So, you wanna make a game in 2025? Cool. Just promise me one thing: Don't be that guy — you know, the lone Reddit hero who spent 3 years making a massive open-world RPG, then posted a tear-soaked essay about burnout and why “gamedev is too hard.” Let’s get you smart. And savage.
1. Pick a Niche That Doesn't Suck
If you're building an underwater farming sim for left-handed gamers who only play on Wednesdays... stop. Nobody wants that. Not even you. Study the market. Steam charts, mobile trends, HTML5 boomers, TikTok brain rot — what are people actually playing? What’s trending? What’s making money?
Then pick a lane:
- Mobile = Fast.
- PC = Freedom.
- HTML5 = Hustle.
And if you’re going into the arena of entertainment to compete for people’s attention, don’t bring a twig. Bring a chainsaw. Because if you're swinging a wooden stick... well, someone's gonna shove it where the sun don't shine.
2. Build a Damn Prototype
Not a game. A prototype. A small, dirty, playable slice. Like flirting — just enough to keep them interested. No menus. No lore. No 8-directional anime-style running animations. Just raw gameplay. If your core loop isn’t fun with cubes, it won’t be fun with RTX, orchestral music, and 2 years of your life. Use stickmen. Use spaghetti code. Use your neighbor’s cat. Just make it playable.
3. Ask for Pain, Not Praise
Put your baby into the wild. Reddit. Discord. Forums. Twitter. Whatever. Don’t post to hear “cool idea bro.” Post to hear:
- "This sucks."
- "I don’t get it."
- "Why is the jump button escape key?"
Strangers don’t care about your feelings — and that’s the point. If they can’t understand your game in 30 seconds, it’s not their fault. It’s yours. Embrace the roast. That’s free feedback. That’s free education. That’s game dev, baby.
4. Choose a Weapon
If you can code: go with Godot or Unity. If you can’t: grab Construct, GDevelop, or just scream into the abyss with Cry-in-the-corner.js Whatever you pick, remember:
YouTube + ChatGPT = GOD MODE.
You don’t need a course. You need grit, caffeine, and curiosity. And for the love of dev, don’t switch engines mid-project. That’s like changing languages mid-sentence. You’ll confuse yourself, your files, and your fragile sanity.
5. Level It Up (A Little)
Once people start saying “Yo, this slaps,” you’re onto something. Now, give it a bit more meat:
- Basic menu
- Couple levels
- Some sounds
Still no full-blown cutscenes. You’re not Hideo Kojima. Just make a mini-version of your dream game. And keep the core loop juicy — upgrades, high scores, something that hits the dopamine slot machine. Even rats won’t play your game unless there’s a reward.
6. Show Your Process (Loudly)
Nobody cares if you’re building in silence. They care if they see the story. Post: “Today my cube jumped.” That’s it. That’s the post. Reddit. Shorts. TikTok. X. Anywhere. Everywhere. You’re not just building a game. You’re building a narrative around it. That’s how you get 12,000 wishlists instead of 12 downloads.
7. Think Monetization (Yes, Now)
Before you hit publish, ask: How is this game going to pay for my coffee?
- Mobile = Ads or in-apps
- PC = Premium pricing or wishlists grind
- HTML5 = Ad networks or portal deals
Doing it for fun? Great. Just don’t be shocked Pikachu when you make $0. Know your goal — fun, fame, fortune, whatever. Just don’t lie to yourself.
The Wrap-Up
You’re not lost. You’re just early. Pick a niche. Build dirty. Test early. Stay loud. Monetize smart. And for the love of all polygons, don’t start your dream MMO with 80 classes and dynamic weather. You’re one person. Not Blizzard. I’m Flatingo, an indie dev making games (and mistakes) so you don’t have to. I turned this into a video too. And if you’ve never been to Japan — you legally have to subscribe. See you, my chocopie.
Looks helpful. Did u really face this all?