FREE GAME DEVELOPMENT (Full Course) | Beginner to Advance - Unity 3D
If you're interested in getting started with game development for free, there are plenty of tools, resources, and communities available to help you. Here’s a guide to getting started:
1. Game Engines
These are the software frameworks you’ll use to create your games.
Unity: A powerful and versatile game engine that's free for personal and small-scale commercial use. It's beginner-friendly with lots of tutorials available.
Unreal Engine: Known for high-quality graphics, Unreal is free to use, with royalties owed only when your game earns over a certain amount.
Godot: An open-source game engine that's completely free and great for 2D and 3D games. It’s very lightweight and has a supportive community.
GDevelop: A free, open-source game engine designed for beginners, allowing you to create games without coding.
2. Art and Assets
If you need art, music, or sound effects for your game, there are free resources available:
OpenGameArt: A website that offers free game assets including sprites, music, and sound effects.
Kenney: A collection of free assets including 2D and 3D art, sound effects, and UI elements.
Pixlr: A free online photo editor that can be used to create and modify game art.
3. Learning Resources
There are plenty of free tutorials, courses, and communities where you can learn game development:
YouTube: Channels like Brackeys (Unity), HeartBeast (Godot), and Unreal Engine’s official channel provide excellent tutorials.
Coursera and edX: Offer free courses in game development, though some may have a fee for certification.
Codecademy and freeCodeCamp: Great for learning programming languages like Python, C#, or JavaScript, which are often used in game development.
4. Collaboration and Sharing
Joining a community or game jam can help you learn faster and make connections with other developers.
itch.io: A platform to upload and share your games, and participate in game jams.
GameDev.net: A forum for game developers to discuss projects, get feedback, and collaborate.
Discord Servers: Many game development communities have Discord servers where you can ask questions and share your progress.
5. Game Jams
Participating in game jams is a great way to practice your skills and meet other developers.
Global Game Jam: An annual event where developers from around the world create games over a weekend.
Ludum Dare: A long-running game jam with different themes and challenges.
6. Source Control
For managing your game's code, especially if you're collaborating with others:
- GitHub: Provides free repositories to store and manage your code, and it’s essential to learn version control with Git.
7. Monetization and Distribution
If you want to publish and monetize your game:
Steam: A major platform for distributing PC games, though it has a one-time fee for publishing.
itch.io: Offers flexible pricing models, including pay-what-you-want and free downloads.
Admob: A way to monetize mobile games through ads, suitable for Android games.
8. Programming Languages
Depending on the engine you choose, you might need to learn a programming language:
- C#: Used primarily in Unity.
- C++: The language of Unreal Engine.
- GDScript: A Python-like language used in Godot.
- JavaScript: Useful for web-based games, especially with HTML5.
9. Forums and Communities
Getting feedback and help from others can be invaluable:
- r/gamedev: The subreddit for game developers.
- Stack Overflow: For technical programming questions.
- GameDev.net: A great place to discuss game development.
With these tools and resources, you can start creating your own games without spending a dime! What kind of game are you interested in making?
YoYo Games And MIPS Release Free Android(TM) Game Development Platform Exclusively For MIPS-Based(TM) Devices
International CES -- MIPS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:MIPS), a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for home entertainment, networking, mobile and embedded applications, and YoYo Games, the creator of GameMaker: Studio™, announced the release of fast and easy game development software for MIPS-Based™ products such as tablets and other devices. GameMaker: Studio™ MIPS™ Edition, created by YoYo Games exclusively for MIPS-Based devices, is now available on the YoYo Games website free-of-charge.
GameMaker: Studio MIPS Edition enables game developers to quickly and easily create games for MIPS-Based devices and then seamlessly submit them for publishing to multiple app stores. It includes the same functionalities as the GameMaker: Studio Professional version plus the Android export capability—with the exception that it publishes games exclusively for Android devices based on the MIPS® architecture.
GameMaker: Studio MIPS Edition features an integrated development environment complete with fonts, sounds, images, music and more. It also features GameMaker Language, a powerful scripting language that lets developers control details such as pathfinding, physics, object interaction, particles, data structures, social networking, payment features and a comprehensive source control scheme to facilitate game creation within teams.
GameMaker: Studio is a leading 2D development suite for game developers producing well-known games including They Need to Be Fed, Froad, and Karoshi, which was named Pocket Gamer's 2012 Android Game of the Year. With the new MIPS Edition, developers of existing GameMaker games can quickly bring their games to MIPS-Based devices.
According to Gideon Intrater, vice president of marketing, MIPS Technologies, "We are delighted to offer game developers the opportunity to create games for MIPS-Based devices at no charge. Through our collaboration with YoYo Games, game developers and students will gain access to free development software, and owners of MIPS-Based mobile devices can anticipate many new games and apps—continuing to broaden the mobile ecosystem around the MIPS architecture."
"We have always believed in the importance of the MIPS architecture and are pleased to work with MIPS to further proliferate our popular GameMaker: Studio platform," said Sandy Duncan, chief executive officer at YoYo Games. "With their affordable price points, MIPS-Based tablets can reach a broad range of consumers, creating a really compelling opportunity for game developers. Seasoned and novice game developers can download GameMaker: Studio™ MIPS Edition for free and experience the ease and power of GameMaker: Studio."
Availability
Developers can visit http://www.Yoyogames.Com/gamemaker/studio to download the free software and immediately begin creating games for MIPS-Based devices.
Demonstration at International CES
At CES, MIPS and YoYo will demonstrate how to develop games for a MIPS-Based tablet using GameMaker: Studio. To schedule a demonstration during CES, contact info@mips.Com.
To visit the MIPS Technologies Media Center for CES, visit http://www.Mips.Com/news-events/CES2013.
About YoYo Games
YoYo Games is a top publisher of mobile, social and web-based games and the creator of GameMaker: Studio, a fast and easy to use cross-platform games development technology. YoYo Games publishes titles created with GameMaker: Studio including hits "They Need to be Fed," "Simply Solitaire HD" and Pocket Gamer's 2012 Android Game of the Year "Karoshi." Privately-held YoYo Games was founded in 2007 by games industry visionaries to incubate and showcase the next generation of games development talent and devices. GameMaker has been downloaded more than 10 million times, hosts a community of a half a million registered users and is deployed in more than 5,000 schools and universities worldwide. For more information, visit www.Yoyogames.Com.
The YoYo Games logo is available at http://www.Globenewswire.Com/newsroom/prs/?Pkgid=16443
About MIPS Technologies, Inc.
MIPS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:MIPS) is a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for home entertainment, networking, mobile and embedded applications. The MIPS architecture powers some of the world's most popular products. Our technology is broadly used in products such as digital televisions, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, broadband customer premises equipment (CPE), WiFi access points and routers, networking infrastructure and portable/mobile communications and entertainment products. Founded in 1998, MIPS Technologies is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices worldwide. For more information, contact (408) 530-5000 or visit www.Mips.Com.
Follow MIPS on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, RSS and Twitter.
The MIPS Technologies, Inc. Logo is available at http://www.Globenewswire.Com/newsroom/prs/?Pkgid=11351
MIPS and MIPS-Based are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and other countries of MIPS Technologies, Inc. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Use of this trademark is subject to Google Permissions. All other trademarks referred to herein are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Media Contacts: Jen Bernier-Santarini MIPS Technologies, Inc. +1 408-530-5178 jenb@mips.Com Jaime Cottini YoYo Games jaime@yoyogames.Com
Most "free" games are used to push ads, subscriptions, microtransactions, and dubious games of chance (that never quite meet the legal definition of gambling). They can leave you feeling frustrated, even if you haven't spent a penny. Here are 12 completely free games that don't do any of that. What Makes a Game Truly Free? I've set a few conditions for this roundup to make sure these games are as 'free' as free can be:
They must be open-source, meaning they can be freely distributed for any platform (Mac, Windows, Linux, and mobile in some cases).
None of the games have advertisements, microtransactions, battlepasses, or subscriptions! You shouldn't have to pay a cent to experience the game in full, nor should you have to watch annoying ads.
Like any game worth the disk space, they actually have to be fun!
Note that I haven't mentioned photorealistic graphics or high-fidelity sound as part of the criteria. Due to limited developer resources, open-source games tend to rely more on stylized retro graphics than the latest pixel-pushing technologies (which is less of a problem now that these visual styles are in vogue).
In addition to the game's development usually hinging on donated time, the underlying tools also have to accommodate a no-budget development scenario. This can push the latest and greatest technologies out of reach, but that's ok since good graphics do not necessarily make for a good game.
Now on to the list!
Battle for Wesnoth
Battle for Wesnoth is a highly polished real-time strategy game with a great single-player campaign, as well as compelling multiplayer. It looks great, plays well, and has a big dedicated community. It pretty much sets the standard for what an open-source game should be.
OpenTTD (Windows, Mac, Linux)
OpenTTD
Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe, known simply as OpenTTD, is a simulation game about building and managing transport networks including rail, air, roads, canals, and maritime. It's got the retro pixel graphics of its 90s namesake, and support for huge maps. Be warned, it's a total time sink.
Shattered Pixel
This one's for the mobile gamers, with iPhone and Android versions ready to download. Shattered Pixel Dungeon is an RPG where you play as one of 5 character classes, and crawl through randomly generated dungeons (so no playthrough is ever the same). It's both difficult and rewarding, and so well presented you'll forget you didn't pay anything for it.
Endless Sky
Explore the Endless Sky universe to trade, fight, and conquer space. You can follow the included plot line, or make your own way through the cosmos and write your own fate. I'm not the biggest fan of this game's graphical style, but if you look past it, you'll find an addictive space sim.
Bungie
The predecessor to the Halo franchise, the Macintosh-only Marathon games were once the envy of PC gamers (though they'd never have admitted it at the time). Now they're free, and the engine has been open-sourced, so they're available to Windows and Linux gamers, too. This is a great way to catch up on Bungie's back catalog, especially with a Marathon reboot in the works.
Ysoccer (Mac, Windows, Linux)
YSoccer
Ysoccer is a tidy little soccer sim based on the Amiga (among others) classic Sensible Soccer. Not much more to be said: launch it, and guide your little pixelated soccer team around the field to score goals. Makes for some great local multiplayer.
Hedgewars (Mac, Windows, Linux, iPad/iPhone)
Hedgewars
A Worms clone with hedgehogs, Hedgewars is a single player distraction at best. But if you get a few friends together for multiplayer, you'll all be up late into the night cursing each other as you perforate, detonate, and deflagrate each other's cute hedgehog avatars.
0 A.D. (Mac, Windows, Linux)
0 A.D.
0 A.D began life as an Age of Empires II mod and has somehow spent more than two decades in development. It's worth a look if you're looking for a more modern-looking and historically-grounded real-time strategy game.
Xonotic (Mac, Windows, Linux)
Xonotic
Hard to say, hard to spell (at least for me), but fun to play. Get some friends together for an old-fashioned LAN party, or play the Quake 3-inspired shooter Xonotic online with an active player base.
FlightGear (Windows, Mac, Linux)
FlightGear
This one isn't for the casual player who just wants to jump into a virtual jet and fly around. FlightGear is a meticulously crafted flight simulator that aims to be as realistic as possible, which means learning how to actually operate the planes it simulates. And crashing. A lot.
Ryzom (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Zendae / Ryzom Wiki
Get the guild together and check out a totally free, open-source MMORPG. Ryzom has an active community, and an evolving world with events and optional PvP. Best of all, there are no pesky monthly subscriptions to worry about.
LinCity-NG (Windows, Mac, Linux)
It's just like SimCity, but free. Plan and build cities, clean up after natural disasters (or create them) in free city building and urban management sim LinCity-NG. Build a utopia or subjugate your citizens, the choice is yours.
Want More Free Stuff?
The best thing about all of these games? They didn't cost you anything: so if you don't like them, you don't feel like you have to play them.
Some of these games do have iOS and Android releases, too, but some of those are released by third parties and may have ads. They might be worth a shot if you want to take them on the go.
If you want more free stuff, you can check out the streaming services that offer free trials and check our guide to downloading free software from GitHub.
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This New Game Dumps Free-To-Play Model, Changes To $40 Premium Release
As part of Gamescom Opening Night Live, Embark Studios--which was co-founded by Battlefield veteran Patrick Soderlund--revealed a new trailer for the PvPvE third-person shooter Arc Raiders and also confirmed a key detail about its pricing plan.
Arc Raiders was announced as a free-to-play game, but it is now shifting to a premium model and will cost $40 at launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. A public technical test will be available October 24-27 on Steam.
Regarding the price change, Arc Raiders executive producer Aleksander Grøndal said, "It became increasingly clear to us during development that a premium model is a better fit for the experience we're building with Arc Raiders."
The developer added: "This shift allows us to focus on what truly matters for this game--creating an engaging, balanced, and replayable action survival experience."
In Arc Raiders, you play as a "Raider," a soldier fighting for survival and scavenging resources from the world's surface and attempt to extract safely to the underground colonies. However, "Arc" machines are trying to stop you, as are other human players.
Stefan Strandberg, the co-founder and creative director at Embark, said in a statement that Arc Raiders has "changed and evolved" over the course of its development. However, Strandberg said the game's world has remained unchanged.
"Our inspiration draws from current-day themes taken to their extreme, like the prospect of colonizing space, at a time when the relationship between man and machine is becoming increasingly fraught," Strandberg said.
For more from Gamescom Opening Night Live, be sure to check out all the biggest news in the gallery below.