Why Most Beginner Game Tutorials Fail and What to Do Instead

Creating your own video game can be a creative experience that lets you unleash your creativity to create something that doesn’t yet exist. While there are plenty of game-making tutorials on the internet, anyone who has tried them will tell you most quit about halfway through, leaving you confused and starting from scratch. Keep reading while we show you a better way to get started.

Why Beginner Tutorials Aren’t Great

While it might seem easy to just find a beginner tutorial online, they are not a great way to get started for a number of reasons. For instance, most game engines, like Unreal Engine and Unity, are frequently updated, and the updates often make the tutorials obsolete and unfunctional. The games you build are also unlikely to have all of the features you would want, and since you are simply following orders, there isn’t much of a chance to learn anything, so you won’t be any better at building games when you finish.

Instead, follow the steps we outline here and search for answers to problems. For instance, instead of looking for a tutorial for a completed game, look for one that shows you how to create a desert environment if that’s what your game needs. Doing so will increase the likelihood of you finishing a playable game and the possibility that you will create another because you will have a better understanding of all aspects of it.

Start with a Strong Concept

Build a game that you are passionate about and have a clear vision for, but try to come up with something that sets it apart from other similar games, like the storyline artwork or a new game mechanic. Will it be a puzzle game or a first-person shooter? First-person or 3rd?

Understand Your Audience

While we all like to think we are making games for ourselves, we want other people to play them and like them. To make your games more fun to play, consider what they like to do in the games that they play and try to incorporate some of those elements into your design.

Create a Detailed Game Design Document (GDD)

• Include the game’s concept, genre, target audience, and unique selling points.

• Define the core mechanics, controls, objectives, and progression system.

• Develop a strong story and characters.

• Describe the visual and auditory style of the game.

• Start with simple mechanics and gradually build complexity.

Try to be realistic about the scope of the game, especially if you are a single developer. Puzzle games, 2D platformers, narrative games, and turn-based games are all popular with smaller teams and might be a good place to start.

When you have the GDD, it will be much easier to build your game as you can proceed according to plan.

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