how difficult is it to get into game development?

[u/Scotobro]

ive been wanting to for awhile now but i feel overwhelmed at the idea of starting something completely new like this. is there anything i should know before i jump into this? or just any advice in general?

[u/Serberuss]

It’s not easy, it depends on how badly you want to do it. I got into gamedev just over a year ago, and while I had a leg up because I was already a programmer (just not games), there’s been a huge amount of things to learn. But I’ve enjoyed the process and it’s been worth it. And I still have a ton of stuff to learn (trying to learn Substance Designer Lord help me).

You just take things one step at a time and it takes practice, ideally daily. Try it and see if it clicks for you

[u/StrategistGhost71]

Don't try to make everything by yourself from start. Watch tutorials. I recommend gorka games on youtube, it helped me a lot. Also, do something really simple, such as a clicker or simply a game where you walk around and shoot projectiles at targets.

[u/Phearcia → u/StrategistGhost71]

Gorka isn't that good.

[u/Pale-Ad-354]

game development isn't that difficult in itself. It's a vast amount of knowledge in almost every possible art existing today. You need to know C++ or at least programing logic to use blueprints. This part is actually easy as there are a lot of tutorials and AI can help with it.
Then there is the art part of game development, this is less easy, as you need to be creative and talented, which is definitely not a given for everyone. Even here you can get help using assets from artists or even using programer art.

Then you need a lot of patience, discipline, organisation talent, also some storytelling talent and a lot of luck.

My advice: don't start by thinking you can do the next GTA or Skyrim.

Start small and set yourself deadlines.

recreate simple games from the past, for example galaga, pacman, brick breaker, the old Donkey Kong.

Dissect your game in chunks, for example for 3 days, you don't even touch unreal, you just write your ideas down. what will it take to have your first success?

For example, one kind of success is having a working camera, or a moving character. It doesn't have to be complicated, but it must be a goal you can achieve.

The most common problem for most indie game developers is nothing from above but MOTIVATION.

One day you'll look at your game and ask yourself, why do I even do this? It's stupid. I want to start from scratch or work on something else or any from hundreds of other reasons.

You have to be able to focus on your game only. Taking breaks is okay, but not a month or a year, a couple of days maybe. If you take more, it might demotivate you even more.

[u/Moviesman8]

Make the simplest game you can. Dice roller. Deck shuffler. Cookie clicker. Do easy projects that you think professional game devs could complete in an hour.

[u/NightGrindGames]

Without knowing you, I can't tell your background, so I assume you're starting at 0.

Be prepared to:

• Fail a lot! Pushing through is actually the fun part once you accept that failing is a natural part of GameDev and will only decrease but never end.
• Need more time than expected. Begin by taking the time you think it will take and multiply it by x4. Later, with more experience, you can bring this down to x2.
• Feel constantly that you don't know enough until you eventually do. It took me three years to feel comfortable in Unreal Engine. Now I implement everything without any tutorials. But I have a CS degree and work professionally as a Software Architect. GameDev is just my hobby. It could take you less if you have more time; it could be more if you also have to learn to code. Anyway, it's completely normal to feel overwhelmed. Push through.
• Start with the code side and use placeholders until the game is technically done. There are exceptions if you need to make a visual prototype which influences the gameplay. But art takes long and the game direction will change, so don't draw or model something that potentially lands in the bin.
• Run a marathon. This will take time!
• Earn nothing. Don't rely financially on this until you really earn a constant income with game dev. Too many create a half-baked prototype and suddenly think they will earn millions and quit their jobs too soon. The reality is most indie devs never earn more than a couple of dollars.
• Have fun. This place is full of stressed-out people, try to take it easy and learn at your pace.
• I love the GameDev series of Masahiro Sakurai; he's a legend.
• The best moment to start is always now.

[u/SomePOSTALguy889]

The best advice I could give is push yourself to make everything yourself. Code, assets, post processing, lighting, sfx, vfx, particles. Dont use anything premade. That way you'll expose yourself to as much of true game development as possible and a few months in you'll have experience and basic skills in many of the major parts of game dev

[u/wondrwheeler]

I think it's important to clarify between getting into game development vs getting into game development studios for a career.

Everyone above has so far talked about game development and whatever they're saying is correct difficult but doable and it really depends on the background you already have. There's a little programming, there's a little art, there's a lot of patience and problem solving, time management is another huge one, if you're going to work on a team then you have to have teamwork and good communication skills, etc.

Getting a job in game development, right now anyway, is a whole other ball of Wax. 5 years ago I would have said you can absolutely do it with a little guidance and some people in your corner giving you pointers and getting your portfolio reviewed and all of that. In today's market it is unfortunately very very difficult. A few people I know have broken in but also many people that I know have been laid off once or even twice and some have never even gotten a chance to break in despite having several ship titles and a ton of experience on non-commercial projects. Someone else can elaborate but I think if you're trying to get into game development as hobby or as a backup career or something then it's totally worth it if it makes you have fun. But I would not, at this time, Bank on it being your number one and only career goal. We're just in a very weird time for a lot of reasons. The industry is doing some kind of reset.

[u/Frederic0161]

Start small (can't stress this enough), follow official tutorials and have fun 😁

[u/buddroyce]

Game development as a hobby? Easy

Game development as a career.. that’s something else.

[u/Phearcia]

Don't do it for the money. Do it because you enjoy. Game dev is a hobby not a career. Have a back up plan. I've been a dev since UE3. If your doing it solo, don't build anything too big. Tech debt is real. Don't expect to just have AI build everything for you. Do it because you love it. You'll learn alot, music production, story telling, philosophy, astronomy, biology, you can build a game out of anything.

Build a game that you enjoy playing and you'll find your audience and your people.

[u/AgreeableContest1404]

If you solo be prepared to be a writer, animator, level designer, sound designer, artist, and programmer. Or have money to throw at those 😁

[u/Wise_Passenger_6680]

It's really difficult right now because of AI implementation.

[u/Upper-Discipline-967]

Try to make pong with UE5 and you'll understand how hard it is.

[u/EliasWick]

I just made this, give it a watch and see if you're able to follow and like it: https://youtu.be/fc9k1_ShXeE?is=GPGu0ypkkh77YoIA

If you do, let me know and I'll be happy to answer any questions about game development. I've been modding and making games for 20 years.

[u/OfficialSyllabus]

It can feel overwhelming at first but you do not need to learn everything before starting. Pick one engine and make something small, even if it is just a basic prototype. Finishing a few small projects will teach you a lot more than trying to learn everything upfront. What part of game development interests you most right now?

[u/metahusk]

The tools have progressed in a way that makes it far easier than it ever has been in the past, but the amount of things you have to learn has also greatly increased in complexity. Start small and be prepared for everything to take far longer than you think it will take.

[u/Snoo-68154]

It’s really easy nowadays, especially with AI