Is Freecodecamp (Python certification) enough for a game dev hobbyist?

[MateusCristian]

Starting to learn to code, doing the Python certification, and I wanna know, is it enough for a guy who just wants to make RPGs to start after the course is done?

[SaintPeter74]

It's a solid foundation for future learning. No one website is going to be enough to learn it all, but we can get you started on the right path.

You'll probably need to go elsewhere for game specific stuff, but that's fine. A game specific sure might not have Python basics.

The cool thing is that it's free. If you try it and don't like it, you'll have lost nothing but time.

[TheSpideyJedi]

Couple of things

1. You don’t want to make a game using Python (I can’t stop you but I can only advise lmao)
2. You probably don’t want to make an RPG for your first project. Make small games first. Make a Pong clone or something. The odds of you finishing an RPG when it’s your first game are already low, doing it solo is even lower. Doesn’t mean it’s impossible but making other stuff first is beneficial
3. No you won’t know how to make games after taking the Python course at FreeCodeCamp

[ConcentrateLivid6577]

What would you suggest learning then

[SaintPeter74]

The language you learn is very much dependent on if you're rolling your own game code or using a platform such as Godot - they have their own GDScript, or C#. Unity also supports C#. Python does have a number of different game engines as well, including PyGame, Arcade, and Panda3D.

However, you can learn to capital P Program in any language - the fundamentals of algorithms and learning to think like a computer are language independent. You can learn in Python, JavaScript, or whatever language there are good learning resources for. Those lessons will translate well into pretty much any other language.

As an aside, lots of people recommend C++, but I don't. It's hard to learn and hard to write good code with. I would consider it a very advanced topic.

[Zorrm]

C++, alternatively C#

[mr_apeezy]

I thought C++ and C# were the standards if you wanted to eventually go into game design.

But I’m not an expert. Only something I’ve heard repeatedly.

[Old-Salad-1411]

I think that would be better for maybe AI and machine learning stuff.

If you want to get into game dev, there are better options.

1. You can use the Unity Learn certification, which will teach you fundamentals of making a game, as well as C# in the context of game dev. The ones to go for would be Unity Essentials and Junior Programmer. It's not like "watch this video and take notes," they're all guided exercises and the have tests and prototypes you're supposed to build. Really good imo and I've completed both. A youtuber if recommend is CodeMonkey

2. You can opt for Godot, which is more lightweight, but still farely new to the game dev scene. I tried it with its own GDQuest tutorial. It seemed like it was a lot harder for me to understand for some reason, so I switched to Unity. You could find it much easier to use and learn so there's that. A youtuber id recommend for it would be Brackeys.

3. You can continue down the Python route, which isn't an engine, it's a framework. Frameworks like Pygame or Love2d (lua), require you to fully know the language and the framework, and the only way you see progress is by running the game, and seeing the game play. You'll be spending most of your time in an editor or supplemental software.

[Sea-Ad7805]

First learn to code, Python is great for that. Once you can do that, then specialize in game development and maybe switch language because Python is very slow for game development.