Game Development Essentials - GDE Series

01/01/2026

We don’t just play the game; we study the rules so we can rewrite them. This year, let’s learn, adapt, and transform the world together.

12/24/2025

In the spirit of the season, let’s remember that play is one of the most powerful ways we connect, learn, and grow. May your holidays be full of curiosity and discovery.

12/20/2025

The labor behind a seamless UI or a perfectly balanced mechanic is what makes the magic happen. Cheers to the game makers!

12/19/2025

Doom developers at id Software have successfully voted to unionize in a bid for better working conditions, benefits, and agency of the studio's use of AI.

12/17/2025

Veteran developer Tim Cain argues that modern creators should embrace the “forgotten wisdom” of the 1980s – where hardware limitations forced developers to prioritize hyper-efficient code and pure gameplay. He suggests that today’s developers can achieve better-executed games by moving away from “design by committee” and returning to the focused storytelling and simple goals of the retro era.

– Joe Foley on Creative Bloq

Fallout designer Timothy Cain reveals the "forgotten wisdom" of retro games.

12/11/2025

Co-founder Romain de Waubert de Genlis reflects on a deal that was over a year in the making – and the advantages of being a nimble independent

12/11/2025

In the summer of 2012, ROUTINE was revealed at the largest video gaming convention in the world Gamescom, but after well over a decade later it has yet to make it into the hands of players. In the coming weeks, that’s all about to change, and as I sat down with two of the game’s three developers...

12/10/2025

Longer game development cycles are often blamed on unwieldy technology, but industry veterans have revealed that poor leadership habits like slow decision-making, failure to trust employees, and the inability to understand development realities are the true bottlenecks. These behaviors, such as circular iteration (where content is approved and then discarded) or demanding sudden changes based on playing competitor games ultimately slow timelines and create pressure for unsustainable crunch.

– Game Developer's Bryant Francis

No tool—AI or otherwise—can speed up game development if leaders don't rise to the occasion.

12/05/2025

That explains it.

12/03/2025

Hades is an essential case study for game development students because its design prioritizes the player experience by making failure feel like progress, respecting player time, and achieving deep narrative integration.

– Tech4Gamers' Salman Fareed

Learn why Hades is a must-study game for development students, from its gameplay loop to art and storytelling, and how its design can improve your own projects.

12/03/2025

Not to be confused with Time Crisis, which conveniently would have been a good example for this article.

12/02/2025

Solo dev Chi Hu's tells us how he made Drifted so atmospheric.