An ad-hoc game design curriculum
Mostly for my own reference, here are the 5 things I’m working through right now to satisfy my learning-thirst for game development:
GD50 by Harvard / CS50 on edX This is Harvard’s Game Development basics course to follow up their intro to computer science (CS50). I love CS50 when I tried it years ago, and after working through the Pong lecture I’m hooked on this course. Expect to develop a wide selection of games across a variety of tools at breakneck speed.
Writing for Games: Theory and Practice by Hannah Nicklin (Paperback) This was a gift from my partner and I’m so grateful for it! Practical, holistic advice for writing for games by someone doing it (and doing it well). It is designed as a text for serious aspirants and fills a learning gap for my inner storyteller wannabe.
Godot 3D Tutorial by Tutemic on YouTube This is a 7 hour video walk-through of 3D game development in Godot. Unlike other tutorials, the author takes plenty of time to deeply discuss their thinking as they build a 3D scene, design a dialog manager, and implement core mechanics for a simple game. This feels like apprenticing with a professional, and is absolutely worth the time.
Low Poly Landscapes - Blender Bite Sized Course on GameDev.tv I feel like Blender is a must-have skill at this point, and I picked up this and multiple other courses on Humble Bundle (always worth keeping an eye on those). Grant Abbitt’s teaching is timeless, focusing on fundamentals and efficiencies that an aspiring professional will want to master.
Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games on YouTube This YouTube channel is a passion project by the creator of Kirby & Smash Bros. designed to teach some of his best tips on game design. It is a playful, inspiring little channel, with bite-size videos on a variety of topics that can be watched in any order. I just love watching these, they ooze both fun and game dev experience!
I have some other resources I’m enjoying such as Alexis Kennedy’s Against Worldbuilding and Other Provocations and The Snare of the Tree, and Other Perilous Seductions. I love Kennedy’s writing and these two paperbacks have a lovely grip matte finish with matched (or aesthetically mismatched?) covers, making an attractive pair on the shelf.
