With GDevelop, anyone can easily get started making and even selling their own games – and you won’t need to write a line of code!
GDevelop is designed to be easy to use, but you may still have some questions, and that’s why we’re here. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about GDevelop to take you from beginner to game developer.
What is GDevelop?
In short, GDevelop is a full-featured game development tool. It includes everything you need to create real video games in one package, including tools for scripting, animation, visual effects, sound design, and more. GDevelop is compatible with Windows macOS, and Linux, and can even run in a web browser.
The program is lightweight enough to run on nearly any computer but powerful enough to create almost anything you can imagine. Once your game is done, GDevelop lets users publish their games to PC, Web, and Mobile platforms.
GDevelop is designed for ease of use with a particular focus on beginner game designers and education. Because GDevelop is designed with beginners in mind there are a lot of tutorials online that can help you learn game development without getting too technical like other programs. There is also an active online community of GDevelop users who can help newcomers with tips and ideas.
Despite its accessible nature, GDevelop is capable of producing full games in a range of styles. Rather than requiring a high level of technical knowledge, your only limit in GDevelop is your imagination.
GDevelop is a great choice for anyone interested in getting started in game development. There’s a range of included tools designed to make the process as easy as possible, but the program also provides options to dig a little deeper with things like custom javascript.
Once you’ve outgrown GDevelop and want to move on to other software, many of the skills and concepts you’ve learned will carry over into other game development environments.
GDevelop can be downloaded free on the official project website, or you can begin trying it out directly in your web browser.
GDevelop is also an open-source project, meaning the code is freely available for anyone to view, modify, and contribute to. Though it may not mean much to a beginner, open-source software is loved by software developers for its freedom, customizability, and for the committed devs who often provide their hard work for little or no cost.
Open source projects are a community effort, and If you love GDevelop you can help the project by reporting bugs, writing a tutorial, contributing your own code, and more!
Create A Game Without Programming Skills
There are a lot of ways to develop a game nowadays, but many require programming skills. After all, games are made of code aren’t they?
The problem is that learning code can be complex and can take a long time to master. This technical requirement can often stifle creativity and discourage newcomers to game development
Luckily, GDevelop offers an option for making a game without needing to know how to code at all. But how is that possible?
Every Gdevelop game is made up of objects. These objects represent the different characters, items, and everything else in your game.
Users create games with objects, and special code pieces called events and behaviors. Behaviors tell an object how to act, while events decide how objects interact with each other as well as the rules and logic of your game. Events and behaviors are premade and don’t require any coding, though users still have options to customize these events and behaviors.
Though you aren’t coding when you use events and behaviors, these building blocks also teach some important concepts used in game development, such as variables, game loops, and logic flow.
To make it easy for users to create, GDevelop comes with a whole suite of pre-made behaviors that are useful for different game types. You can also easily import community-made behaviors you can find online. In addition to the included behaviors, GDevelop allows you to create your own behaviors using the same kinds of events you use to create your game logic.
If you’re looking for more control, GDevelop lets users who have skills in programming insert blocks of custom code into their games. Going even deeper you can customize your games and even GDevelop itself down to the finest detail thanks to GDevelop’s open-source code.
This means that highly advanced users can modify almost anything in the program, and even contribute to GDevelop’s development by submitting their code.
The result of all these interconnected features is a system that is perfect for learners. Beginners can make games using premade components, and as they get more advanced they can scale the complexity of their games along with their growing skills.
That means you can get started developing games now without the intimidating technical skills needed for other programs, and have room to grow your games along with your skills over time.
Games Made with GDevelop
There are hundreds of games created by GDevelop users that should help you get an idea of what the program can do. Because Gdevelop games can be seamlessly published online, new users can easily explore the creations of others.
The official repository of user-made Gdevelop games can be found at https://liluo.io/. Some of the highlights include Spell Unka by Spexxy, a classic arcade-style game in the vein of Dig-Dug, and //TO:DO a game that simulates GDevelop’s own interface, challenging users to complete the game themselves using their knowledge of GDevelop events.
GDevelop Beginner Tutorials
A quick search online can help you find hundreds of GDevelop tutorials on any topic or mechanic you want to learn about. However, before you can use the more advanced tutorials, you should probably start with something basic to help you learn the ropes.
Luckily, the developers of Gdevelop provide plenty of high-quality tutorials that will help guide you right from the start. Check out Gdevelop’s ‘How to Get Started’ tutorial series before anything, and once you’re done you’ll have the skills to create your very first game! If you’re more inclined to read a tutorial, check out the GDevelop wiki for many more great resources.
GDevelop FAQ
Can you make 3D games with GDevelop?
GDevelop is primarily intended to be used for creating 2D games. Technically the program can handle very basic 3D objects, but this will be more suited to advanced users. If you are looking to do more in 3D, you should perhaps try a more advanced 3D capable program like Unity or Godot.
Is there a GDevelop forum?
There is an official Gdevelop forum that you can find here. On the forum, you will find various discussions on GDevelop topics, and you can create your own thread to pose questions to the community. There is also an active GDevelop subreddit where users can also share ideas and look for help.
Can I sell my GDevelop game?
Many game development tools are offered for free but have strict rules when it comes to making money from your creations.
Luckily when you use GDevelop to make a game, you are free to distribute it in any way you like without needing to worry about royalties. For example, you could sell your GDevelop games on Steam, or on the Google Play store for android.
If you are interested in other ways to monetize your games, you could also implement microtransactions or ads into your GDevelop games, both of which the program is capable of.
How does Gdevelop compare to Construct 3?
GDevelop is not the only game development tool on the market, and its closest competitor is Construct 3.
In terms of features, these two programs are closely matched. Both are primarily 2D game engines, and both offer visual scripting engines with optional javascript coding.
Both GDevelop and Construct include options to extend their functionality with extensions and addons. Both programs work on a number of systems and within browsers, and can publish games to PC, web, and mobile.
So what makes GDevelop different?
For one, GDevelop is completely free while Construct will cost you a license fee, though a limited free edition exists. However, you can’t monetize your Construct games unless you have a license. Another big difference is that GDevelop is an open-source program, which means more freedom for advanced users, but may also result in slower development and less stability.
Overall, the two programs are very similar and both are good options for making your first game. Both are free to try so if you are interested you could always try each and see which one you like best.
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