Your First Game
⏱️ Estimated Time: 1–2 weekends. By the end you'll have a playable game you can share with friends.
The Golden Rule: Finish It
Your first game doesn't need to be good — it needs to be done. A finished Pong clone teaches you more than an unfinished MMORPG ever will.
Choosing Your Project
Pick one of these beginner-friendly scopes:
- Pong / Breakout — Learn input handling, physics, scoring.
- Platformer (1 level) — Learn tile maps, character controllers, level design.
- Top-down Shooter — Learn projectiles, enemies, collision.
- Visual Novel / Quiz — Learn UI systems, branching logic, text display.
Development Checklist
- Concept — One sentence describing your game.
- Core Mechanic — Get the main action working (movement, shooting, etc.).
- Minimum Loop — Add a win/lose condition.
- Juice — Screen shake, particles, sound effects, animation polish.
- Build & Share — Export and upload to itch.io.
Common Pitfalls
| Pitfall | Solution |
|---|---|
| Spending weeks on art before gameplay works | Use placeholder shapes first — "programmer art" is fine |
| Never showing your game to anyone | Share early and often — feedback is fuel |
| Rewriting the engine instead of making content | Use your engine's built-in features; fight the urge to over-engineer |
💡 Pro Tip: When you're "done," add one more thing: a main menu with a Play button and a Quit button. It makes your game feel 10× more polished.