About

Why I Created this Site

Hi there,

I’m Pat.

Like many of you, I have started to learn Unity and Game Maker a few years ago; I went through the (sometimes frustrating) process of buying books, looking at video tutorials on Unity website and on youtube, and learning from trial and error. I always found the interface quite daunting at the beginning, and it was only after a few weeks/months of digging more into Unity and Game Maker, that I finally “cracked it”; I started to become more comfortable with these Engines, their interface, and understood the links between the different screens, windows, how to create objects and add these (so useful) components in Unity, and how to properly interact with object through scripting and create a (yet simple) game from start to finish.

I have since learned more about Unity and Game Maker. However, I wish there had been resources to get me up to speed with the core functionality, so that I could refine my knowledge later-on. I always found that there was so much information out there that it was sometimes difficult to know which one to focus on initially (but this became clearer, ironically, later). Maybe some of you are in this situation right now and wish they could get in their Delorean to fast-forward a few years (and get this experience faster!). I wish this had been true for me (in addition to being a big fan of the movie). And this is the reason why I am creating resources that would have helped [a younger] me started fast with Unity and Game Maker, and also help new users who may face the same issues.

How I can help You

I have 5+ years of experience in teaching in both Universities and vocational training in the area of Game Development (Unity and game Maker) and Web Development. I have managed during this years to get students to either start Unity and Game Maker from Scratch and to bring them to a decent level of proficiency (i.e., first and second years ), or to get them ready for the marketplace (4th year). I have taught and supported my students from the initial frustrating stages (“this interface is so complicated…” to “I’ve just created an awesome game to compete in a Game Jam”) and I am eager to help you achieve the same. I have also worked with several teachers to help them integrate games in their classroom and obtain great results in terms of motivation and learning

This Site is for You If…

  • You want to get started with Unity and Game Maker fast and know the core functionality and more
  • You have no previous background in programming
  • You have not used Unity or Game Maker before
  • You are hungry to learn about these fantastic game engines
  • You are looking for a community of enthusiasts that can help you to stay motivated and complete this game you have always dreamt of…
  • You are a teacher who would like to use one of these game engines in the classroom to motivate your students and support their ICT and programming skills

If you are a Total Beginner…

For the total beginners with no (or little) coding experience who are just curious about how Unity works or want to start to create their own games, you will find information that will help you:

  • Start with Unity and Game MakerFast: start from scratch and become comfortable with the interface and the core functionality in less than 2 hours
  • Learn to code: LearnC#,  JavaScript, and Game Maker Language from scratch
  • Understand coding best practices: Learn how to structure and create your code to adhere to good standards from the beginning
  • Keep motivated along  the process: I will give you simple tips to stay motivated, to keep making progress and complete this game that you always wanted to publish
  • Learn step-by-step: use bite-sized tutorials that take you step-by-step from zero to proficiency
  • Practice your skills: complete small projects where you use your skills
  • Polish and optimize your game: create a portfolio and export it to the web
  • Move-on to more advanced topics: discover, using easy step-by-step tutorials how to network your game, export to mobile devices,
  • Create your own assets: Get to understand how to use third-party software to create your own assets (e.g., Audio or 3D)

If you already know Unity and Game Maker pretty well, but you are looking into becoming an Indie Developer or getting this dream job at a game Studio…

You will learn to:

  • Get ready for your dream job: you will have the opportunity to  access information that could help you land your dream job in the gaming industry, including interviews with game studios or overview of the skills you will need to get your job
  • Become more organized: learn how to keep motivated, complete and publish your game and portfolio, no matter what
  • Get to understand how to optimize your projects to gain time: once you know your way around Unity, you will get to optimize your code and learn the tools of the trade used by experienced developers