Ive always wanted to make a video game but i feel too dumb to make one. Is gamedev worth looking into still even if im not the sharpest tool in the shed?
Or are there better hobbies out there for newcomers to the hobby space? I know most of you will say do what you enjoy, the thing is im not sure what i enjoy.
Idk if this goes here but i like the linux community as they are usually kind on lemmy.
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I personally split gamedev into 5 separate hobbies:
- conceptualizing
- 2d/3d rendering
- music
- programming
- putting it all together Then I rotate between whichever one I feel the most attracted to at the moment.
The hardest thing is to keep within your level. You’re not a 1-man army who can make a Hollow Knight in a year. Start with small ideas and expand and remix them as you improve and/or find slaves. But definitely keep the big ideas somewhere bc you might accidentally make all the systems you need along the way.
Even if you dont like it, no harm in trying it. Worst case you find you dont wanna do it and move on to something else.
You can start with something like pico-8 or a free engine of which there are a ton: https://lexaloffle.itch.io/pico-8
Me personally, ive been trying Godot and its kinda hard to get into, but I may try something else like RPG maker or what not just to get my ideas on paper so to speak.
It’s a hobby: it’s driven by your interests alone.
Just give it a try. Even if you decide that gamedev isn’t for you, you’ll learn something new about yourself and game development in general.
It’s been my hobby for a few years now and I love it. Just make sure to temper expectations and that you’re doing it because you enjoy it and not because you think it’ll make you rich or something lol
I’d recommend getting to grips with the fundamentals of python or JavaScript first before jumping in but Godot is a great open source tool for picking up some gamedev after you are used to the basics.
Do it! The barrier to entry for gamedev is ridiculously low with something like Unity or Godot, and nowadays you can make a complete game with 100% open-source tools.
A hobby is “good” if you enjoy it. That’s all that matters with hobbies. Don’t look down on yourself for wanting to do something for fun. It doesn’t have to be “efficient” or turn into an income or anything else. Just try it and learn. Learn the skills, learn if you like it
The beauty of game dev, is that you can make the most cursed codebase, and as long as it works, the only person itll impact is yourself.
Also, startup costs are basically zero, there is no need for a top end PC, whatever you have now is probably good enough to start.
startup costs are basically zero, there is no need for a top end PC, whatever you have now is probably good enough to start.
Unless your true heart’s desire is a faithful Crysis II sequel…
Faithful Crysis sequel, really. Crysis II was already better optimized than the original game IIRC (which made the assumption that clock frequencies would keep rising and they were trying to make the game only realize its’ full potential later after launch)
Grab godot, grab some tutorials, make something. It really is that simple. Just set your expectations. Your games will be closer to Pong for a while but there’s nothing wrong with that.
If you don’t know what you enjoy the only way to find out is to try things, and it’s never been easier to try making a game. If you have zero programming experience whatsoever I’d say start here: https://gdquest.github.io/learn-gdscript/
Join us, and in 10 years you can look back on all the features your game engine implements, without having started work on the game play!
I kid. Ask yourself: what do you want out of
this hobbygame dev, and do you enjoy it. That’s really all that’s important.If you do want to see if you like game dev, implement Tetris. All of Tetris though. You need a menu, pause, animations, etc. When you’re done you’ll have a better idea. Tetris is great because it’s not a huge project. You don’t need to wrestle with complex graphics pipelines, game design is mostly done, but you can take it in your own direction and add your own flourishes.
Learning to program I liked making top-down zombie shooters and platformers. It was a cool moment when I figured out a nice way to have smooth character positioning on a tile based map.
I know most of you will say do what you enjoy, the thing is im not sure what i enjoy.
Well, I suppose there’s one way to find out: give it a try!
I mean yeah, its a good creative outlet.
Its relatively simple to get started, just download godot or unreal engine and try a template, and just start messing with it. You’ll know quickly if its your jam or not.
Gamedev is like the ultimate digital hobby if you do it yourself. You get to program, do art, sound, game design, etc.
Doing AAA games takes huge resources but you can do smaller games on a lot less. If you’re into programming you can develop games, and some simple hobbyist games like 2048 have been very popular.
