Do I need to know how to code?
It seems like coding is really difficult.
Programming is a challenging field, but it’s not impossible. And the good thing is that you can learn with a sequence of very simple steps, each step adding more functionality as you go. At this time, we’re also lucky that:
there is a lot of publicly available information about programming
there are a lot of tutorials (some good, some not so good)
there are amazing websites where people offer to help you improve or fix your code
modern coding tools (IDEs) are very good at letting you know when you’ve done something wrong
learning programming through games is way more fun
programming is a very transferrable skill
That last point is a doozy — once you’ve learned the fundamentals of coding, picking up a new programming language is much easier. Soon you’ll have a whole list of languages under your belt!
Yeah, but do I need to program to make games?
Well, yeah. You do. Or, someone does. You can absolutely get a game template, and reskin it with your own visuals. But what’s new and exciting about that? How is that truly your game? I want you to make your game, and that generally means some programming. But if it’s your vision — and not just some boring exercise — you’ll be much faster at picking up those skills.
With modern game engines, you can also use something called visual programming. With visual programming, instead of typing words in a text editor, you sequence together different nodes with connectors. While the underlying elements of logic are the same, some people find visual programming much more approachable.
Ultimately, you may team up with someone who does the coding for you. That’s great! But it’s very worthwhile to understand what they’re doing — not only so that you can get the most from them, but that you also appreciate the amount of work they’re doing.
How do you learn?
This is a critical question to answer for yourself. Sometimes learning something new seems impossibly difficult — and often, that’s not because what you’re learning is too complex, but that it’s not being taught in the way that you learn. That’s the real value in working with tutor, instead of a lot of online tutorials. I want to work with you, to change my teaching to fit your style of learning. And we’ll be coding games in no time!
