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Trifon4o

A question posed to the community about whether new solo game developers are struggling or declining, inviting opinions and discussion on the state of independent solo game development.

Are new solo game dev dead

I want to get started in game dev, but I also have a job and recently took a freelance project for a paying customer so game dev learning was put on hold
<img src="https://static.klipy.com/ii/e293a233a303a98e471f78d04e13a1b0/85/13/pU1KD3fI.gif" alt="GIF">

So I am a game dev… The question here is what exactly do you want to do in games. There are a lot of moving parts. Most studios have a platform team to handle things like web sites, as well as common game sdks etc… That is likely the easiest way to get in (though not necessarily easy). There is server end coding, game play, engine, game design, etc… so it really depends what aspect you are looking to jump into. The best advice I have is to build something. Most people say they want to be a game dev, but have never done the work or built anything. It’s not enough to have big dreams, you have to act on them. Best of luck!

I have had a great idea for a game, and I started trying to figure out how to get started, and I can tell you a few things.
<ol>
<li>There are tons of great tools out there</li>
<li>There are WAY more steps than you realize</li>
<li>Oh, wait, I have two full-time jobs and can barely make ends meet working as a senior dev AND a certified forklift maintenance tech, so I have zero time to do anything more than dream of what might be.</li>
</ol>

I am senior web dev with background in design, also had my share of experience with music as well, currently making my first game in rust - but same as others, i have little extra time that i can use for the game dev as simply life hits me from all sides with unexpected and importanter sidequests

Honestly i feel the question should be “Are publishers dead” and do we need them with AI and the internet? A solo dev using ai can build nearly anything they can dream up in a tenth of the time it used to take and self publish online without the restrictions that a publisher puts on the dev studios.
Unity even released a cli last week so its users can use ai with unity, I finally have easy access to the last 10 years of tools I’ve purchased from the asset store. This makes it even easier for people like me who don’t know how to code. I’ve built tons of tools and parts of games over the last few year and the tools get better every day. Anyone with a 20$ subscription can, if they are patient and plan well can build nearly anything they can dream up.
I’ve built a custom language with a local AI that i use for naming my projects, a local ai audio book reader, websites, agent harnesses and game concepts, and tons of other ideas I’ve had over the years. The tools just keep getting better, anything you can imagine can be built if you have the desire. I only know the basics of coding, i can read and get the idea of what the code says so i have an idea what it can do but i cant write it on my own. I’ve always struggled with that but i can envision systems and how i would want them to be. The only issue is how i speak to the ai to get my exact desire across, which is the same problem you’d have working with others on a team.
Oh and if you like the other buzz word like AI slop just consider the last 10 years of advertised microtransaction trash that has been pushed on gamers. We finally have an opportunity to get out of that endlessly cloned garbage if solo developers can flood the market with games that are actually FUN and not just another JOB we have come to daily in order to addictively sit and click buttons daily while were advertised to endlessly unless we want to spend money to speed up our endless clicking a little.
Long live the solo dev that creates from inspiration!