Develop a game!
It will be fun!
It will utilize your skills! (Art, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Bullheaded Persistence)
This was the thought process that led to the start of this game development journey.
This was the thought process that led to the start of this game development journey.
It was understood going in that:
- The use of preexisting assets.
- The help of the indie-dev community online.
- Engines helping with the process of coding.
-there would still be a critically steep learning curve with regard to actually accomplishing this goal.
Years prior it was unlikely that I would have even made that kind of an attempt – coding is not a skill I have; and, the technology in order to accomplish everything a game needs and is expected to have simply not present in a way that was accessible.
2026 is a very different experience than before. There is a plethora of help and tools available.
Even with all of those things: one person really is not set up to make large projects in a timely manner. There are too many things that need to be touched. Additionally, those things need skills, resources, and time. Skill to accomplish them (writing, narrative mapping, coding, graphic design, UI and UX design, sound design, sprites, movement/rigging, etc.), resources to purchase add-ons, subscriptions, and other necessary items, and time to utilize the prior two.
Having the ability and access to all of that is a privilege.
So with a grateful heart, I’ve started teaching myself and learning.
The media and art section of things are a preexisting skillset (not professionally used at the moment). I went to school for electronic art with a minor degree in illustration/graphic design. Typesetting, understanding fonts and visual language, and some limited 3D and motion design came with that degree, as well as illustration and foundational art skills.
I’ve been working on music as a hobby/skill-building activity for a while and by no means would claim the title of ‘musician’; but, for the purposes of gaming there is enough knowledge there to have an ear for a soundscape and to have language to articulate to eventual partners what the score/OST might sound like.
What the I do not have? Coding and maths experience. I have dyscalcula and was not successful in collegiate math beyond very rudimentary algebra (algebra 2 in USA). Calculus, trigonometry, linear algebra, and other advanced maths were beyond me.
Additionally, computer programming was not a part of the learning path of my degree— so being able to write and understand computer code in various languages is a brand new endeavor! I don’t think that I will reach professional coding levels, but lowering the amount of work that I need to outsource to other programmers is preferable, as I have a realistic assumption this game is just a giant and complex hobby project that will have no positive fiscal impact. The intention at the moment is to put the finished build up for a pay-what-you-are-able/tip situation.
Initially the plan for the demo project was to make a narrative-focused game in Ren’Py. The engine is incredibly forgiving for new folks, the engine-specific code is easy to parse. However, Ren’Py is not innately designed for interactivity — most of the player input is from progressing the story, interacting with the text, and sometimes stat-management. Mini-games, the ability to walk-around, and other elements are secondary to the purpose originally intended by the creators.
This meant that weighing the pros and cons of other engines came forward. There is a discussion about that in [ this post ]. (My blog!)
Ultimately I decided that Unity was the best option for the current project due to many factors, and thus pre-work is beginning in earnest.
Unfortunately, this pre-work showed exactly where my knowledge and skills are lacking and what goals need to be set! Oops! I Gotta learn So Many New Things. In free time. While having a Full Time Job and Other Commitments.
Some developers are able to have their schooling tailored to game design from the jump. In my instance, I did not intended to do game development and thus did not seek the skill-set necessary while in college. If there was time to do so, I would joyfully go back to school and learn in that way, but; that is not possible.
Thus, schooling is now independent and based on both paid and community knowledge. The internet is an incredible place, and if one really wants something: they can do it if they try.
If you want to see an incomplete list of some of the assets I am using for learning, please check out the Tutorials and Tools section on the 5mmg blog. I’m putting up what I find and what is being studied there, a. Feel free to check back from time to time as the list will update when new things are found.
– NT