how much do video game designer make a year?

Answer 1

That really depends on what you want to do in terms of the design process. There's animators, developers, sound engineer, artists, to name but a few of the positions that could fall under the category 'designer'. It also depends on where you want to work.

This website http://www.animationarena.com/video-game-salary.html gives you a reasonable overview of the different careers that you might pursue in this industry and the salaries that accompany those different careers.