Hello, fellow creators! Welcome to the start of what I hope will be an exciting and inspiring series chronicling my journey into the world of game development. While I’m new to game development, coding has been a part of my life for over 13 years as a software engineer, mainly working with C++ and Python. My experience with games, however, has been more limited—about 8 years ago, I wrote a few rudimentary Android games, and recently, I’ve been teaching my 9-year-old daughter how to build games in Scratch. Now, I’m diving into Godot to explore game development on a deeper level, blending my coding skills with my love for art.
What draws me to Godot is its growing open-source community, and its GDScript language, which feels familiar since it's close to Python. But more than that, I’m excited about combining my passion for coding with my artistic side. There’s something special about creating entire game worlds and designing characters and scenes from scratch—literally!
Why Game Development?
For me, learning game development is a natural extension of my interests in both technology and art. I love the idea of building worlds where I can fully control both the code and the visuals. Being able to design my own sprites, craft unique scenes, and bring them to life through code is something I find creatively satisfying. Also, I have been really thinking about my community impact and how I can get children more excited about technology. So, game development seems like a fun world that many children would be interested in learning about. My oldest daughter, who is 9, has taken a strong liking to creating projects in Scratch, and learning game development will give me the chance to teach her more advanced skills when she's ready. Plus, it's fun!
Why Godot?
For those unfamiliar, Godot is an open-source game engine known for being beginner-friendly and powerful, which made it a perfect choice for me. One of the main reasons I chose Godot is its scripting language, GDScript, which is similar to Python. I’m quite proficient in Python, so the transition feels more comfortable. Godot describes itself as:
Godot Engine is a feature-packed, cross-platform game engine to create 2D and 3D games from a unified interface. It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so that users can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel. Games can be exported with one click to a number of platforms, including the major desktop platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows), mobile platforms (Android, iOS), as well as Web-based platforms and consoles.
Godot is completely free and open source under the permissive MIT license. No strings attached, no royalties, nothing. Users' games are theirs, down to the last line of engine code. Godot's development is fully independent and community-driven, empowering users to help shape their engine to match their expectations. It is supported by the Godot Foundation not-for-profit.
The Artistic Side of Game Dev
One thing I’m particularly excited about is the ability to create my own sprites and scenes. As an artist, the idea of building entire worlds that I can visually shape is thrilling. Game development combines my love for tech and art in a way that feels natural, and I can’t wait to share that experience. I’ve been creating art for years using Procreate, and now I’m using it to design my own sprites and scenes for the games I’m building. The ability to merge my skills as both a coder and an artist is what makes game development so exciting for me.
This is just the beginning of my journey. I plan to document the highs, the challenges, and everything in between. If you’re interested in game development, new to Godot, or just curious about how art and code can come together, I hope you’ll join me on this adventure. Leave a comment if there is anything specific that you want me to dive into.
Here are the exact resources that I'm using on my journey:
Godot Docs - https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/
Clear Code: The Ultimate Introduction to Godot 4 - https://youtu.be/nAh_Kx5Zh5Q?si=gibanN15Hx_0cFrP
Procreate iPad App - https://procreate.com/
Stay tuned for more updates, tutorials, and reflections!
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