Study Detailing How Much Gaming Characters Earn Offers Wild Results

Personally, I’ve never stopped to think about what video game characters might earn from their in-game jobs but now that I have thought about it, I can’t stop. Mario has been providing his plumbing services for over 40 years, whilst Homer Simpson - as dumb as he may seem - holds down a respectable job as a nuclear technician. So what do they earn?

Online gaming platform Solitaired recently completed a study into what gaming characters would earn in the real world, and the results are unbelievable.

Take a look at Mario Kart 8's recently released DLC tracks compared to their original counterparts.

Borderlands 2’s Handsome Jack wins the title as the highest earning video game character, taking home £333,043 as a corporate CEO which isn’t all that surprising. He’s followed by Metal Gear Solid’s Solid Snake who would earn £107,517 as a special forces soldier, and Resident Evil’s Albert Wesker whose job as a virologist would earn him £90,519. Just two of the 20 highest earners are women … just saying.

On the opposite end of the scale is poor Pac-Man who earns the lowest salary of £15,916 working as a security guard in Japan. The Legend of Zelda’s Link sits just above that, earning £19,661 as a knight.

Whilst certain salaries make sense, others are simply wild. Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft reportedly earns £41,998 as an archaeologist but let’s not forget about daddy’s inheritance money. Croft Manor must come with some hefty bills. The study lists Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Tom Nook as earning £33,812 as a real estate agent but based on how much he charges for bridges and extensions, either Tom Nook is really out-earning Handsome Jack, or he’s embezzling company funds.

There is so much to digest. Did you know that Spyro is a jeweller? I shall leave you with the lasting thought that Mario reportedly earns £32,895 a year for his plumbing services, just in case the question has ever plagued your mind.