You’re here because want to make games, Game development isn’t just about coding – it’s about problem-solving, creativity, and structuring your ideas in a way that makes them playable. Learning to think like a game developer, who you will eventually become, will help you approach challenges logically and iterate on your ideas efficiently.

Break Problems into Smaller Parts

Games are complex systems, but developers don’t build them all at once. They break big problems into smaller, manageable pieces. For example:

Instead of thinking, “I need to make a player character,” break it down into:

  • What abilities will the character have?
  • How will the character interact with the environment?
  • What animations are needed?
  • How will the character respond to obstacles?
  • How does the player progress?

Practicing this kind of breakdown will make it easier to solve problems when you start coding. Try applying this technique to other areas, like enemy/NPC AI behavior or level design.

Embrace Logic and Systems Thinking

Game development is about building reusable systems that interact with each other. To give you an example, legendary Super Mario Bros. has multiple systems at play:

  • A physics system that handles Mario’s movement, jumping, and gravity
  • Player input that controls Mario’s running, jumping, and actions
  • Enemy AI that dictates how Goombas and Koopas behave
  • A collision system that determines interactions with platforms, enemies, and power-ups
  • A scoring system to track points and rewards
  • Level progression that ensures Mario moves through different worlds and challenges

Understanding that games are made up of interconnected chunks should help you approach development with the right perspective. To practice, I have created an analysis and a mechanics break down of Celeste. Try to make one yourself.

Get Comfortable with Debugging

No game is perfect on the first try and sometimes not even on last. Bugs and unexpected behaviors are a normal part of development. Learning how to debug efficiently is an essential skill. Start practicing by:

  • Reading and understanding error messages
  • Testing small parts of a system before adding more complexity
  • Using print statements or debugging tools to track what’s happening in your code
  • Asking yourself: What changed recently that could have caused the issue?
  • Looking for patterns in when and how bugs appear
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Not all bugs are bad. Interesting effects might be worth implementing as features.

Think About the Player Experience

Great games aren’t just functional—they’re fun and engaging. Even before you start coding, consider:

  • Challenge: How difficult should the game be? Is it fair?
  • Feedback: How does the player know they’re doing well (or failing)?
  • Flow: Does the game feel smooth and responsive?
  • User Interface: Is the information presented clearly and intuitively?
  • Engagement: What keeps players coming back for more?

Thinking about these elements early will make your development process much smoother. Play games from the same genre of you own game and analyze how they handle these aspects.

Start Sketching Your Ideas

You don’t need to know how to code to start working on game concepts. Many developers sketch out their ideas first. Try:

  • Drawing rough level layouts
  • Writing down simple game mechanics
  • Creating a flowchart of how different parts of the game interact
  • Making paper prototypes to test game mechanics before coding
  • Describing a game idea in one sentence to keep it focused
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Documenting those aspects can get you started on creating a Game Design Document.

Develop a Problem-Solving Mindset

Game development is full of challenges, but every problem has a solution. Instead of getting frustrated, train yourself to ask:

  • What exactly is happening?
  • Why is this happening?
  • What possible solutions can I try?
  • Can I simplify the problem into smaller parts?
  • Has someone else solved a similar issue before?

The best game developers aren’t the ones who never make mistakes—they’re the ones who know how to troubleshoot and learn from them. Joining online communities or reading about common game dev challenges can help you improve your problem-solving skills.

Wrap-up

Thinking like a game developer means breaking down problems, understanding systems, debugging effectively, considering the player experience, and structuring your ideas before coding. By developing this mindset early, you’ll be much better prepared when you start actually building games.

In the next article, we’ll dive into game design basics to help you understand how to craft compelling gameplay experiences before you start programming. Stay tuned!

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