A Guide to Video Game Development: How to Get Started and Build a Career

In video game development, the possibilities are endless. Video game developers (game devs for short) create immersive worlds, weave intricate storylines, and bring beloved (and sometimes hated) characters to life through animation, careful planning, and meticulous skill development.

This career isn’t for the faint of heart. It combines technical abilities, such as programming, with artistry to create interactive worlds inspired by our imagination. For those with a passion for gaming who aren’t afraid of hard work, video game development offers exciting career opportunities. 

This guide walks you through the essential steps to start a video game development career, including where to start, key skills to focus on, and Udemy courses designed to help you succeed.

What Is Video Game Development?

Video game development involves designing, creating, and programming video games. It’s not as simple as it might sound. The process requires collaboration across several disciplines, including narrative writers, game designers, programmers, artists, and music producers. 

Why It’s a Growing Industry

Gaming isn’t just a popular hobby—it’s now the largest entertainment industry in the world, generating more revenue than film, music, and TV combined. As the demand for high-quality games continues to grow, so does the need for skilled developers across all areas of game creation. With powerful tools, thriving indie communities, and global platforms to share your work, there’s never been a better time to get into game development.

Career opportunities in game development span a wide range of roles, from large AAA studios to small indie teams. In major studios, professionals often specialize in focused disciplines—such as gameplay programming, level design, animation, audio engineering, or narrative design—working within large, collaborative pipelines. On the other end of the spectrum, indie developers often wear multiple hats, managing everything from coding to marketing in smaller teams or even solo.

Whether you prefer the structure and resources of a big studio or the creative freedom of indie development, there’s a path in the industry that suits a variety of skills and working styles.

Key Skills Needed for Video Game Development

Video game development requires a range of skills to create compelling, visually appealing, and functional games. 

Programming Languages

The primary programming languages used in game development include C++, C#, Lua, and GDScript.

C++ is widely used in high-performance engines like Unreal Engine, especially for AAA games. C# is the main language for Unity, known for its accessibility and versatility. Lua is often used in engines like Roblox or for custom scripting systems. GDScript, a Python-like language, is used in Godot—a lightweight, open-source engine that’s especially popular with beginners and indie developers.

These languages power everything from gameplay mechanics and AI to interactive environments and user interfaces.

Game Design

Game design is a distinct discipline focused on how a game plays—not how it’s built. It’s about crafting the systems, rules, and player interactions that make a game fun and engaging. While it often overlaps with other areas, it stands on its own as a critical part of the development process.

Game design can be broken down into three core principles:

• Creating engaging gameplay: Designing mechanics, challenges, and goals that are rewarding and intuitive for players.
  
• Balancing systems and difficulty: Fine-tuning the game experience to keep it fun, fair, and accessible across different player skill levels.
  
• Delivering a compelling player experience: Using level design, pacing, narrative, and progression to keep players immersed and coming back.

Game designers often work closely with programmers and artists to bring their ideas to life. They also need strong creative skills—such as level design, character development, world-building, and storytelling—to shape the overall player experience.

Art and Animation

Visual aesthetics play a huge role in how players experience a game—but that doesn’t mean a game needs AAA graphics to succeed. Many popular games use 2D art, pixel art, or minimalist styles to create memorable and engaging experiences.

Whether it’s richly detailed 3D environments or charming 2D sprites, visual style should support the game’s tone, mechanics, and storytelling. A game that plays well but lacks visual clarity or cohesion can struggle to hold players’ attention—while a game with a distinct, well-executed art style can stand out and keep players coming back.

Game developers in this area may focus on:

• 2D and 3D modeling
• Character design and animation
• Environment and UI design

Art and animation roles require both creativity and technical skill—and can be a great fit for those who love visual storytelling and world-building.

Sound Design

Sound design is a crucial—but often underrated—part of game development that deeply shapes how a game feels to play. From immersive ambient environments to impactful sound effects and emotionally resonant music, audio enhances everything from gameplay feedback to storytelling.

Well-crafted audio can:

• Reinforce game mechanics (like a satisfying “click” when a player lands a hit)
• Create atmosphere and tension (like eerie ambient sound in a horror game)
• Support narrative beats and emotional moments through music cues

Game audio roles can include sound designers, composers, audio programmers, and voice directors—each working together to bring the world and its characters to life.

Using AI in Game Development: Opportunities and Considerations

AI has become a useful tool in the game development process—one that, when used thoughtfully, can streamline workflows and support more immersive gameplay experiences. While it’s not a magic solution (or a substitute for human creativity), it can offer valuable support in areas like design iteration and procedural content.

Enhancing Gameplay With AI

Game devs turn to AI to enhance gameplay with:

• Dynamic non-player character (NPC) behavior: NPCs react and adapt to gameplay and the game environment. This steps away from scripted battles and events and results in ever-changing challenges.
• Procedural content generation: AI can automatically create game content in real-time with algorithms. It can randomize loot systems, environments, level designs, spawns, and animations to create a more engaging, less predictable experience.
• Adaptive difficulty scaling: AI makes it possible to adjust the challenge level in real time based on a gamer’s skill and performance. It allows for difficult but not overwhelming gameplay for all skill levels.

Using AI Ethically and Responsibly

While AI can support development, it’s important to use it in ways that respect the work of artists, writers, and other creatives. Models trained on copyrighted or unlicensed material raise valid concerns around consent and compensation.

At GameDev.tv, we see AI as a helpful tool—like a physics engine or scripting language—not a replacement for the creativity and craftsmanship that make great games. Used ethically, it can free up time for devs to focus on the parts of game development they love most.

Misconceptions About Game Development

Working in the game industry isn’t always easy or fun. It can be challenging, and aspiring game devs should be aware of the realities within the industry.

It’s Not Just Playing Games

Before playing ever happens, game development requires long, hard hours of meticulous coding, testing, and working out bugs. Devs only play their games for a fraction of the time they spend building them.

Crunch Time Is Real

Leading up to launch, many studios require employees to work longer hours to get the game ready. The “crunch,” as it’s commonly called, consists of long, unsustainable hours that tend to garner plenty of criticism. While there’s been some improvement in recent years and some studios make an effort to stick to sustainable schedules, it’s still a common industry-wide challenge.

Indie Games Aren’t Easier

Some people think independent developers have an easier time since most consumers don’t hold indie games to the same stringent quality standards as an AAA studio. However, indie devs tend to carry more responsibility and face more risks than those in major studios. With fewer people on the development team, each person must be able to perform several roles. 

Common Mistakes New Game Developers Make

Some mistakes made by new game developers include:

• Starting too big: Beginners tend to get overly ambitious building their first games without having the necessary experience to bring their visions to life. It’s better to start small and slowly scale up with your abilities.
• Ignoring feedback: Even if you’re designing your own game, other people’s opinions matter if you want to sell it. Listen to constructive criticism to improve your game and identify areas of improvement in your skills.
• Underestimating time and complexity: It’s rare that game development actually sticks to the initial timeline. Fixing coding bugs, errors, and other issues can cause delays. Always add buffers to your timeline to account for them.
• Not learning the basics first: Don’t skip the basics, even if you think you don’t need them. Fundamentals such as version control, data structures, and basic game design principles support more advanced skills and careers in the industry. 

How to Get Started in Video Game Development

Starting your game dev journey can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. Like building a game, it’s all about breaking big goals into smaller, achievable steps. With the right tools and a bit of consistency, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can make real progress.

Learn the Basics

Start with the core building blocks—no shortcuts. Understanding the basics will give you the confidence and flexibility to grow as a developer. This includes:

• Basic programming: C# is a great beginner-friendly language and used in Unity. C++ powers Unreal Engine and is common in AAA studios. Lua and GDScript (in Godot) are also great for getting started with scripting.
• Game engines: Begin with Unity, Godot, or Unreal (with Blueprints) —depending on your goals and comfort level. While Unity is more intuitive and easier for beginners, Unreal Engine has more advanced features and is a popular choice for AAA games. Don’t try to learn every game engine at once. Pick one you like the look of and get hands-on.
• Game design principles: Learn what makes games fun—things like player feedback, challenge vs. reward, and how to guide players without overwhelming them.

Start Small, Build Often

Don’t jump into building your dream RPG on day one. Start with something tiny—like Pong, a basic platformer, or a one-button mobile game. Focus on finishing projects, not perfecting them. Every small win builds momentum (and motivation).

Practice your skills by continuing to create simple prototypes or tackling small projects. Explore various genres and mechanics as you put together minigames. It’s expected that your earliest creations will be rough, but you will improve as you continue to experiment and create.

Udemy Courses to Help You Get Started

You don’t need a degree or years of experience to begin your game dev journey. Udemy’s expert-led courses walk you through real projects step-by-step—so you can build your skills by actually making games. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up in a specific area, here are some great places to begin:

• Our Complete C# Unity Game Developer 2D and Complete C# Unity Game Developer 3D bestselling courses are the perfect place to start. You’ll build a bunch of 2D and 3D games in Unity, one of the most beginner-friendly and widely used engines. You’ll also pick up essential programming skills with C#, game design foundations, and how to finish and polish playable games. 
• Unreal Engine 5 C++ Developer: Learn C++ & Make Video Games Course takes you from zero experience to building games in Unreal Engine using Blueprints and C++. Ideal for anyone looking to break into the world of AAA-style game development.
• Godot is a powerful, lightweight, open-source engine that’s great for beginners. The Complete Godot 3D course focuses on 3D development using GDScript and is perfect for learners who want full control and flexibility without the overhead of heavier engines.
• The Mastering Game Feel in Unity: Where Code Meets Fun course is ideal for Unity developers with a basic understanding of game development who want to level up their skills by mastering “game feel” – the subtle design elements that make gameplay satisfying and responsive.
• Blender Character Creator for Video Games: Create stylized 3D characters from scratch using Blender—perfect for aspiring artists and developers who want to bring their own characters to life.
• Pixel Art Fundamentals: Learn the foundational skills of pixel art—from characters to environments—so you can create your own 2D art style, especially for retro and indie-style games.
• The SFX & Music Production and Game Music Focus courses cover how to design sound effects and compose music that elevates gameplay. These beginner-friendly courses are great for devs and musicians alike who want to dive into audio for games.
• How To Get A Job In The Video Game Industry: this course will help maximize your chances of finding opportunities, getting interviews and dominating the job application process in order to land your dream job in the video game industry.

Building a Portfolio and Gaining Experience

As you build your skills, start documenting and showcasing your progress—your portfolio is one of the most important tools for landing your first job, freelance client, or internship in game development.

Here’s how to get started:

• Create personal projects:  Start small. Build simple games that demonstrate your understanding of core mechanics or design principles. These don’t need to be perfect—they just need to show initiative, creativity, and how you solve problems.
• Share your work: Host your projects on platforms like Itch.io or GitHub, or create a personal site to show demos, code samples, and brief write-ups explaining your process. This not only helps others understand your skills, but also helps you track your growth over time.
• Join game jams: Events like Ludum Dare, Global Game Jam, and many smaller jams on Itch.io are fantastic opportunities to challenge yourself, meet other developers, and finish a game under time constraints. Many jams are beginner-friendly and welcoming—like the GameDev.tv Game Jam, which is a great starting point if you’re just getting into the scene.
• Look for Freelance Gigs or Internships:. Even short-term or unpaid roles can give you valuable real-world experience. Whether you’re contributing to someone else’s project or taking on a small client job, these experiences strengthen your portfolio and expand your network.

Advancing Your Career in Video Game Development

As your career grows, start seeking new opportunities to advance in the industry. 

Specialize in a Niche

If there’s a specific aspect of game development that you love or excel at, lean into it and continue to hone and specialize your skills. If you can, take extra courses or self-study as you practice. 

Developing a niche can help you stand out when seeking specific game dev positions. Consider aspects such as AI programming, narrative design, 3D modeling, or coding according to your interests.

Keep Learning

Game development never stops advancing, and you should never stop learning. Stay informed of the latest trends and be quick to adopt new tools and technologies as they emerge. If you don’t adapt and grow with the industry, it’ll leave you behind. As your career develops, consider pursuing advanced courses to help expand your expertise and develop new skills. Check out our game developer career accelerator to learn all of the essential skills you’ll need to become a game dev. 

Network With Other Developers

Who you know is just as important as what you can do. If networking opportunities arise, such as game dev conferences and local meetups, take advantage of them. Meet your peers and develop good relationships with them. 

As your network grows, try to collaborate with other devs to work on larger or more complex projects, either as a passion project on the side or in a formal workspace. 

Learn Video Game Development With Udemy

Video game development is an amazing, unique career opportunity that doesn’t require a degree. Mastering key skills, developing your portfolio, and adopting a growth mindset all support success in this rapidly growing field. As you embrace continuous learning and improvement, explore Udemy’s courses for expert guidance and introductions to new and emerging game development skills.

Kick-start your game development career today with Udemy. Start developing the skills you need to succeed in the industry with expert-led courses.