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Best way to start coding indie games? (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago by JocularGargoyle@beehaw.org to c/programming@beehaw.org

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Hey, folks! My son (currently 15) is interested in getting into game development. He's taken a class in Python in school and enjoyed it, but I know Python won't be enough. I don't think he's interested in ever making big, AAA games, but more along the lines of Undertale (which was made in Game Maker Studio) or Bug Fables (Unity).

There are just so many choices and so much content out there that I don't know where to start. Do you have any suggestions for which language(s) to learn or software (like Game Maker Studio) that you've found helpful? Thanks!

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[–] TheOneCurly@lemmy.theonecurly.page 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm a professional software dev so my opinion may be a little biased towards generalist skills but I would recommend Unity. It has a huge support community and learning C# is a hugely transferable skill that an engine specific language like Game Maker Language won't get him.

[–] JocularGargoyle@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's what I was concerned about; there are several programs out there that say they'll make it easy for you to create games, but they're like drag-and-drop modules with no coding involved and that's not going to help in the long run. Thanks for your suggestions!

[–] AVeryCleverName@lemmy.one 1 points 1 year ago

I think it's worth keeping in mind that knowing how to code is only a portion of the skills required to create a game, the design aspect is an endless rabbit hole in itself.