Humanitarian with 0 knowledge in programming. Part 4 Hello and bye, gamedev
I wrote the last article about my path to IT on 11/09/23, a little over 7 months ago.
Yes, there was another article “Review on IJunior. Why you shouldn't buy the IJunior course. Spoiler: turtle sprint in Gamedev. At the end of the mini-roadmap”, which was written on 03/17/24. But this is a critical review, not a description of how I make my way into IT. There are too few reviews for this course on the Internet, despite the fact that people buy it. And so my task was to dissuade those people who want to shorten the path to game development as much as possible.
This review is not very interesting for other people, as I wrote, there are different types of people on the course: with money and/or uncertain in their professional activities; If you have money, you can afford it, why should I dissuade you? If you are rushing around and trying to find yourself in life – please buy, why not? But if your goal is to quickly get into game development, then you definitely don’t need to choose this course
Previous parts:
Let's go
The thread of the story was broken 09.11.23.from this date I will continue: so far nothing special has happened, I was very glad that I purchased the course, because it gives interesting and complex tasks that I lacked when completing the two books described in the 3rd part, so with 16.10.23. before the beginning 05.12.23. I haven’t learned much new about technologies and the C# language, because this time was spent honing my skills in writing code; I never sat down with Unity. But the C# module was coming to an end and my hands were itching to start learning Unity and doing something in it, so I ran into a game jam
Game jam
Before deciding to participate in a game jam, I asked people: “I have no experience in Unity, but know C#, is it worth participating in a game jam or is it a lost cause? What can you recommend? Everyone said: “Forget it, the main thing is to start, everything will work out, just go and participate, etc.” May I rest in peace…
24.11.23. – 11/27/23. I went to my first game jam without any experience in Unity (except for useless lessons from Head First), and it went absolutely disgusting. Why? You are thrown into a situation with a compressed time frame, where you are responsible not only to yourself, but also to random people who are part of the team, and you absolutely do not understand what, where, why, and instead of using this time as efficiently as possible – The first day I was rushing around the unfamiliar Unity interface and trying to understand how things work.
The C# Unity libraries were not familiar to me at all, so I didn’t understand what was going on there and how to make some object move, I couldn’t even write 10 lines myself, I kept going to the Internet and using GPT.
In total, I spent 31 hours at the game jam in a state of pressure, stress and panic: “WHY IS THIS NICHRENA IT’S NOT CLEAR, MY GOD, LET AT LEAST SOMETHING WORK, WHY I FOUND INTO THIS, WHEN THIS ENDS.”
I wanted to get skills in working with Unity, but I got skills in working with Github. I think I wasted these 31 hours; I could have easily sat and immersed myself in Unity and learned much more than what I learned at the game jam.
Gentlemen, it is my moral duty to dissuade you from game jams if you have no experience in Unity. General and abstract knowledge of C# will not help you in any way in a game jam, because you first need to learn the interface, libraries and methods of Unity.
Learning Unity
WITH 05.12.23. I started studying the Unity module on the IJunior course, throughout the study it was quite difficult: a lot of new things, and so day after day there was a deluge of new information. But this can still be accepted and understood, because for several months the same thing happened with C#, but the Unity module of the IJunior course itself became the inhibitory factor.
The C# module was simply magnificent, competent, structured, but the Unity module is poor, all the lectures are given by Sakutin himself, each video is sped up, the information is given superficially, there is no code for the video, and to these disadvantages is added the fact that the lectures are disjointed, illogical, and complicated The material happens very quickly, tasks are given with the development of mechanics that were not covered in lectures: just do as you want, without prior preparation for such a task.
In addition, the course itself is completely devoted to Unity, and not just the engine, but specifically the creation of games and learning skills that are in demand on the market, that is, after the course I should get a job without any problems. But some important technologies that are required in vacancies are not covered, and the subtle nuances of finding a job and how to write a resume are not explained.
As a result, the Unity module is a mini-version of a university: pointless and merciless
Before 12/20/23. I still suffered through the course and already gave up on it, I started learning Unity from books, but in the beginning I had to find quality books. Stopped at Unity in ActionI studied for about 18 hours, but then the level of complexity of the code increased, and I did not have enough knowledge to understand what a particular code does, and it is important for me to understand what I am doing, so I decided to look for books further.
Then I settled on a small manual book Denisova “Game development on Unity”, again there was a lot of incomprehensible things for me, but I decided to be patient, because the book is small and I finished it literally in 9 hours. And in the end, not abstracted individual mechanics were made, but a full-fledged small game with a main menu, settings, and various mechanics. As a result, this experience will help me with my studies in the future.
Then came the New Year, a short break and continued plowing.
01/04/24. number, I returned to studying the IJunior Unity module course with new knowledge and skills, and things went much more vigorously, but then I was again carried into the quagmire of a terrible course. The last 3 days were completely exhausting, according to the assignment I had to implement mechanics that were not covered at all in the lecture materials, I tried to do everything, and in the end everything worked out, but it took so much time, and I spent most of this time in on the Internet, studying the material independently.
01/22/24. I am completely disappointed in the IJunior course, the 200,000 course cannot provide adequate lecture material that will be the foundation for practical assignments. If a course doesn't do its basic job, then the course won't teach you much. It’s a pity for 200,000, but this difficult choice was made in favor of accelerating learning, because the goal is not to forever tinker with Unity, but to find a job in game development. In the end, I decided to try to find another course and found it on a torrent Udemy Complete C# Unity Game Developer 2D.
Also, throughout January, I have been monitoring vacancies in game development and a gloomy picture emerges for me that there are no internships in game development, and all employers want some mythical one year of experience in game development. I'm getting frustrated by new information that turns everything upside down, I'm trying to figure out what to do with it, because it looks like I'll only be able to find a job by the fall, because I need to do at least 3- 4 projects. To some extent, I despair and start looking at vacancies in other areas: related to game development and business C#, testing in C#, administration.
WITH 01/27/24. I actively respond, but there are no answers, under the pressure of new information about the market, I consult with my significant other, then decide that I need to make a game for my portfolio, and then I’ll see whether to change direction to business C# or continue doing projects in Unity and look for a job in game development.
WITH 02.02.24. started to pass Udemy Complete C# Unity Game Developer 2D, took a couple of days. Then I decided to make my own game based on one of the games from the course.
I didn’t take any more courses or books, I spent all my time creating a game. During this time, I learned a huge amount of information, improved greatly in writing code in Unity, I also made integration with Yandex games: I set up saving progress and monetization, and also made a store inside this game. This has been the most productive month learning Unity, I'm very glad I was able to find this course and glad I decided to give up IJunior because it's a waste of time and money.
Somewhere 02/20/24. I realized that I’ll finish the game and will study the web developer stack, that is, I’m putting an end to game development.
02.22.24. I asked a middle C# friend of mine what a person needs to know to be hired as an intern or junior, he said: C#, OOP principles, asynchrony and threads, SQL, Entity Framework, ASP. And not necessarily Docker, but it’s better to at least know what it is.
02/29/24. finished the game. It is in draft form, all the mechanics are ready: yandex.ru/games/app/293549?draft=true&lang=ru
How I made the game
At the beginning there was a course Udemy Complete C# Unity Game Developer 2DI really liked their approach: they give theoretical material, and at the end of the module, based on the material, we make a full-fledged game, it seems like we did it in module 3 Brick Breakerthere were the most basic mechanics, we implemented them and the module ended, but by this time I decided that I needed to make a game for my portfolio and improve my skill in creating a full-fledged project, and I already had MVP of the game Brick Breakerso I decided to bring it to mind.
The very first. What I started doing was analyzing competitors, how different mechanics are implemented, what I like and would like to implement, and what looks strange and ugly, what I can get rid of. I looked at the interface, settings, store, bonuses, dynamics, visuals and style, level system, motivation system, monetization, then I more or less put together the image that I would like to implement, but I also wanted to add a narrative, so I added my own mechanics comics. During the implementation process, I decided to give up a couple of points because I didn’t want to waste time on it and it wasn’t that important.
As soon as the idea was assembled in my head, I began to implement it, and worked from morning to evening. There is no way without this.
I focused only on mechanics, I didn’t have an artist, so the visuals weren’t very good.
Brains and money as a sacrifice to the god of Marketing!
Communicating with people who bought the course for 200,000-300,000 rubles, also participating in one game development and currently helping a small team create a game, I saw a pattern that game development is often filled with new people from the street who want to create a game and not work . The infernal machine of advertising and marketing has crushed people's minds, and now everyone wants to create a game, because it is so fun, exciting, easy, and even profitable, and you will definitely become famous! And those processed by this machine ran to create games! Yoohoo!!!
Words without action are worthless, they can promise you anything, but do these courses contain a promise? Advertising game development courses is a perfect example of lies and irresponsibility, because the main goal is your money, not your success.
Further it will be painful, offensive, unpleasant, but this is necessary if you do not want to waste time and money. People with such thoughts and ideas are not hired as advertisers, because no one will buy such things, but this is a completely different view that can hardly be found on the Internet.
“Learn” or “Work” or “Create”
Advertising for game development courses promises you that you will create! You will be fluttering! You will create masterpiece after masterpiece, it's so easy!
But it is vital for you to understand:
what is gamedev and the game itself
what 3 states can there be: “Learn”, “Work”, “Create”
what type of person are you: Man-ChSV, Man-diamond, Man-ChSV-diamond
A game – this is game design, thinking through mechanics, thinking through balance and levels, knowing the psychology of the player, a motivation system, what engages the player, what makes him come back, working with sound, drawings and style, creating 3D models, writing code.
Therefore in gamedev There is no profession of game developer or game creator, there are professions:
game designer,
artist,
modeler,
developer, etc.
If you want to work at a job, then you have to figure out who you are. If you go into game development, then you should concentrate on one aspect of game making, because you simply physically don’t have enough time to figure it all out at once, especially if you don’t have any experience, or you’re still in the learning process, and there’s no work on the horizon it is seen. Think about what exactly you want: because working as a developer in game development is not about full-fledged game creation, there is no room for your dreams. This is work, period.
I myself went into game development, like typewriter, yes, I can get into the plot, I can photoshop something, sit down and analyze the market and competitors, think about balance, retention, but I clearly understood that I was looking for a developer job. Therefore, in this regard, no frustrations occurred. And my training has progressed and is progressing quite quickly and efficiently.
What conditions can there be:
Study – you are learning C# and Unity from scratch for the sake of future work – and so far this is not work, but studying in the form of an unplowed field. You have to work from morning to evening: absorb a ton of information and almost immediately implement it in the code and engine so that you develop a skill. If you plow without a goal, without a system, without proper rest, then you lose motivation, burn out, procrastinate, become frustrated and will never reach the state where you are you working or create. You must spend about six months in this mode in order to count on working for 30,000-40,000 rubles per month.
Of course, you can spend 1-2 hours studying a day because you have a job, but this is pointless, how long do you plan to study in this mode? Two years? Three years? This looks like some kind of masochism, and not a purposeful movement in game development.
It’s better to immerse yourself in DnD, Savage Worlds or other role-playing board games – get more emotions and pleasure in a short period of time, and here you can really create your own game, plot, setting, characters and immediately share this game with your friends.
Work – this is the goal of your training, you already have enough knowledge and skills to be useful to the employer, and he is ready to pay for your competencies. At work, you are an extension of the will and vision of your employer, you implement what they say. Therefore, there is no place here for the romanticized and mythical “creation” of games. And here, in fact, everything is completely up to you:
for you this is a comfortable island and endless stagnation,
or is it another field, but already a little plowed, and you can continue to plow, because your ambitions are insatiable and you cannot be stopped!
Create — you can go to this state only when you go through the “Study“, or better yet, you will have 3-4 study projects or several months in the state of “Work” Here is your romantic and mythical “I create and create!” takes on flesh and blood, you are the king and god of the situation, you do whatever you want, but do you have enough talent?.. Eh, this is a big question, and with a probability of 99.99% that you do not have these talents to create a magnificent and a profitable game, because the state “Create“merged with your life principles, that is, with your type:
Man-ChSV and “Create” games – you hope, dream about money and fame, always in some kind of fantasies and ideas about beauty, you don’t understand what you can do and what you can’t. You don’t know how to delegate, you don’t know how to work in a team, you don’t trust anyone, you don’t understand the needs of the market. This is why your game will end up being complete crap.
Diamond Man and “Create” games – you know how to plow, think, draw conclusions, analyze incoming information, adjust your actions, do not get hung up on a fixed idea, know how to abandon non-working ideas and focus on the most important, adequately assess your strengths and capabilities. Don't be afraid to ask for help, but either way you created yourself and you can create a great game on your own.
Man-ChSV-diamond and “Create” games – this person combines the hellish hard work of a diamond person and the paranoia and distrust of a CSV person, because others do not understand anything and will simply ruin everything. Because of this approach, everything will be completed at the highest level, but within a fairly long time frame.
You may have different motives and goals for why you decided to go into game development, but it is important to understand that before the state “Work” or “Create“You must completely surrender to the state”Study“, because the employer simply won’t pay you because you can’t do the job. And immediately jump into the state “Create“Without studying and educational projects – a miserable waste of time, money and effort. Of course, if you are a Human Being, then nothing will hold you back, and you will go create unplayable shit.
Personally, I never aspired to create a game, so I can’t classify myself as any type, because for me “Creation“This is a priori team work, and in it I would perform specific functionality.
I really, really want to create games
Unity is a rather complex and professional engine for game development; it opens up a huge number of professional opportunities. I'm not familiar with other game creation technologies, like Unreal, Godot, Cocosbut if you don’t want to look for a job, but want to make games for the soul, then for God’s sake, don't go learn Unity or Unreal, you will have to wade through the jungle of the interface and endless tools, but why do you need this? Do you want to make games for the soul or suffer from complex and professional engines?
I am only familiar with Unity, so I cannot provide you with a qualitative analysis of other engines. There are different engines and they solve different problems, you just need to spend a couple of days understanding what each engine can do and what you would like to implement on a particular engine.
If you decide that you don’t need these engines at all, then you can try game designers – Roblox or Garry's Mod.
Conclusion
I was familiar with game development, writing code in Unity and creating games for 3 months: with 05.12.2023 to 29.02.2024.during this time I:
I hated the IJunior course because it wasted my time, despite the fact that I gave it 200,000 rubles.
I realized that the advertising and marketing machine is not on the side of those who will buy the course, because their goal is your money. Nowadays there are a large number of courses and books on the Internet – and all this requires a lot of time in order to choose the best.
If you do not speak English and are unable to read or listen to training videos, then you are missing out on approximately 80% of quality and relevant information.
The game development market in the Russian Federation is not developed, there are no internships, no pre-June vacancies, the entry threshold is not clear, salary and career growth are not clear, there are no high-quality books and courses in Russian.
In my critical review, I wrote a mini-roadmap; it contains high-quality material in English that will help you gain the necessary information and skills in C#, Unity, and SQL in a short time. https://habr.com/ru/articles/800731/
Eventually, self-education is your only way out, so you will try something new, if you don’t like it, you will not be tied to the purchased course and will be able to change your direction. If you end up studying on your own for 2-3 months, and you still decide to connect your work with C#, and want to go to Unity, or web or mobile, then take the C# module in IJunior, because it will teach you codestyle, which is not taught time in the books. The remaining IJunior modules are not worth a damn.
But if you are drawn to courses, then I would advise looking for ones that last 1-2 months and improve some narrow skill: for example, thinking through and writing architecture, or zenject or something else.
Since the course costs 10,000-30,000, and not +150,000 rubles, it will not put much pressure on you, and you have the opportunity to change your mind and not study the chosen language, but if you decide to further study the language, then after completing a highly specialized course, you gain an important and useful skill.
In any case, you need to create projects, ideally 3-4 projects, if they are games, post them on Yandex. After the first project, create and improve your resume and look for a job.
PS
02/29/24. I put an end to game development.
WITH 03/04/24. I started moving towards ASP
Number of hours
730 hours = 389:15 (C#) + 340:15 (Unity)
Unity → 340:15 hours
Creating your own game → 134 hours
K. Aava Rani – Learning Unity Physics, 2017 → 3:30 hours
Denisov — Game development on Unity → 9:00 o’clock
Ferrone H. — Learning CSharp by Developing Games with Unity, 7th Ed, 2022 → 6:15 hours
Unity in action → 18:30 hours
Game jam from “Start the Game” → 31:30 hours
IJunior Unity module → 137:30 hours
C# → 389:15 hours
Sharp John – Step by Step → 57:45 hours
Head First C# 4th + 5th ed → 145:30 hours
IJunior module C# → 172:00 hours
Trial week IJunior, ulearn.me, w3schools.com → 14 hours
