Game development is more than just coding; it’s an art that fuses creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills. An addict of indie games, want to join a AAA studio, are trying to figure out how to become a game developer?
"Make Video Games" with Game Development 🤔
Before diving straight into code, let’s consider the roles in game development:
🎨 Game Designer
Designs the story, gameplay mechanics and rules.
Considers how players will feel and how to make the game enjoyable.
For example, the people behind Minecraft created a game centered around creativity and survival.
🖥️ Game Programmer (Developer)
Based on the game design, write code for controlling movement, physics, AI, and interactions.
Utilizes game engines such as Unity or Unreal.
For example, a developer codes that Mario jumps a certain way or how enemies move in a shooter.
🎭 Game Artist & Animator
People who design characters, environments, textures, and animations
It makes use of tools like Blender, Photoshop, Maya.
So: Genshin Impact — great art, but made by a talented team of game artists.
🔊 Sound Designer & Composer
Helps create music, sound effects, and voiceover:
FL Studio, Ableton Live, Audacity, etc.
As in video games, sound is crucial, Tomasino says: The creepy music in horror video games is intentionally designed to create fear.
The Right Programming Language to Learn 💻
Programming is the foundation of game development. Here are the top languages you need to know:
🔹 C++ — Unreal Engine, AAA games (PUBG, Fortnite, GTA V)
🔹 C# – Suitable for beginners, employed in Unity Engine (Among Us, Hollow Knight, Ori and the Blind Forest).
🔹 Python – Nice for logic learning, small in big games.
🔹 JavaScript – Used for web-based games (e.g. 2D browser games).
✅ Recommend for a Beginner: Learn C# and Unity, then C++ and Unreal.
Pick The Right Game Engine 🎮
So, to make your life easier, you will want to utilize a game engine to do all the work for you. Here are the best options:
🔥 Unity – Simple learning curve, supports 2D and 3D games, compatible with C#.
🎮 Unreal Engine – Powerful & used for high-quality AAA games, C++ compatible.
📱 Godot – Free Open-source Suitable for Indie devs
🕹️ GameMaker Studio — Best for 2D games: Undertale
For beginners, Xenojit recommends Unity, while for more advanced developers suggests Unreal Engine.
Learn Game Design & Mechanics 🎲
Making a game fun, challenging, and rewarding is the purpose of game design. Now, tobe a good game developer, you need to know:
📌 Player Feedback Loops — What players earn from their actions (XP, loot, cutscenes).
📌 Difficulty Balance — Maintain the balance between the Easy and Challenging game.
Physics — How objects move, collide and interact with each other in the game world.
✅ Top Resources to Learn Game Design:
Jesse Schell, “The Art of Game Design”
YouTube channels such as Game Maker’s Toolkit
Project-based Learning, Start With Small Projects μεικτό 🛠️
DON’T try to build one big game at first! Try smaller projects, such as:
🎮 A basic Flappy Bird clone (to teach physics & movement).
🕹️ A basic platformer (to learn jumping, collision, AI)
👾 Any 2D RPG or shooting game (to learn animations & sound).
📝 Pro Tip from Xenojit: Begin at prototypes – those are crude games that help you experiment with the mechanics and don't have to be the final game.
Assess Open Source Games & Game Jams 🏆The best way to further your skills is to look at existing works and then change them.
🔍 Explore Open-Source Games
Examine Open-source game GitHub repositories and analyze the code.
Customize them and adapt them to your own needs.
⚡ Participate in Game Jams (Atelier of Rapid Game Development Competitions)
Ludum Dare – Make a game in 48 hours.
Global Game Jam – Crate games with devs around the world
Brackeys Game Jam – For Unity users, this jam is extremely beginner-friendly.
Game jams bring better creativity and time management, and finally you can add these games to your portfolio!
Build a Solid Portfolio & Ship 📈
Once you’ve made a handful of small games, show off your skills online:
📢 Upload your games on:
Itch. io – The best package for indie developers.
GameJolt – Best for 2D and horror games.
Steam — Distribute your games to a broad audience.
Google Play Store — For developing games for mobile.
🔹 Create a Personal Portfolio Website
Demonstrate your talents, skillsets, and projects.
You are allowed to write about your learning – so write dev blogs about your learning journey (this helps in getting jobs!)
✅ Xenojit Pro Tip: A portfolio of real games is worth more than a paper certificate!
Never Stop Learning! Gamedev is great, but it's here to stay 🎮
Game development continues to be a constantly evolving field. Keep learning:
📚 Best Free Game Dev Courses
Game Development Course: Harvard CS50 (edX)
Official Unity platform — Unity Learn
Unreal Engine Blueprints (YouTube & Udemy)
📌 Follow Gaming & Dev News
Gamasutra — Game industry news and development.
Xenojit Blog – Switch to the latest dev guides!
Final Words from Xenojit
The journey of a game developer takes dedication, hard work, and heart. Begin with small, continue learning, and do not stop!
🔹 Want to Learn More? Follow Xenojit on with awesome game development tutorials, code snippets with experiences from industry 😊 🚀
