
  • Clear communication skills and a collaborative approach to decision-making
  • Based in the U.S., able to work standard Eastern Time hours


Preferred Qualifications

Experience with our technologies is a plus but not required-strong fundamentals and the ability to learn quickly are more important. Our technologies include:

  • Mobile: Swift (iOS), Kotlin (Android)
  • Frontend: JavaScript, TypeScript, React
  • Backend: Node.js (with Express), Postgres, Redis
  • Infrastructure: AWS, Heroku, Terraform, GitHub Actions
  • Tools: GitHub, modern CI/CD pipelines


Employee Benefits

All full-time employees receive:

  • Remote work environment
  • Competitive compensation packages
  • Performance and anniversary bonus programs
  • Equity program in our privately-held company
  • Unlimited vacation and personal leave
  • Summer Fridays during the summer months (coordinated company-wide time off)
  • Excellent health and dental benefits, with no premium copays
  • 401k program with guaranteed company contribution
  • Monthly perks like food delivery to your home
  • Monthly cell phone and computer stipend


Learn more at www.gambyt.com

Gambyt logo

About Gambyt

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Industry

Gambling activities

Company size

11 - 50 Employees

Headquarters location

Ann Arbor, MI, US

Year founded

2016

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