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awesome-learn-gamedev

A curated collection of game development learning resources
https://github.com/notpresident35/awesome-learn-gamedev

Last synced: 5 days ago
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  • About

  • General

  • Programming

    • [New to game development? Start here](https://allurious.itch.io/cheatsheets2018) 💠🟪

      • Intro to Computer Science and Programming in Python - An introductory python course taught at MIT (free to access!)
      • How to Learn Software Design and Architecture - A list of resources for software architecture.
      • Making a Game Engine - For the engine programmers and the insane: save yourself some trouble and watch this instead of making yet another game engine ^^
      • Tool Dev - An introduction to tool development (or creating tools to make game development more productive) and editor scripting in Unity by Freya Holmér.
      • DemoFox - A blog with lots and lots of programming, graphics, and math tutorials and breakdowns.
      • Math for Game Devs - A primer on math geared towards game development by Freya Holmér.
      • Essence of Linear Algebra - A video series meant as a supplement for a class on Linear Algebra, made by 3Blue1Brown.
      • Essence of Linear Algebra - A video series meant as a supplement for a class on Linear Algebra, made by 3Blue1Brown.
      • Coding Interview University - Another complete study plan aimed at software engineers.
      • A Study Path for Game Programmers - A huge collection of game programming book titles and covers organized by specialization, with fancy flow charts between each title for a recommended reading order! Note that the books are _not_ included - a quick search should help you out with that ;]
      • Complete Godot 4 Game Deveoper by GameDev.tv - A fantastic way to learn Godot, a free and open source game engine. Gamedev.tv are an invaluable resource for learning game engines and tools, and I cannot recommend their courses enough. They are more than worth the $15.
      • Awesome Math - Another awesome list for mathematics, useful generally but often applicable to programming.
      • Pro Git - A free book on everything git.
      • Bit101 - A blog on mathy-programmer things with some tutorials and breakdowns.
      • Math for Game Devs - A primer on math geared towards game development by Freya Holmér.
      • How to make Games for Gameboy - A comprehensive tutorial series on developing games for the Gameboy. Also includes links to other relevant tutorial series, such as one on C programming.
      • Understanding ECS - A blog post about Entity Component System design and implementation.
      • Optimization tips for Unity - Some tips from Unity about optimizing their games.
      • Professional Programming - An expansive list of resources and other lists of resources intended to make you a more proficient programmer at a professional level.
      • How Game Engines Work - A blog and video explaining the game engine, or a tool/framework used to create games.
      • Data Structure Implementation and Analysis - Lecture notes, assignments, and materials from a course on data structures and algorithms taught at the University of California, Irvine (free to access!)
      • Redblob - Interactive tutorials for math and algorithms.
      • Introduction to Algorithms - A book on algorithms. Pricey, look for it in a library or "something" (wink) first.
      • Tool Dev - An introduction to tool development (or creating tools to make game development more productive) and editor scripting in Unity by Freya Holmér.
      • Mature Optimization - A free book on structuring code for performance, as well as testing large systems.
      • generatingfunctionology - A free book on generating functions.
      • Gamedev in Rust for Beginners - A collection of books, tutorials, articles, and a community to boot.
      • Making a Game Engine - For the engine programmers and the insane: save yourself some trouble and watch this instead of making yet another game engine ^^
      • The Open Source University - A complete study plan for a computer science education.
      • Unreal Engine 5 C++ Developer - Same as above, but with Unreal 5, a popular and powerful game engine. This course is invaluable - I know several full-time developers who learned from gamedev.tv, they are a gem. Wait for it to go on sale, then go pick this up.
      • Complete Unity Game Developer by GameDev.tv - Unity has been a long-standing champion in the industry, particularly in the mobile/AR/VR space. Despite this, I would be cautious recommending it over other options, in part because of technical details such as its closed source and slow development, and in part due to poor business practices on behalf of Unity Technologies, such as the now-revoked install-based pricing model and their involvement in defense contracting.
      • Programming in C++ as a Second Language - Lecture notes, assignments, and materials from a course on C++ taught at the University of California, Irvine (free to access!)
      • Game Programming Patterns - A free book on programming patterns for games.
      • Math for Game Programmers - A free book on math for game programmers.
      • Data Oriented Design - A free book on data-oriented design, an alternative to object-oriented programming
      • C++ for C# Developers - An extensive tutorial series.
      • Game Engine Architecture - A book on game engines. About $25 for the e-book, probably worth the investment if you plan to be an engine, tools, or graphics programmer.
      • Rethinking Design Patterns - An interesting criticism of the above book. I believe there is a response to this on the design patterns site.
      • C# for Beginners - A free book on C#
      • HandMadeHero - A very extensive catalogue of live-streamed coding tutorials.
      • VGDC at UCI Programming - A (slightly outdated) list of programming tutorials from the VGDC at UCI.

    • Gameplay

      • Study Reference Sheet for Gameplay Engineers - Perfect for intermediate programmers looking to shore up their technical knowledge to prep for an interview. Note: this is currently being migrated. It is incomplete at time of writing, but I have also included [the future-proof link](https://www.mrventures.net/get-into-gamedev.html).
      • Game AI Pro - Three (3) free books (or more accurately, volumes of short papers) on game AI. Notable authors include Steve Rabin, a DigiPen professor who teaches AI for games.
      • AI Game Dev.com - An AI development community with lots of resources. It only exists on the internet archive, so be wary of outdated knowledge and broken links.

    • Graphics

    • Networking

      • Unreal Multiplayer by GameDev.tv - A course on multiplayer and networking in Unreal. Wait for it to go on sale, then go pick this up.
      • Unity Multiplayer by GameDev.tv - A course on multiplayer and networking in Unity. Wait for it to go on sale, then go pick this up.
      • GafferOnGames - A bunch of articles on netcode for games.
      • Source Multiplayer Networking - Technical documentation from Valve about the netcode of source games.
      • Latency Compensating Methods - Technical documentation from Valve about accounting for latency.
      • Part 2
      • Part 3
      • Part 4 - A four-part series on replication (that is, ensuring all players have consistent game state).
      • Deterministic Netcode - A blog post about ensuring consistency across game clients, given the same initial state and inputs.
      • The TRIBES Engine Networking Model - A particularly notable paper on the networking model developed for Starsiege TRIBES.
      • Fast-Paced Multiplayer - Part 1 - side-prediction-server-reconciliation.html) | [Part 3](https://www.gabrielgambetta.com/entity-interpolation.html) | [Part 4](https://www.gabrielgambetta.com/lag-compensation.html) | [Live Demo](https://www.gabrielgambetta.com/client-side-prediction-live-demo.html) - A four-part series on networking for games, along with a sample implementation of some concepts described.

    • Fun

  • Technical Art

    • Fun

      • Tech Art Learning Resources - A list of tech art resources, communities, and professionals, curated by Heart Machine (the studio that made Hyper Light Drifter and now Hyper Light Breaker).
      • Tech Artists - A community of tech artists.
      • Tech Art Course - Materials from a tech art course (many are unexplained, since the class was delivered in-person, but they're still useful).
      • Making Crash Bandicoot - A blog post series from a developer of Crash Bandicoot discussing its rendering tech and the hardware limitations of the PS1.
      • Proc Gen / HyperDec: Part 1 - gen-hyperdec-part-2) - An extended breakdown of the procedural art tools of Hyper Light Breaker.
      • Seeing Blue - Slightly mind-blowing writeup on the physics of the color blue.
      • Tech Artists - A community of tech artists.

    • Shaders

    • Rigging

      • Cult of Rig - A catalogue of live-streamed lectures coupled with rig creation. Sorry in advance for the cult theme.
      • Animator Friendly Rigging - A course on creating rigs that behave well for animators. Fair warning: this has an up-front cost of around $105-120.
      • Procedural Rigging Python - A course on creating python tools to procedurally rig characters in Maya. Note: has a 10 day free trial, but gets quite expensive after that.
      • Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right - A book on facial modeling, animation, and rigging. Fair warning: this is $80 new. I would recommend getting it used, if possible.
      • Mastering Rigging and Python Scripting in Maya - A course from Gnomon, a well-known art university. Fair warning: first 2 hours of content within 7 days are free, but then a subscription costs $54 per month.
      • Cult of Rig - A catalogue of live-streamed lectures coupled with rig creation. Sorry in advance for the cult theme.

    • VFX

  • Art

  • Design

    • Resources for Non-Artists

      • The Design of Everyday Things - A book on design in everything, basically mandatory reading for designers.
      • Game Accessibility Guidelines - A list of accessibility features, organized by implementation difficulty. Also includes testimonials for each feature and the impact it makes on people, as well as best practice examples and implementation resources (tools, guides, etc) where available.
      • Game Design - A Game Design class taught at MIT (free to access!)
      • How to make a Game Design Document - A tutorial on writing Game Design Documents (GDDs).
      • Pattern Language for Game Design - A database of common design patterns presented as problem solutions, compiled from the book _Pattern Language for Game Design_. Also contains work from students and designers completing excercises from the book.
      • The Evolution of Trust - An interactive walkthrough of some game theory. Would probably be mandatory reading in a game design class.
      • Extra Credits: So You Want To Be a Game Designer - A channel on game design that was far ahead of its time. Their backlog is filled with invaluable advice, though their more recent content has a controversial reputation, and they've largely pivoted away from games into history and literature. Start with their career video(s) - dig through their game design backlog if you would like, but stick to the older stuff.
      • The Platformer Toolkit - A playable video essay/game, giving an overview on platforming mechanics, game feel, and tuning by Mark Brown from GMTK.
      • Design Oriented Topic Wheel - Short descriptions of many major design topics and concepts, categorized neatly in an approachable wheel interface.
      • GDKeys - A collection of articles and tools created by Nico, a senior game designer.
      • Puzzle Ideation Strategies - A list of strategies for coming up with puzzles, and links to the talks that inspired them.
      • MDA - Mechanics -> Design -> Aesthetics, or a formal approach to game design and research.
      • Hooked - An interactive article on the psychology of gambling and addiction.
      • Design in Detail: Changing the Time Between Shots for the Sniper Rifle from 0.5 to 0.7 Seconds for Halo 3 - A talk on why minute tuning matters.
      • The Poor Man's 3D Camera - A breakdown of the design thinking and solutions that went into an extremely specific 3D camera
      • The Art of Game Design - An essential book on game design, basically mandatory reading for designers. Has a price tag, but is well worth the money.

    • Level Design

    • UI/UX

    • Reference

      • Game Docs - A collection of design documents from completed games - links have been ripped and placed below.
      • Destiny - A collection of UI/UX documentation from Destiny (a game that won awards for its UI) by David Candland.
      • Hit the Road GDD - The design document for Sam and Max Hit the Road.
      • Mythos Pitch Domcument - The pitch deck for Mythos.
      • Wasteland 2 Vision Document - The original vision document for Wasteland 2.
      • The Design of Dirty Bomb - The design document and art book for Dirty Bomb. Archived pdf links: [Design](https://web.archive.org/web/20220815160634/http://db-design.splashdamage.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/dirty_bomb-game_design_document.pdf) | [Art](https://web.archive.org/web/20220815160724/http://db-design.splashdamage.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/the_art_of_dirty_bomb.pdf)
      • Finch Concept Doc - Concept document for What Remains of Edith Finch.
      • Grid Paper - A repository of maps and top-down views of levels.
      • The Design of Dirty Bomb - The design document and art book for Dirty Bomb. Archived pdf links: [Design](https://web.archive.org/web/20220815160634/http://db-design.splashdamage.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/dirty_bomb-game_design_document.pdf) | [Art](https://web.archive.org/web/20220815160724/http://db-design.splashdamage.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/the_art_of_dirty_bomb.pdf)

  • Audio

  • Writing

    • Reference

      • Game Narrative Resources - A collection of books, tools, talks, resources, job listings, and more for writing, as well as related disciplines where relevant to narrative.
      • Inkle - A writing tool for games (free and integrates well with Unity!)
      • Writing Better Dialogue - A workshop on dialogue writing from a series on game writing.
      • The Borksheet - A template sheet for an exercise to write "Barks" or simple dialogue lines - good for emphasizing character variety and attention-to-detail personalization.
      • Emily Short's Interactive Storytelling - Neat blog on storytelling in games and interactive media.

  • Production

  • Marketing and Business

    • Reference

      • Leveling the Playing Field - A blog/newsletter by Rami Ismail with advice on business, marketing, skill development, and various topics needed to run an indie studio. Past newsletters are archived here. I personally recommend "Budget Viability" as a starting point.
      • How to Market a Game - A blog and a collection of resources by Chris Zukowski with advice on marketing and sales. I personally recommend his GDC talks "Empathizing with Steam: How People Shop for Your Game" and "What to Write So People Buy: Selling Your Game Without Feeling Sleazy" as starting points.
      • Community Dev Newsletter and Blog - A blog and a newsletter by Victoria Tran with advice on community management, social media, and marketing. Past newsletters are archived here. I personally recommend "Failure Marketing" and "Charm your Communities" as starting points.
      • Blog by Derek Lieu - A blog by Derek Lieu with advice on game trailers. I personally recommend "Show the Dream, Not the Job" and "Video Game Trailer Specifications" as starting points.

  • Job Hunting and Career

  • Other

    • Reference

      • Obsidian - Important productivity fuel (and what I used to hoard this list :P)
      • A series of game jam post-mortems - These are more valuable than they let on, because they show you the whole game-making process, start to finish. Not only will this help you avoid common pitfalls, it will help you know how to follow that process for your own game. Watch a couple before entering your first jam or starting your first project!
      • The California Problem - One of my favorite articles ever written. A philosophical analysis of the culture of games as an industry and the importance of gamedev as a hobby, not just a business.
      • Game Developer (previously known as Gamasutra) - A site filled with post-mortems, gamedev news, blog posts, and other articles with a focus on game developers and their communities.
      • EA Spouse - A cautionary tale on crunch. For all of our sakes, don't let the industry return to this.
      • Where the Water Tastes Like Wine Postmortem - A must-read for aspiring independent game developers. Making money from the art is hard, even for industry veterans, but there are other things that are valuable.
      • Surveillance Self-Defense - Tips, Tools, and Tutorials for privacy and online self-defense
      • Polyglot Gamedev - A big list of localized words across many different languages that can be used to loosely translate simple phrases such as UI buttons or tooltips.
      • Tiny Tools - A collection of tiny, usually fun tools for various purposes!
      • Paul Graham - Good general advice, both for specific disciplines (particularly programming and business) and for life, from Paul Graham (founder of YCombinator).
      • Open Dyslexic - A dyslexia-friendly, accessible font!
      • Is This Arabic? - A friendly guide to not borking Arabic script.
      • The Stranger Things (or Montauk) pitch bible - Useful as reference for what a great pitch can look like, albeit in the context of film rather than games.
      • A series of game jam post-mortems - These are more valuable than they let on, because they show you the whole game-making process, start to finish. Not only will this help you avoid common pitfalls, it will help you know how to follow that process for your own game. Watch a couple before entering your first jam or starting your first project!
Programming Languages
Python 3
Categories
Programming 74 Art 43 Design 32 Technical Art 29 General 19 Job Hunting and Career 16 Other 14 Audio 9 Production 5 Writing 5 Marketing and Business 4 About 2
Sub Categories
Reference 62 [New to game development? Start here](https://allurious.itch.io/cheatsheets2018) 💠🟪 60 Resources for Non-Artists 20 VFX 18 2D/Illustration 15 Fun 14 Graphics 12 Networking 11 Shaders 9 3D 7 Animation 6 Rigging 6 UI/UX 5 Gameplay 3 Level Design 2
Keywords
awesome-list 5 awesome 4 computer-science 4 game-development 2 gamedev 2 software-engineering 2 engine 1 game 1 game-2d 1 game-dev 1 game-engine 1 game-jam 1 game-programming 1 game-source 1 making-2d-games 1 video-game 1 algorithm 1 algorithms 1 3d-game 1 3d-engine 1 3d 1 2d-game-framework 1 2d-game-engine 1 2d-game 1 2d-framework 1 2d 1 unicorns 1 resources 1 lists 1 project-management 1 production 1 curriculum 1 courses 1 scalability 1 read-articles 1 programming-language 1 programmer 1 professional 1 lessons-learned 1 learning 1 engineer 1 documentation 1 concepts 1 architecture 1 mathematics 1 list 1 lecture-notes 1 raytracer 1 programming 1 math 1