Game Developer Magazine has released the results of its seventh annual Game Developer Salary Survey, which figures the average American game industry salary in 2007 as $73,600.

The data, which was partially posted by Gamasutra, notes that the average salary was slightly up from 2006 figure of $73,316.

Business and marketing positions remained top of the heap, with average salaries figured at $101,848. Programmers, which were among the most educated of the groups surveyed, raked in an average of $83,383.

Art and animation employees were compensated an average of $66,594 in 2007, with 66% reporting at least a bachelor's degree. Game designers clocked in at $63,649, while producers claimed an average of $78,716. Sound designers reported $73,409.

As expected, quality assurance brought up the rear, averaging $39,063, though QA leads with more than six years experience averaged $70,658. The report noted that testers with less than three years experience made up the largest percentage of the group.