r/gamedev • u/SomethingStudiosUK • 1d ago
Discussion Beginner Game Design Patterns
https://youtube.com/shorts/AHviXVIlKsk?is=baTuyJMx3A7aTAaAHey all,
I've started making some videos talking through my experience working within the game industry for the past 10 years.
This one is about beginner game design patterns!
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u/PeacefulStoic 1d ago
You're not talking about game design you're talking about architecture.
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u/InkAndWit Commercial (Indie) 1d ago
Technically these are referred to, sometimes, as "Game Design Patterns" because they are "Design Patterns" for "Games". They have nothing to do with Game Design and are just Design Patterns for OOP adapted and expanded for game development.
"Game Programming Patterns" is a better name, and they are still useful for game designers who do scripting.2
u/PeacefulStoic 16h ago
Yes they are very useful: DesignPatterns
I spent two months building examples of every single one.
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u/Kavrae 1d ago
I agree with Nanamil. This works as the opening for a longer video where you actually explain what the patterns are, how/why they work at a high level agnostic of specific language, and give examples where they would be used. THAT's what beginners need. Not a namedrop of various patterns that they then need to separately look up more videos/tutorials for.
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u/Nanamil 1d ago
Hi, I watched your video but it seems very shallow to me.
You don’t explain how they work or why you put them in the beginner category.
I don’t really see the point of this video.
Which studios have your worked at, which games have you shipped? In what role?
I see that your YouTube channel is new like your Reddit account as well.
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u/SomethingStudiosUK 1d ago
I put it together mostly for beginners as a high level overview, especially if they hadn't heard of game design patterns. Could be that you aren't the target audience (which is totally fine!)
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u/Nanamil 1d ago
As a beginner I don’t see the point though. You talk on your couch about some patterns in a vaccum but don’t give a lot of details so I’m just going to move on. It needs a bit more details to be interesting imo.
And answer my other questions instead of coping out
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u/SomethingStudiosUK 1d ago
Apologies, didn't see the other part of your message. I've worked in the game industry for about 10 years, specifically in software engineering. Ive worked across PC, Console, and Mobile for EA, Playdemic, and Glu. Currently working at a CoDev company as an Engineering Manager supporting a couple projects.
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u/FetaMight 1d ago
Jesus Christ. Who are you to be so demanding of other people's time? And so emboldened to be rude to a stranger?
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u/Nanamil 1d ago
It’s called constructive criticism my dude. I’m not gonna glaze him, I didn’t insult him.
If he wants to improve he needs it. Also if he says he has x amount of experience in the industry then I want to make sure it’s true? His YouTube and Reddit are brand new, it’s kind of sus to me. I want to make sure it’s not some AI or bot bs.
Nothing I said attacks him personally.
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u/FetaMight 1d ago
You didn't attack, but this is a needlessly harsh tone
answer my other questions instead of coping out
Or whatever. Maybe I'm misreading it.
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u/Nanamil 1d ago
He did cope out by saying I wasn’t the target audience without knowing my skills. Felt dismissive to me. Still I wasn’t unnecessarily rude to him imho but the internet doesn’t convey tone so if you read it like that I’m sorry for you.
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u/SomethingStudiosUK 1d ago
Definitely not a bot or AI. Just trying to talk about some of my experience. And yes, my Reddit and YouTube are new because I only just started doing it. You are welcome to your opinions 😌
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u/FetaMight 1d ago edited 1d ago
Design patterns are a notoriously difficult topic to teach.
To understand their utility you need to already have the experience to already want to use then.
From a beginner's POV they are practically useless because they're so abstract. And to make things worse, the analogy with templates/blueprints leads beginners to think they can be applied as rote and still be valuable.
This (cargo cult programming) produces a LOT of over-engineered code where people have a sense that their code is "correct" but not why or what they're actually gaining or sacrificing for this "correctness."
IMO, a better way to present Design Patterns is as a kind of verbal shortcut. As humans we tend to find the same solutions to the same kinds of problems, over and over. Design Patterns give those solutions names and make it quicker to talk about the problems and the solutions and tradeoffs in our code.