So, you’ve decided that you’re going to make the next hit indie game. You’ve got a killer idea, and maybe even an alpha build of the game you’re working on. But something’s snagged, and you’re not sure what to do next.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help! This list has a ton of awesome resources designed to help you make the next hit game and become that developer that everyone looks to for new games. Hit the next slide to find out what you’ll want to check out to help you make the best game ever.
[Image courtesy of BecauseGamesMatter]
GDCVault
GDCVault’s YouTube channel is chock full of insightful discussions and informative videos that will help you take a look at your overall game design – or the minutiae of your game – and decode why you made it that way. Sometimes design choices are happy accidents, but most of the time they’re solid choices that make the game better, and GDCVault can help you get there.
[Image courtesy of GDCVault]
Pixel Prospector
Pixel Prospector has a massive free guide for game development that covers everything from design and programming to art, business, and marketing. You can’t go wrong taking a look at their guide, and it’s a wonderful reference or jumping-off point for fledgling game developers.
[Image courtesy of PixelProspector]
Extra Credits
Extra Credits is another YouTube channel that covers game design, and each video focuses on particular aspects of storytelling, design choices, or parts of the development cycle. The Extra Credits team does some pretty amazing groundwork, and the videos are polished and entertaining -- so expect to stay on the channel for a while.
[Image courtesy of BecauseGamesMatter]
GitHub Education Pack
The GitHub Education Pack is a free suite of services and programs for students (valid student email and issued ID card are required) that has everything an indie game dev would need -- aside from the ideas, programming, and art.
GitHub has things like web hosting, pattern analysis tools, email infrastructure, cloud services, and code review, as well as access to the Unreal 4 Engine game development suite. Essentially, every peripheral a game developer might need is included in this educational treasure trove.
[Image courtesy of GitHub]
2D Game Art Guru
2D Game Art Guru is a blog about game art with non-artists (specifically programmers) in mind. Blogger Chris Hildenbrand guides readers through animation, vector drawing, and game asset modularity, as well as a ton of other subjects that can make a game developer’s life a lot easier.
[Image courtesy of 2DGameArtGuru]
GameDev.net
Gamedev.net hosts a large amount of articles and tutorials for game developers, as well as specialized forums for design, art, programming, and even the business side of things! The site is a great way to find out new things, get new ideas, and troubleshoot problems with other like-minded developers.
[Image courtesy of GameDev.net]
r/gamedesign
While we're on the subject of forums and like-minded developers, r/gamedesign is a good resource for a variety of game development-related topics. Redditors are constantly posting new and interesting ideas, questions, and videos to the subreddit, so it’s a great source for varied ideas and in-depth discussion.
[Image courtesy of Reddit]
MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare is an online hub where the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has placed more than 2,000 of its courses online for free. There are 20+ courses related to game theory (though not all of them apply, of course), and more programming and software design courses than you can shake a proverbial stick at. There are also business and marketing courses, so you can learn how to sell your game once you’re done!
[image courtesy of MIT]
There are a ton of more resources out there for game developers -- I’ve just highlighted what I believe are the most awesome ones here. Game development can be tough, so hopefully these resources will help.
Use this list as a starting point, and go make the best game ever! But don’t forget to come back here, and let us know what free resources you used on your way to indie game stardom in the comments.
[Image courtesy of Udemy]
Published: Jun 29, 2017 10:32 am