Watch This Before You Make Your First Game!

[@thomasbrush]

What's the greatest challenge to making your first game? GO! ► Learn how to become a full time game dev, free: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-how-to-make-six-figures ► Enroll in my 3D workshop, free!: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-15-minute-3D-game ► Make your game instantly beautiful with my free workbook: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-instant-beauty-color-workbook ► Get my 2D game kit, free: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-2D-game-kit ► Join my 2D character workshop, free: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-2d-character-art-workshop ► Wishlist Twisted Tower: store.steampowered.com/app/1575990/Twisted_Tower/ ► Learn how to make money as a KZbinr: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-indie-game-income-workshop

[@AvstractIndustries]

Just watching your another video, and notification pop up 😁😁

[@Justforkicks404]

I suck at making 2d game art

[@AvstractIndustries]

@@Justforkicks404 I only mae 3d games 😁

[@AngelStarStudios]

Any videos on "watch this before you market your 57th game" -some random guy from ATL or maybe "Watch this before you keep screwing everything up" lol

[@Justforkicks404]

@@AvstractIndustries sounds fun might try it out after I get a hang out of 2d games

[@beqa2758]

"Building game will take you twice as much time as you think" Agree, this is true, speaking from personal experience

[@ultimaxkom8728]

~1x for optimistic // everything went well ~2x for realistic // some went well >3x for pessimistic // nothing went well

[@nobodyinparticular968]

@@ultimaxkom8728 ~NaNx for solo devs // they gave up after 3 months of theory and 3 minutes of development

[@vezk290]

@@nobodyinparticular968 how to dev

[@fodk7021]

​@@nobodyinparticular968Why is this relatable ?

[@acanopyhat1958]

not if your me and like to rush things.

[@99ZenPower]

Game developers are underrated

[@vcdgamer]

We really are, and in some countries, it's even worse. At best it's not even considered a good venture in some places like where I'm from.

[@NN-mi8hv]

@@vcdgamer because anyone is calling himself ''game developer'' when they just drag and drop rocks and foliage from UE4 to the scene. thats it

[@vcdgamer]

@@NN-mi8hv Wish that was the case, but it really isn't most times. Trust me on that.

[@Carlos-Perez]

Artists are underrated

[@paisleypug]

​@@NN-mi8hv i really hope it was as easy as that, but it definitely isn't

[@reinbew794]

For me, one of the hardest part of making a game is character design, story and stuff like those. You have to be an absolute mastermind to make such an unique story and great characters.

[@lokomotion726]

Man I'm the opposite. I got ideas but for now I don't know how to create them in the virtual world. Only for now though.

[@ahmadabouzeid4640]

exactly cuz not only they must be good, but they must look related to their story in some kind

[@KetsaKunta]

My game uses the players imagination, imagine that.

[@Lathrok]

I'm a writer and totally suck at coding or anything like that, gives me insane headaches Now I found a solid trustworthy friend who loves to code and we are embarking on what might be the greatest journey of our life

[@12Jaydenn]

Ikr I can’t think of an idea to save my life (I eventually found one yesterday and starting my game at 13) and it’s honestly the hardest part of the game

[@SimonSlav-GameMakingJourney]

I think this should be titled "First Comercial Game" I get what you're trying to say, but the first game doesn't need to make money. Focus on learning and delivering quality, "It's working" vs "It feels good to play" I would focus on that first. Then do what Thomas told you.

[@xffline.teedoh]

big fan of the "indie game devs are gonna be gods in 20 years trust me bro" directly into "buy my courses on how to be an indie dev bro"

[@gregtaylor9806]

Yeah, that was kind of weird lmao. Just that initial statement. Talk about self-aggrandizement 🙄 😂

[@mzomb]

pretty much every step of this video is solely focusing on money, not on the first game, why would i need 50$ / h for my first game

[@astrahcat1212]

The reason it takes so long to create a game is debugging. Imagine running a marathon, but the goal lines keep getting moved back over....and over and over...and over again. This is why using a tool like RPG Maker even today is a very practical thing to do (if you don't get locked into 3 frame animation, which is it's big limit last I checked...). Unity and Unreal also have asset store assets that do quite a lot for you. Never have pride and you will go far much faster.

[@maythesciencebewithyou]

I agree with you. Always move the way of least resistance to reach your goal. I've known that since my early teenage years, but for idiotic reasons I still make my life harder than it has to be.

[@Driendel]

Well that's an understatement. My first game had issues with audio, every time an audio source stopped playing, no other audio source worked until reset. when I finally figured out why and managed to fix it, the fix I used caused another issue with the audio... and the cycle continues until this very day. Tough work for sure.

[@MrValiantrobe]

@@Driendel I dunno if you figured out your problem, but in Unity I was plagued with this same issue, especially in bullet hell scenarios where there's dozens of explosions/sfx going off every few seconds. The audio would eventually just stop trying, having been told to stop and play more audio clips than it could handle. What I did was say, ok, let's add another AudioSource to the original AudioManager/SoundManager game object. Then, that audiosource will only handle ddeath sounds. Now, I have 2 SFX listener and 1 music listener, but because I have 2 SFX listeners that can both play sounds at the same time. I believe you can even attach up to 12 of these, I'm not sure, but basically for each constantly repeating sound in your game, you should at least consider adding a new audiosource for it. Another option, for the more annoying but necessary sounds, is to count with the AudioManager, and on every second or third time the sound fx are called, they actually are played as well.

[@Driendel]

@@MrValiantrobe That's basically what I did: Added different sources with only a few sounds for each to make sure it handled them all. And at the same time, never let he audio die out, even if I had to use "mute sounds" (basically a sound file constantly playing almost no noise, just to keep playing something so that the sound source didn't crash). it worked well so far, But I'm expanding the game more and more, It can break again at any moment.

[@reinbew794]

Debugging is where it starts to feel like an eternal hell. You fix a bug, it causes another bug, then the other fix causes another bug and it just keeps going on like that.

[@afr4y117]

Thomas, I really hope you understand how important your videos are to me. They inspire me when nothing else does. You're not afraid to open up about the hardships of your gamedev journey, and as I work on my first ever game, Cost of Faith, I remind myself of how hard it was to make neversong or pinstripe. I'll get there, like you got there. Thank you so much for your contributions to the gamedev community.

[@MonsterMasterFightingLucario]

Thanks for telling me. I'll keep this in mind while making five games. 1. Angry Bears(Viewer requested) 2. Rebel Girls 3. Everybody Hates This Game 4. Grouchy Boy Simulator 5. Jector: World of Elements(The one I'm most excited to make)

[@blacknwhite1313]

You just earned yourself a new sub

[@igorgoncharenko2702]

don't want to be rude, but imo 5th name sounds not really good. I really love idea behind this name, but I'd suggest to give more epic/short/easy name in order to more users like your game

[@MonsterMasterFightingLucario]

@@igorgoncharenko2702 So like... Project Jector... Something? Or simply Project Jector?

[@robinHobin]

@@MonsterMasterFightingLucario Pro-Jector

[@MonsterMasterFightingLucario]

@@robinHobin Hmm... I thought about it... And it kinda sounds like Projector. I want a superhero name for the titular protagonist.

[@geshtu1760]

I find these last few videos really helpful. One of the key insights that seems counter-intuitive is to step back from the game and not get too attached to it. Or rather don't get so attached to one specific idea. That can lead to it becoming stale and also creates fear of making changes. It also leads to becoming far too obsessed with details that don't matter. Stepping back and viewing the game as a product allows you to wear a number of different hats like player, publisher, reviewer and of course developer, and get far more perspectives on the game. Like most software, if you're not taking the end user into consideration early in the process, you won't produce the best product.

[@MakoKitten]

Not sure why the channels aren't linked, but he mentions other dev KZbin channels as resources for learning about the process. Jonas Tyroller: kzbin.info Game Dev Unlocked: www.youtube.com/@DavidWehleGames David RB: www.youtube.com/@DavidRB I've also learned a lot from Extra Credits www.youtube.com/@ExtraCredits about development. And I'm just starting on my first game that I'm making for actual sale, and while I'll be checking out Thomas's suggestions, I wanted to put the channels here for anyone else who has trouble understanding which ones he recommended.

[@Goldy01]

People not putting the references and sources for their videos in the description shouldn't happen as often as it does. Thank you!

[@oliveoil934]

thanks for this video! i really needed this. one of my new years goals is to make and publish a game. mind you it would be my first time ever making one and on top of that, i’m a full time student so i sound pretty ambitious. i needed this reality check so that this game might actually take longer to make.

[@TrentKaniuga]

Great storytelling in the start of this video. Stakes!

[@sketchescoffee4751]

Ah Trent,! Love your stuff

[@Arrkail]

Hi trent, nice to see you here

[@watcher1109]

Why are you here master lol

[@RealKipper1324]

This actually helped quite a lot! I have a first level all done for my game, but it feels so little I feel like I need the second level finished in order to get the framework and polish I need. The game being an rpg makes it a little more difficult, but I plan on releasing a demo once the second level is at least halfway done

[@FiggsNeughton]

>be me >at the gym >staring at myself in the mirror >"wow I look so good..." >taking photos for instagram >"you know when you think about it, game devs are practically gods... that means I'm a god..." >get a text >"PLEASE finish the fucking game anon" >bro this is unreasonable, six months isn't long enough >damn I look so good though... I'm practically a god when you think about it Why are some people like this?

[@autumnchez3316]

Thank you. "Creating a game is like creating a new dimension". Your videos help us a lot

[@Deceptikhan]

a safe rule of thumb is to never trust anyone who only refers to "revenue".

[@anon3118]

Me: " so. Unity or - " Thomas:" you'll become a God "

[@eteriumgames6723]

I also adopt this kind of approach in development. First make the game loop, second build one level with that loop and than polish..four go on with the rest of the game.

[@matthewmclaughlin848]

I also hate it when my publishers bother me while pumping iron at the gym. Like brraaaa

[@TrySomeCG]

exactly what i was wondering about, thanks for sharing man, i am in the middle pitching my game to a publisher, i got rejected by the only one reached out to me so far, the publisher wanted a polished initial look of the game(not graphically but how the game would feel as a product) since my demo only included combat system and my game is a story based linear VR game, so i think publisher wants to see first level of the game in proper linear fashion as it would be presented to audiences.

[@numaanjaved]

I agree with you mate, CS projects, in whichever field they may be, also need an engineering mindset to accomplish.

[@AlarSenpu]

1:01 so… 40 years 😏😂

[@Lumberjack_king]

0:58 I think it will be bundled in with “world building” but yeah as vr and other tech starts changing what we think a “game” is the term “game developer” will become outdated

[@pamparam3495]

As a game designer with 10+ years of experience, I don't recommend to start with GDD. Most of the described stuff will be thrown away. The only doc you need is a short concept of your game to keep the focus on your goals.

[@FromInfinityTV]

Yes, anything truly creative is going to change considerably as you put it in to form.

[@malforacic105]

"...get your pen and paper out..." me: *opens the notepad app*

[@mebibyte9347]

I like the budget example, but working at a civil engineering firm has taught me that planning is everything. Actually I am in love with your Bob Ross example, roll with the punches and all that

[@mahaphoublue7644]

I always feel good when dreaming of creating a game that base on my imagination and something that are different from other or opposite, but after know well it’s kinda frustrating but at least try out until the set end up first. Well thank you for your tips on this now I able to understand well

[@TsukoBzh]

6:13 Hollow Knight Silksong : Am I a joke to you ??

[@randomfandoms8994]

“Whats your budget” Me:*laughs in highschooler with no job who is probably going to use my school laptop for something if the school wifi works*

[@KDD0063]

You skipped hugely important steps like Identifying your own skills, constraints, goals, technical requirements....

[@moorehaha1]

0:51 polyphia reference

[@eretlippand9965]

Wohoo, thats the "Upside town house" from my little hometown Tartu in Estonia. I'm sorry, I just had to get that out.

[@JoshVTV1]

Why would you lock the GDD template behind a paywall?

[@ReallySlowBro]

Thank you so much. Youve allowed me to put everything into perspective and given me the mindset to move forward with my projects with confidence and focus. By the "you might be depressed" bit, I was hyped up AF. By the end I was saying "I can f***in do this" out loud. You've free license on all my games for life

[@logan27x]

Okay, you deserved it. I had to stop in the middle of the video to like, subscribe, and comment because this editing, the storytelling, the transitions and of course the sounds - it's on point. I look forward to improving my skills and reaching this level. Congrats, bro!

[@adelg8]

I'm starting from 0, with no experience to my name. With just an idea for a game. A game with exploration and robotics. I'm thinking it may take 5 years... so 10 years... my kids will love it tho, I hope

[@hioman]

"Game development will take you twice as long as you expect" Laughs in 4+

[@douggale5962]

I use a slightly different estimate, "Nice, we finished the first 80%, time to start the second 80%"

[@Lumberjack_king]

0:02 wait indie game devs have publishers?

[@afalk1024]

Can you fund someone else to make the game you want? 😆

[@norvinshaqlintag9214]

Hi Thomas, I hope you still remember me. I'm the one who asked you to watch and give suggestions to my game trailer on your livestream. The trailer and title of the game is GeomeTrip. It's a Rogue-like game where your characters are, yeah Shapes... but, with a twist. 😁 Thank you. 😁 and cool video thou 😁

[@Mayeloski]

Should talk with robtop, my man haven't released an update for geometry dash for almost 6 years

[@melian5018]

Just wanna say thank you for the GDD. It asks questions that I've previously thought about but never been materialised into writing. Hopefully the answers will make my game more coherent and give me a clearer direction as to how to steer my game towards completion :).

[@alexoga9147]

I just make a quick search: An indie game as minimun budget its about 50,000$. Now, if we take the 50$/h that makes 1,000 hours. In a year you will need to work everyday almost 2 to 3 hours. Thats assuming that youre work its worthy of 50$/h, for someone like me that its just beggining could be almost 20$ or 25$, maybe more, maybe less. This is where i am going to be? oh lord...

[@3dsteve978]

what you're teaching me is something i've been ignoring. i like easthetics, good looking models etc... it even got me thinking 'let just do overall looks in levels and get a job from there'. i know it's not just that.. i have to make it simple. thanks for reminding me of what's important!

[@JB52520]

If something is so hard that exceptional people struggle with it for years even after they're amazing, the first question to ask is if you're just average. I fall so far short of average that I shouldn't bother surviving, but the kid in me is still dumb enough to try. I have no money, artistic ability, energy, confidence, focus, or health as I approach my 50s on disability, but I can code a little and have nothing else to do. With extremely low standards, it might be possible.

[@GustavoSilva-ny8jc]

This quality is nuts, how the hell i didn't know this channel?!

[@mjdevlog]

The production value of this video is astonishing. Great content

[@arseniodelacruziii2452]

“Your probably depressed right now” Fool what you talking about I’m excited the most challenging thing one can do

[@shiningsword5306]

Isnt your game NEVERSONG launched like 2 years ago?

[@cianamervil4224]

I WISH YOU FELLOW DEVS GOOD LUCK

[@jameswoodland2719]

(response to your comment) The hardest part is being new, original, because if you are not, then there is going to be a big ol' Triple A company with games that do exactly what you do, but better, and crowds naturally will flock to them, and yours gets left in the dust.

[@H.KAnimationStudios]

It is really hard, i mean, i make a game in Unreal Engine 5, it took me for the main movement, pickup coins and the sliding mechanic 2 Days and my friends see my game, they see just a empty world with a basic movement, they will never understand how much work and effort just putted into a piece of the game . Because of that *The work of a Game developer is underrated*

[@AcidiFy574]

Then there's Miziziz Who made a unique indie game within 1 month (Endoparasitic)

[@IndieScapeGames]

As a Kansan, I found the reference to a condo funny.

[@connorwest465]

I have been watching your videos for the past 2 hours & you're motivating me to pursue my dream of game development. I wish I had found your channel much sooner.

[@kerigman]

I really enjoyed Neversong, glad that it was made. Every comedic stroke landed perfectly, very rare to see the right line of too much dialogue vs. not enough story/info. I talked to everyone I possibly could in Neversong. That a rarity for me. Game length, puzzles, fighting, and story: all top notch!

[@theok4994]

Amazing video, one of my biggest burdens how to organize the start of the development. But do you mind if I ask a theme for a video? One video about the vantages and disadvantages of using and not using crowdfunding.

[@FavvvvazM]

5:22 what is this game title? I keep seeing it but never know what the title is.

[@mattrockets391]

Yo dude, the game is called hollow knight and it’s on steam and I believe PlayStation four you’re welcome

[@dot6989]

The first thing you wanna do is play other games and then see the community's response so u get the basic idea of what u wanna have in ur game and what not (according to ur target audience )

[@MrPyedog]

building a house start to finish is my lane! You forgot a lot in the process like most important framing. But I am watching you to hopefully get to your lane. I enjoy you

[@3dreamsequence]

Why do I have to sign up for a free trial of Scribd just to DL your GDD? Could you please post it somewhere else?

[@error.418]

Every video feels more like a marketing tool for your product than actual content lately...

[@BorfenDa]

Thanks man, the only thing im worried about, and always always thinking about it is coding.. and a bit of art, music doesn't seem to be hard

[@apresthus87]

I estimate the current game I'm working on will take me around 5 years. So see you here in 10 years when it launches :D

[@jn567]

God made the earth and all of it's game design in 7 days, it will probably take someone 10 years to do what he did, which just goes to show how powerful and amazing god is.

[@Thelifesaverplayz]

I don't know how and i don't know why BUT THANK YOU KZbin FOR MAKING THIS MAN POP UP IN MY RECOMENDED THANK YOU KZbin AND THANK YOU THIS GUY FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO HONESTLY the things in the video are going to help so much thank you

[@Thelifesaverplayz]

Although i still dislike he charges for everything instead of just helping people it's a bit sad but understandable

[@MafutaGames]

Very good advice. How long should a typical demo be though? Can you make a video on a 2d and 3d single-player demo duration, please?

[@MemeOnTWD]

“Making a game will take double what you think.” So, 20 years?

[@R3APER01]

for what its worth I already call world builders "Gods" especially in worlds like Elden ring where I can lose myself in just exploration.

[@freddyspageticode]

The real question is how is the production value on this video so good?

[@BriggsMullen]

Thank you! This is very helpful. I feel like I was already mostly on the right path, but just hearing good advice is encouraging and motivating.

[@daveg4417]

I worked for more than a decade with bigger game studios, and decided to go indie. I have my first demo out, and prototyping for my next game already. I always start with the story and a complete design document before I even get past my initial prototyping. Otherwise you waste too much development time redoing things over and over. This does take some experience though. I will have my first completed indie game out in another few months.

[@wturri78]

Jonas Tyroller and David R.B. are AWESOME! Thatks for giving them a shout out. I love Will you Snail, and can't wait for Jonas' next game.

[@richardspillers6282]

It can take even longer if your hand is in every part of it.

[@liondovegm]

I expect my game to be done in five years. See you in 10 years minimum.

[@Kalendale]

0:57 Garmin Instinct Solar

[@dreamcage1801]

Game designers gotta have the love and passion for video games which they lack nowadays.

[@BorfenDa]

"your game will take forever" had me dying

[@alexandratrenkova9339]

It won't just take you longer to complete but your idea will get convoluted, and more than anything - you'll have to fight yourself on your own mental endurance and capabilities and really just keep going although you wouldn't want to. That's at least what my boss *www.youtube.com/@SamuelAsherRivello* says who has 20 years of experience in game dev. Just never give up and you will have done 70% of the work. It's a game between you and time really. You got this!

[@Emammany]

“Game developpement usually takes twice as long as you think it will” Aw shit I don’t wanna work on a game for 20 years!

[@DavidZobristGames]

Good damn i knew i did something wrong with that ikea furnitures..

[@RiddleRations]

Awesome tips for game making!

[@SidMakesGames]

Always love to see my messages in the video whenever the B-roll for Discord channel shows up

[@rstorm7568]

I disagree with you point "If your game isn't fun at its most abstract form, its not gonna be good at all" at 4:44, What I believe in is that no matter what your game idea is no matter how bad it is, it all comes to Balance and Execution, every idea can be a successful one as long as it is followed with a good enough execution and when it comes to what makes a game fun, Balance is everything, this includes all the numbers, how much rules you have, how complex the game is, how much content there is ... etc. My point is, even if the prototype isn't good (almost always) there is always a chance to tweak things up to make it good enough, it all comes to the overall vision and if you can deliver it. But great video as always! makes you shed more light into these kind of stuff and think about it.

[@Xirus.]

KZbinr Devs: making their dream game spending Years working on it fans: "can u make it free?"

[@UkeyMusicLEAKS]

I literally watched this after I decided to scrap all my game ideas

[@brutus2283]

I am just starting out making stuff, i just shoot thing get thing make thing do thing then get good thing to make more thing to get next thing. Hence the current project title. ShootyThingy!

[@julianlanty2066]

I mean, to be fair, if I was a publisher and the developer I m constantly giving money and resources to took 2+ years and is nowhere near release, I would also give them a deadline to finish.

[@mind-blowing6286]

I remember when for the first time I started to develop my game I thought that inn about 5-6 months I will finish it, but it has already been 1.5 years and I am still developing. Sooo, game dev is fun, man. it is fun

[@HmksoftForWorks]

Yeah... I started making my game Land of Zombies by thought that this can take 6 or 7 months, but it take 1 year and 4 months to complete. I agree that "Building game will take you twice as much time as you think" .

[@joelpww]

"Better decisions ". Just say that you had to sacrifice the vision for a finished result

[@ed278]

6:19 What is the game name shown in this timestamp? I really interested with the art style

[@ajhillenbrand7817]

So I have Zero experience in making any type of video game. I've been searching for a few days now on where to begin. Just trying to make something for fun, not actually publish it or have to deal with any copyright infringements. Simply put, I want to build a basic, 2D pixel game like Mario or Terraria, but not the same genre as either of that makes sense. So my question and the point I'm getting to is, where should I begin? Then what free platform or "game engine" should I use?

[@wickedpanik8304]

I believe in the book Brave New World they were called World Controllers.

[@brocupsla4854]

I feel like most of it is just logic lol

[@doitrandomly4420]

I was thinking Id finish my game by tonight(I still cant make my cube not walk through walls)

[@AlekseyLoykuts]

Amount of farts in this video could compete with really good tips to think about

[@LEGnewTube]

I feel like this a good guide for those looking at getting funding/doing this full time. Might look different for someone who builds a game as a hobby in their spare time. Though 100% agree that anyway you do it if it’s not fun in its rudimentary form it won’t be fun later.