3 Best online courses to learn Game development

The biggest game development trends of recent years have been Big Data, VR, Cloud gaming and Esports. Over the years, the video game industry has grown to be a major player within the entertainment sector. For instance, experts believe that the game development industry will be worth $90 billion by 2020. With both big and small companies experimenting with integration with AI, VR, and cloud computing, it looks like the industry will have a great future. That is why game development online courses are rising in popularity. In this article, we will take a look at the best game development online tutorials out there. 

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What is game development?

Game Development is the process of developing and creating games and handles all aspects, such as design, audio and video components and coding. It involves several stages and components and handles all the processes regarding the creation of games. Creating a game requires a lot of thinking, designing, storyboard writing and coding. Therefore, it requires coders, sound designers, artists and designers. There are large game development studios which have a team of all these professionals who create games. While the artists and designers generate the world within the game, studios need a coder to create the actual game. Finally, a tester analyses the product and reviews it, suggesting changes and updates. 

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What is the Game Engines used in Game Development?

Most game developers use Game Development Engines to create levels and games. That is why most game development online courses also teach students how to use Game Engines. This software makes it a lot easier to design games, by allowing creators to reuse functionalities. It also handles graphics rendering, collision detection, sound editing and scripting. While certain engines, like CryEngine and Unreal, are a little difficult to learn, Construct 2 is a great beginner engine. Here’s a look at the most popular game engines used within the industry.

1. CryEngine
2. Unreal Engine
3. Unity 
4. Game Maker
5. Construct 2/ 3
6. Twine
7. Source
8. Frostbite
9. Buildbox

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Stages in game development

• High Concept: Laying down the general idea, storyline and elements behind the game, describing what it will be about in a few sentences.
• Pitching: Once you have distilled your idea, you have to pitch your idea to the studio executives. This requires the communication of your basic ideas and goals, while also explaining why your game will work.
• Concept: This serves as the amalgamation of high concept and pitch, where you outline the various aspects of the game. By this stage, you need to have a complete storyline, target audience risks analysis and financial report done up.
• Documentation: You will then have to create a document that contains all the information about your game, including prototypical aspects and commercial viability.
• Prototype: The team has to then get together and build an actual prototype of the game, as a proof of concept.
• Production: Once the prototype passes the testing round, the actual development and production began. This includes completing the design, level Creation and high-level coding to make the game a reality.

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What Does a Game Developer Actually Do?

Some of the most important elements of game development are as follows;

1. Story
2. Audio 
3. Characters
4. Levels
5. Mechanics

Therefore, as a developer, you can be in charge of any one of the following. While most of the actual creation requires extensive coding, there are certain aspects that do not need much coding. The smaller the team, the more work each developer will have to handle. Typically, you may be involved with either the audio and video tableau, character building, or the actual level design. Within bigger teams, you will be in charge of more specific things, such as graphics rendering or BGM building. 

What are the Components in Game Development?

• Story: Your game needs to have an engaging and intuitive storyline that is exciting and interesting. The story may be linear or nonlinear and can have several plot twists and character actions. 
• Characters: Once you have a story done up, you need characters to populate the game world and take your story forward. The characters are an integral part of any game, and hence, sufficient character development work needs to go into the game development process. This includes everything from the looks and dressing to the personalities of the characters.
• Audio: Think about any of your favourite games, and you will start hearing the title track in your head. That is how important audio is to a video game. Once you have a layout, you also need to start working on all the sound clips and audio or BGM you require throughout the game.
• Art: Next, you also have to focus on building the game world, and giving it the look and feel you want. This part includes everything from game textures, lighting, modelling and game mechanics.
• Lighting: Lighting is an integral part of all video games as it helps set the mood for what is to follow. Less lighting comes into play in horror or thriller games whereas increased lighting plays a more important role in fun games. 
• Levels: All video games have multiple levels which increase in difficulty, as the game progresses. 

What are some online courses to learn game development? 

1. Game Development using Augmented Reality project

Ever since the AR game Pokemon Go took the world by a storm, gaming companies are eager to use AR in their apps. Through this game development online tutorial, students will learn about how they can accomplish this. Students will learn about what sets AR apart from other technologies and how to leverage it to create powerful games. They will also learn about Dynamic Mapping, Pose Estimation, and Smart Terrain creation for games.

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2. Game Development with Unity

The video game industry will be worth $300 billion by 2025, thanks to the support of over 2.5 billion gamers around the globe. This game development online course will help students understand how AR can help with this growth. In this game development course, students will work with Unity to create various game components. They will also learn to build scenes and create different levels. Students will learn more about C#, Game development, and finally, upload their game on Facebook and Playstore.

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3. Python for Game Development

If you are a game enthusiast looking for a cool Python project, then look no further. Python is used extensively in the world of game development. Some of your favourite games, such as Civilization IV and Battlefield II, are built using Python. This game development online tutorial will teach you how to create games using Python. Students will learn game level design, scene design, and the basics of OOP. Moving on, they will learn to animate objects, design layers, and even add lives, points, and pages to their games.

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Simple game development projects for beginners 

1. Sudoku Game: A great game that beginners can try creating is the ever-popular Math-based game Sudoku. In this game development online tutorial, students will learn how to create a High-IQ game that people have been playing for centuries.

2. Crosswords Game: Another great word-based game that beginners should try developing is Crossword. This game requires less designing and coding, as it has fewer graphical elements. Students can start off with some simple code to bring this great game to life.

3. Role-Playing Game: Moving forward, developers can try for a more graphic-intensive RPG game. Such games require a lot of thought with regards to storyboard writing and character development. 

4. Multi-player Game: No longer do people play alone within the confines of their homes. There are large gaming communities out there with millions of players. The rising popularity of MPGs makes them a great part to add to game development online courses. 

5. Card Game: Let’s face it, we all like playing card games. Therefore, they are an extremely popular game development trend that will only grow in the future. Some game development online tutorials teach students how to develop their own card game variant.

Which of these game development projects will you be taking? Make the best use of your free time during this Study-From-Home period and work towards building a great future for yourself!

3 Best online courses to learn Game development