Which game genre should you start with?

Get started with game dev today with these 10 easy steps! I've been making games professionally for more than 10 years now and here are the game genres ranked by difficulty of making.

Pigdev - 5 Types of Games to Start with Game Development ►

Project Feline by Raymond Cripps ►

Jimmy Broadbent - A Room Dedicated to Sim Racing ►

00:00 - Introduction
01:17 - Level 1 - Board Games
02:50 - Level 2 - Casual Games
04:35 - Level 3 - Adventure Games
05:47 - Level 4 - Platformers
07:52 - Level 5 - Roguelikes
09:14 - Level 6 - FPS
10:48 - Level 7 - ARPG
11:28 - Level 8 - RTS
12:36 - Level 9 - Racing Games
13:48 - Level 10 - Sport Sims
14:35 - Level 9000 - Online MMORPG duh!
15:45 - Conclusion

[dVaan]

Every new game developer ever: "My first game is going to be an MMORPG"

[_mickmccarthy]

I remember attempting my first card game, I actually found it super difficult at the time due to things like managing state & transitions. I've always found classic arcade games like Pong, Breakout, Asteroids etc. a much easier place to start. Though I guess this depends on whether you're making use of an existing framework/engine with a built in update loop (as I did), or starting completely from scratch.

[JavaJack]

Board games are actually tough to do with the game engines of today, because all those engines are oriented around "what's happening this frame?". And if you want decent aesthetics with tweening, you have to mash up time-oriented stuff with non-time-oriented stuff. This has been the downfall of most of my attempted projects.

[vincentpresscod]

In my gamedev journey I've started out with a browser-based Tic-Tac-Toe, I didn't use any engine for this one. Then, I moved to Flappy Bird. After that I started making a metroidvania. I'm thinking of making an RTS next...

[NesiMP]

I actually feel like casual games are easier than board games like chess to program

[simondev]

I used to know a lot of guys at EA Canada, felt like from what they told me was working on it they mostly just copy pasted last years version + some small updates.

Building one from scratch however, yeah that would be complex.

[Dark]

Text-based games are probably the easiest in my opinion.

[c.d.dailey]

Thanks. This give a good overview on levels of game development. I never made a video game before. I wanted to make an RPG. I see that it is going to be on the hard end. However it is nice that turn based combat makes it easier. I prefer that method of comvat. It is easier. I am not into realism, 3D, multipkayer or online. That helps a lot. 3D is nice but it is better if I do that kater, when I am experienced.

[rolypk]

making rts, no need to balance for pvp, no need for 100 of units, i have about 5-10 units. vsing computer only, and set in space so no pathfinding. pretty easy so far

[TackerTacker]

I disagree with your list, here is mine:
- It depends

[KumsalObuz]

Thank you for this. Where would you put the game I'm working on? An outdoor gardening simulation game with realistic weather and geographical conditions that affect your garden's fate or demise depending on sunlight and climate conditions... The list goes on.

[dbbuchmann]

What about idle games? Aka NGU Idle, WAMI, etc? Adding a time element seems like it could be easy, or a complete pain. How do you rank idle games?

[samamies]

While most of the first half of video makes total sense.. once you got to shooters and onwards... am not sure if you followed your own videos idea and title anymore. How does "Which game genre should you start with" lead into simulators and MMOs? Tbh these shouldn't be even be listed even if you label them with warnings. Especially since there are so many genres you totally skipped over - there are more than 10-11 game genres out there. Sure you can slap horror games into walking simulators kinda... but that then adds complexity to the walking sim and thus its rank would go higher. Where are fighting games? They share some similarities with platformers but are still different genre and need a different approach (especially if you want to add mechanics such as combos and still make it all balanced). City builders? Surely you don't slap them in casual games as you need to create tech trees, logistics, probably some AI that has needs you need to fill - some city builders also have enemy factions competing against you. How about stealth games? They have some criteria you need for platformer but also similar AI that you'd need for FPS/arpg (finite states where ai acts differently when it hears/sees player). How about open world survival games? Its kinda like walking sim or arpg BUT you need a big world AND you need to fill it with something (hopefully) meaningful. And since it is survival you also need mechanics. Depending on approach you also might either need a story or if it is a sandbox then you need skills to add tools for player to use so that they can create their own fun. Personally i would had clumped less games in wide categories and made simpler list where you (i) only list games that a new game dev could pick.

[oldschewl]

Single-Player side-scrolling beat'em up with third-party game engine like Godot or Unity.
Where would that fall in your spectrum?

[DSKim-ejuf]

님의 유튜브 공간을 만나 감상할수 있게해준 알고리즘에게 감사드립니다.카페 창가앞에 보이는 벚꽃나무들. 그 화려했던 벚꽃들은 다 사라지고 그자리에 이젠 초록잎으로 울창하게 둘러쌓여 살랑살랑부는 아침봄바람에 조금씩 흔들 흔들 거리고 있어요. 오늘곡은 어덯게 편곡할까? 잠시 고민하면서 알고리즘이 소개해준대로 그냥 막 내려 보다가 문득 어딘가 썸내일이 괜찮게 눈에 띄어서 다시 위로올려 봤더니 님의 영상이였습니다. 쉽지않을텐데 열정이 대단하시네요.날마다 폰을열면 이렇게 많은 영상들을 만나고 좋은영상만나면 선택하고 때로는 지나치기도 하죠. 세상살이도 스쳐가는 많은 만남속에 내눈에 좋은사람을 만나면 자꾸 보고 싶은 마음이 드는것과 똑같다고 생각이 드는군요. 지금 님의영상을 잘 감상하게되어 감사한 마음으로 보잘것없고 아무런 영향력도 없지만 이렇게 무뢰하게 두서없이 댓글몇자 적어 보내드려도 괜찮으실련지요? 그누구든 직접 해보지 않으면 영상제작에 님의 이모든 노고를 알기 어려울거예요. 세상에 무얼하든 쉬운게 하나도 없는것 처럼요. 지금 순간에 님영상을 애청하시는 저 같은 구독자 님들이 있어서 님의 유튜브 삶이 얼마나 눈부시게 아름다운지 아시는지요? 누구보다 더 멋진사람은 이 영상을 만들기위해 온갖 정성과 노력과 수고를 다하신 바로 님 입니다. 앞으로도 님의 좋은영상 더 많이 만들어주세요. 세상사람 사는 거 다 똑같습니다. 유튜브를 조금 빨리했고 조금 늦게해서 내가 아직 덜 보여준 차이뿐인데 자꾸만 제 자신만 힘든거같고 제 자신만 더 조급해지는 고민은 다 쓸데없는 욕심에서 나온거 같아요. 어...? 막 적다보니 글이 너무 많아져서 불편하셨다면 죄송합니다.그 동안 꿈을 위해 노력해오신 만큼 꼭 크게 되시기를 바라며 동시에 님 채널이점차 발전하여 아주 큰 채널로 발전하기를 진심으로 제 마음정성 가득히 담은 칭찬과 응원을 드리렵니다.When you open your phone every day, you meet so many videos, and when you see a good one, you choose and sometimes pass by. I think it's the same thing I want to see if I meet a good person in my eyes in the midst of many meetings that pass through the world. I'm grateful that I have enjoyed your video now, and it is insignificant and has no influence. If anyone does not try it, it will be difficult to know all of your hard work in video production. It seems like there is nothing easy in the world no matter what you do. Do you know how dazzlingly beautiful your YouTube life is because there are subscribers like me who love your video at the moment? The person who is more wonderful than anyone is the very Nim who has done all kinds of sincerity, effort, and effort to make this video. Please make more good videos from you in the future. All the people in the world live the same way. I did YouTube a little sooner and I was a little late, so it's only the difference that I have shown less, but it seems that only myself is difficult, and the worries that only myself become more impatient seem to come from useless greed. I hope that your channel will gradually develop and develop into a very large channel as you have been working hard for your dream. I will. Thank you to the algorithm that made it possible to meet and appreciate your YouTube space, the cherry blossom trees in front of the cafe window. All those gorgeous cherry blossoms have disappeared, and now they are surrounded by green leaves, and they are swaying little by little in the morning spring breeze. How to arrange today's song? I thought about it for a while, and I just looked down as the algorithm introduced, and suddenly a thumbnail of the day came out nicely, so I tried to put it up again and it was your video. It won't be easy, but your passion is great. uh...? I'm sorry if I was uncomfortable because there were too many writings because I was just writing down.

[ColorauGuiyino]

Offtopic: You're from Canada, right? But you live in Japan?

[bagandtag]

The easiest game to make is the one that you just lost.ツ