Best of Game Development — May 2025
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Hacker News·50w
Making Video Games in 2025 (without an engine)
The post discusses the advantages of creating video games without relying on large commercial engines like Unity and Unreal. It highlights personal experiences of using smaller frameworks and open-source libraries such as SDL3 for game development. The author prefers using C# for its performance, accessibility, and modern features, and stresses the importance of controlling the development stack for small indie teams. Tools for rendering, audio, and asset management are examined, with a nod to cross-platform capabilities and the transition to Linux for development.
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Codrops·49w
Deconstructing the 35mm Website: A Look at the Process and Technical Details
A technical breakdown of building an interactive 3D camera website using Three.js, covering edge detection with Sobel operators, mesh highlighting through render targets and raycasting, and scroll-triggered film roll animations. The tutorial demonstrates custom shader development, post-processing effects, and advanced WebGL techniques for creating engaging 3D web experiences.
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PolyMars·51w
Anything You Code, I'll Pay For!
Four game developers attempt to recreate classic video games within 12 hours, using different programming languages and tools. Each developer selected a game to remake, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Legend of Zelda. The winner received a VR headset and games, while challenges and creative improvisations marked the process.
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Game Developers·1y
My Game Development Journey: Finding My Path
The author shares their journey from studying economics to pursuing game development, highlighting challenges such as tutorial dependency and finding a better approach through hands-on experience. They focus on Unity development, C# programming, and math, emphasizing the importance of documenting learning and taking a focused approach.
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Game Developer·49w
Cult Flash game revived after programmer rescues source code from kid's laptop
Angelos Mako, a Greek highschooler, successfully revived the cult Flash game Dungeon Rampage by locating its source code on a programmer's old laptop. The game, popular on Facebook before its shutdown, faced challenges due to outdated technology but is being modernized with support from Gamebreaking Studios. Efforts are underway to transition the game to a premium model with ongoing updates. This revival highlights broader efforts to preserve Flash games, which offer historical and educational value in game development.
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What is meant by developing a videogame from scratch?
A beginner C++ developer asks about creating games from scratch without using existing game engines. They're curious about the role of graphics APIs like OpenGL and Vulkan in low-level game development and seek expert guidance on the complete process of building games from the ground up.
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Why old games never die (but new ones do)
Modern video games often become obsolete due to server shutdowns, microtransactions, and lack of modding support, whereas older games maintain longevity through compatibility, dedicated player communities, and player-hosted servers. To ensure new games have lasting appeal, developers should focus on offline functionality, mod support, and giving players more control over game environments.
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80 LEVEL·51w
This One Fab User Has Over 38,000 AI-Generated Assets
Epic Games' Fab marketplace has been criticized for being overrun with AI-generated assets, with one user alone contributing over 38,000. This has led to difficulties in finding quality human-made assets and has raised questions about Fab's approval process. Digital artists and developers are frustrated by the unchecked spread of AI content in this marketplace.
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Ex-Bethesda Developer Explains Why It Doesn't Move to Unreal
Bethesda's reliance on its proprietary Creation Engine for games like Starfield is rooted in the complexities and unique requirements of their game development process. Former studio lead Dan Nanni explains the difficulties in switching to Unreal Engine, emphasizing the need for custom solutions and highlighting issues such as maintaining open-ended structures and accommodating modding. While Creation Engine 2 offers improvements, common problems like loading screens persist due to engine limitations. A transition to Unreal is seen as inevitable yet challenging, with the potential impact on modders being a significant consideration.
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Venture Beat·49w
Solo dev Adam Kugler reveals fantasy automation game MoteMancer
Adam Kugler, a former Blizzard game director, has unveiled MoteMancer, a fantasy puzzle game where alchemy meets logistics. Players automate ecosystems using magical structures across six elemental planes. Each plane has unique resources, requiring players to solve logistics puzzles and defend against Entropy. Kugler, inspired by indie games and eco-friendly themes, developed the game almost solo, with contributions from freelancers, focusing on creating a dynamic and interconnected world.
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Dev Squad·51w
Introducing Chess-V ♟️ A New Way to Play Chess with Live Video and Voice
Chess-V introduces a new way to play chess by integrating live video and voice interactions. It offers a unique gaming experience, allowing players to communicate directly during matches. Users are encouraged to try the game and provide feedback for improvements.
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Gamefromscratch·49w
M*rder Engine - Amazing C# Game Engine ...Stupid Name
A review of the unique C# game engine 'M*rder Engine' highlights its innovative features and challenges. The engine, suitable for skilled developers, uses an Entity Component System (ECS) architecture and is built on top of FNA, a reimplementation of Microsoft's XNA. Despite its capabilities, the engine lacks comprehensive documentation, making it difficult for beginners. It has been used to create an award-winning game and is praised for its robustness, though the naming and UI design could be improved.
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LogRocket·1y
Best JavaScript and HTML5 game engines (updated for 2025)
Discover the top JavaScript and HTML5 game engines for developing browser-based and mobile games. Explore a variety of options including Three.js for 3D rendering, Pixi.js for 2D graphics, and Phaser for cross-platform game development. Learn about each engine's strengths, licensing, and community support to find the best fit for your game development needs. The guide provides detailed comparisons and tutorials to help you get started with each engine.
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Chrome Developers·50w
What's New in WebGPU (Chrome 137)
Chrome 137 introduces several updates and features to WebGPU, including the use of GPUTextureView for externalTexture binding, allowing buffer copies without offsets and sizes, and enhancements to WGSL workgroupUniformLoad. It also highlights changes in GPUAdapterInfo attributes and the removal of some experimental options. Dawn updates improve WebGPU development with new bindings and compatibility improvements.
