Introduction

Game Dev can easily be regarded as one of the hardest dev jobs in the world, especially if you are going solo. As a fullstack dev who can confidently develop a SaaS startup from scratch, I am intimidated by the prospect of making a simple game.

There are so many moving parts in game development that it is almost impossible to do it all without any game engine (technically you can but you will end up building the engine yourself). Even after choosing an engine, you will inadvertently end up relying on multiple other software to make the complete game.

Before beginning this journey, everyone should reflect on whether they have the time to devote to it or their passion can take them through all the hurdles. Do not jump into this purely for monetary benefit, as there are easily other avenues which can give the same benefit at much less investment.

Choosing the right game engine

Unlike programming languages which are relatively easy to switch, choosing a game engine is a very significant decision which may as well dictate your future. There is no best engine, each has its pros and cons and the correct answer totally depends on your requirements.

My goal was to develop the best games possible with my abilities, both functionally and graphically. Having narrowed my choices down to Unity vs Unreal, it became a question of faster development vs better 3D graphics. With the release of Unreal Engine 5 and the fiasco by Unity, the decision was crystal clear for me.

Personally I think the biggest game engines today are Unreal, Unity and Godot, and you will be good for choosing any of them to make your next game. As technology advances and gadgets become faster, even choosing a heavyweight game engine like Unreal for mobile development will eventually pay off in the long run.

Learning Methodology

This is a subjective matter, but one should definitely start learning from youtube videos first to get a taste of what they are getting into. I have mentioned all the useful beginner resources here, and for beginning this video by Unreal Sensei is a great introduction to unreal engine 5

One you are amazed by the power of UE5, I recommend exploring further tutorials to understand all the basic functionalities first before trying to make your first game. This will allow you to set your expectations much better and solidify your decision of going into game dev seriously.

The Road Ahead

I will begin working on my first game shortly, while continuing to play all kinds of video games (everyone needs a stress buster!). I will be adding reviews for these games to better understand what works well and what doesn't in any game. I also plan to start a youtube channel where I post helpful videos around Unreal Engine.