Doing AAA games takes huge resources but you can do smaller games on a lot less. If you’re into programming you can develop games, and some simple hobbyist games like 2048 have been very popular.

If you have $12 to spend then I can recommend a tutorial series for you which you can buy on itch io. It’s in ‘c’ but you can easily transfer the skills to Python and everything is much nicer. I only recommend c for foundation skills. I respect the old skool methods - it may open your mind.

If you’re still young then I want to convince you that it’s worth your time. You don’t need to be very smart to make simple programs but you can save yourself time and frustration by avoiding stupid mistakes. I know a guy in Australia who can motivate you on this, I sometimes voice call him on Signal.

I no longer prioritise software any more because I’m focused on simply surviving. I’m too old to care any more lol. That said, I do have plans to film interviews with people who work in this field. I’m thinking about doing code review videos and discussions about how to be a good programmer, but not from a heavily commercial pperspective (I hate those endlessly positive videos on youtube who want you to think that anyone can succeed in the industry and become wealthy). I don’t know how viable the industry is any more and I just want to make hobby videos and encourage people to find a path that works for them. I think gamedev is one of the best paths for learning software, unless you want to make web apps instead.

Try it, if you are having fun that’s pretty much all that matters.

Also, don’t expect to have the production value of a AAAAA $800,000,000 development team, even if you do use AI. There’s only so much one developer can do, no matter how sharp they are. There were tons of awesome single developer and very small team games that came out of the 1980s - so, if you can get happy with 8 bit style you might just surprise yourself.

I mean yeah, its a good creative outlet.

Its relatively simple to get started, just download godot or unreal engine and try a template, and just start messing with it. You’ll know quickly if its your jam or not.

Game dev is much more about creativity than technical excellence, for the average hobbyist. So I’d say it’s actually a good hobby to get into if you’re “not the sharpest tool in the shed”. You could even go down a no-code approach like with RPG Maker, if you’re averse to coding.

Do it! The barrier to entry for gamedev is ridiculously low with something like Unity or Godot, and nowadays you can make a complete game with 100% open-source tools.

You’d be amazed at what you can make! :) I am not formally trained, and picked up a tonne from doing (and youtube) - smarts be darned, I have fun! :) If there’s a game you’d like to make or look into how it’s put together, I find it to be a fun hobby definitely.

it’s a very cheap hobby, as the big three (Godot, Unity, and Unreal) all are free to use (the latter two have commercial costs, but godot is open-source), so I love it for that too! :) There’s no equipment needed either, I even have godot installed on my phone because I can! :)

I’m a unity dev, so that’s my wheelhouse. Unity offer handy lessons to help you pick up how things work, but both godot and unity are okay once you overcome “whoah lots of things! send help!”. I’ve not used unreal, but I gather the building-block scripting “blueprints” is easy enough. :)

Whatever you choose to get up to, hope you have fun!

Or are there better hobbies out there for newcomers to the hobby space? I know most of you will say do what you enjoy, the thing is im not sure what i enjoy.

well, only one way to find out! grab yourself a copy of godot engine and give making a little game a shot
there are a lot of tutorials on youtube and elsewhere that will help you get your feet wet

Hobby? Absolutely!

Just don’t expect any money out of it. At all. If you DO get money out of it, consider yourself very lucky. Do it for fun first and foremost.

Grab godot, grab some tutorials, make something. It really is that simple. Just set your expectations. Your games will be closer to Pong for a while but there’s nothing wrong with that.

If you don’t know what you enjoy the only way to find out is to try things, and it’s never been easier to try making a game. If you have zero programming experience whatsoever I’d say start here: https://gdquest.github.io/learn-gdscript/

I know most of you will say do what you enjoy, the thing is im not sure what i enjoy.

Well, I suppose there’s one way to find out: give it a try!

Why not?

You say you’re not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I think gamedev is a good way to learn a variety of skills. And doing it as a hobby takes a lot of pressure off and allows you to take things at your own pace.

Yes but also no. For me it kind of killed other games because I suddenly started looking at stuff like assets and how much effort was put into them. Gamedevs can put so much detail into stuff the average user does not notice at all.

Well, of course it’s a good hobby. Does it work for you? I don’t know.

I’ve been building random stuff for years. It has never amounted to a finished project, but I still keep doing it just because it’s fun to make things do things on screen. I didn’t start out as the sharpest tool either, but I’ve been getting better.

If you really enjoy it, I think you’ll just keep coming back.

Even if you dont like it, no harm in trying it. Worst case you find you dont wanna do it and move on to something else.

You can start with something like pico-8 or a free engine of which there are a ton: https://lexaloffle.itch.io/pico-8

Me personally, ive been trying Godot and its kinda hard to get into, but I may try something else like RPG maker or what not just to get my ideas on paper so to speak.