With no shortage of career paths available, game development stands out as a lasting choice set to expand significantly. If you’ve considered a career in video game development, you’re on the right track. According to Statista, the global video gaming market is projected to reach $268.81 billion by 2025.
Numerous statistics highlight the industry’s lucrative potential and undeniable profitability. The good news is that there are numerous free courses available to introduce you to game development and help you assess your interests. Create your own development team using multiple platforms, and share project documentation with your team using Fax App.
Before diving into the top online game development courses, let’s explore what game development entails.
What is game development?
In essence, game development encompasses stages like planning, design, creation, and testing of various game components. Conceptually, any collection of interactive audiovisual elements can be considered a game.
Can you develop games independently? Absolutely! However, games created by a single person often result in simpler projects, while complex titles like Halo Infinite or Final Fantasy VII require a team of developers, including programmers, audio artists, visual designers, and testers.
Interestingly, the programming aspect is often managed, partially or entirely, by game engines such as Unity, Unreal, or Construct. These engines provide tools that facilitate game development with minimal or no coding. Therefore, you don’t need to be a tech expert to venture into game development, as there are myriad career opportunities within the gaming industry.
Now, let’s look at some of the top options for learning game development.
Unity and Unreal are two renowned game engines. While these tools simplify many complexities, they can initially be challenging. Udemy offers courses to guide you in mastering these powerful game development platforms.
C# unity game developer 2D
This game development course offers a perfect introduction to C# and the Unity game engine from scratch. You’ll also become familiar with 2D game development using Unity. For further learning, you can continue with the C# Unity game development 3D module.
Unreal engine 5 C++ developer
This slightly advanced course focuses on C++ programming within the Unreal game engine. You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with Epic Games, gaining real-time learning experiences. Both courses are conducted in English and include lifetime access, with subtitles available in multiple languages such as Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese. Each course provides a certificate upon completion.
Introduction to game design
This theoretical module explores key strategies in game development. We suggest completing this concise game design course, approximately 6 hours in length, before moving on to more intricate development segments. Upon completion, you’ll receive a certificate, which can be sent using the Fax App if you choose to apply for a job.
C# for unity game development
This beginner-level course focuses on learning C# programming for the Unity engine. Offered by the University of Colorado, this 5-month module includes hands-on projects. You’ll receive a certificate of completion upon finishing. Both courses are free to enroll in, but certificates require a fee. Financial aid is available.
Cs50’s intro to game development
This 12-week video game development program lets you explore the design of popular titles like Angry Birds, Super Mario Bros, and Pokemon. Although the course is currently free, optional paid upgrades are available. You will learn to use game engines like Unity and LÖVE 2D, as well as programming languages such as Lua and C#.