Game development and design is an exciting and sought-after skill – with the video game market size expected to reach $372 billion this year. The demand for computer and information technology jobs is set to increase by 15 percent from 2021 to 2031 – faster than the average for all occupations. Thanks to this booming market, more and more people are interested in learning coding skills, whether young or old.
Due to this demand, online learning platforms such as GameDev.tv and Zenva are offering students access to quality learning from the comfort of their homes.
So, is GameDev.tv worth it? In this article, we’ll undertake a full review of the GameDev.tv platform, and also look at how it stacks up against other competition.
Table of contents
What is GameDev.tv?
Gamedev.tv provides online courses for those looking to learn the art of game development. Teaching subjects such as development and design, with a specialty in indie games, GameDev.tv offers a ton of highly ranked online courses – offered through their own platform and other platforms such as Udemy.
Boasting over a million students, Gamedev.tv offers courses on Unity, Blender, and Unreal, as well as coding in C#, C++, and more.
GameDev.tv’s online courses are aimed at beginners looking to learn how to code, giving their learners the opportunity to build and design their own indie games. You don’t need to have prior knowledge of game development to start a GameDev.tv course, so it isn’t hard to see why GameDev.tv is a popular choice amongst coding enthusiasts.
What courses does GameDev.tv offer?
GameDev.tv has over 50 courses available to learners, ranging from RPG coding to 2D character design. Unlike some platforms that focus on one game engine, GameDev.tv offers courses on both Unity and Unreal Engine – along with other courses to boost your C# and C++ coding for the engines (respectively). Both options are regarded as the top choice for game developers.
However, alongside this, GameDev.tv also offers courses on related subjects. This includes a large library of 3D modeling courses with Blender – a skill many indie devs choose to pursue as solo developers. Beyond this, they also have courses on other practical skills, such as math for games or finding professional careers.
Every GameDev.tv course comes with a beginner-friendly introduction with details on how to install the game engine. Each course features comprehensive lesson segments from qualified instructors and gives learners access to the community support forum for additional help. GameDev.tv also offers a Discord chat server, where you can sometimes enjoy live community events.
Some of the courses available on GameDev.tv include:
- Blender Environment Artist. A hands-on Blender class focusing on landscape environments with 3D models.
- C++ Fundamentals: Game Programming For Beginners. A course teaching everything you could want to know about C++ (and how it works for games).
- Complete C# Unity Game Developer 2D Online Course. This course focuses on teaching the foundations of 2D development with Unity.
- Unity Mobile C# Developer Course. A course focused on mobile development, going from scratch to publishing an monetization.
- Unity Visual Scripting: Learn Programming The Easy Way. A course focuses on Unity’s visual scripting service so you can make games with no coding.
- Complete Drawing Course: Create Video Game Concept Art. A course showing you how to design game art from scratch using traditional drawing fundamentals.
- Unity Multiplayer: Intermediate C# Coding & Networking. As the title suggests, this course focuses on some of the more complicated aspects of multiplayer development.
How do GameDev.tv courses compare to others?
All this said, it’d be a disservice to say GameDev.tv’s course offerings are one of a kind.
Zenva, for example, also specializes in courses on Unity and Unreal Engine, and includes other courses for game art with tools such as Blender and Photoshop. Zenva even offers whole curriculums such as the Unity Game Development Mini-Degree, Unreal Game Development Mini-Degree, and Game Artwork Academy. In so doing, they take the guesswork out of “where to go next” in terms of your learning path.
However, Zenva goes beyond this, and also offers courses on popular topics such as Godot, Python, web development, and more!
Likewise, Zenva offers comparable features to GameDev.tv, including:
- Access to expert course mentors for assistance with courses
- Beginner-friendly courses
- Highly qualified instructors – including Unity Certified instructors and industry professionals
Did we also forget to mention Zenva has 250+ courses for you to learn from?
Regardless, while GameDev.tv has a lot to offer, course variety is actually not its strong suit.
What age range is GameDev.tv designed for?
GameDev.tv caters to people from all ages and backgrounds – from complete novices to established coders. All communities operating on GameDev.tv are PG-13 friendly, with the team describing themselves as ‘an all ages community’.
However, in practicality, much of GameDev.tv’s content may be too high-level for younger learners. And yes, this includes both their intermediate/advanced courses and their beginner-level courses.
To example, while Unity is often very popular in formal schools, most teachers won’t even touch it until grade 8 – and even then it’s usually older high school students who are considered skilled enough to handle Unity even from a beginner’s perspective. This is not to mention topics like C++, which is generally considered a language often too difficult even for high school students.
Of course, this is not a universal truth. Some kids excel at coding right away (just as some adults never click with coding in their lifetimes). As a general rule of thumb, though, it is still worth keeping in mind that the courses are not necessarily made for kids.
This said, not all is lost. For example, and as mentioned, learners that need extra support can benefit from excellent community support from fellow course enrollers. The courses can also be taken at whatever speed is needed, so younger learners can take time to go through each module.
Before we move on, it’s worth noting this is one of the areas where course variety really hurts GameDev.tv. To example again, because Zenva is able to offer courses on more than just Unity and Unreal Engine, their courses are much more suitable for younger audiences. In particular, their Jr Coder Mini-Degree, which focuses on Scratch and even includes some game development aspects, is suitable for kids as young as grade 3. Thus, GameDev.tv has fierce competition in this area.
Is GameDev.tv suitable for homeschooling?
The short answer: yes.
GameDev.tv courses are designed to be taken at home at your own pace. With a structured learning environment and designated instructors to guide you through the process, GameDev.tv is perfect for learners that need a pathway to guide them through their learning objectives.
GameDev.tv also offers bundles that include multiple courses, making it easy for parents to collect several courses at once to cover a full semester or two of learning.
However, as a cascading effect, because GameDev.tv is not the most suitable for every age group, it may not be a great platform unless your children are already in high school.
Similarly, other competition may be better in this arena. Zenva offers much of the same that GameDev.tv can offer in terms of homeschooling, including:
- Self-paced, at-home learning
- Structured learning paths
- 250+ courses for coverage
However, due to the wider library, Zenva also excels a bit more in this area because it can reach younger kids – making it a better platform for multiple different grades.
Again, though, GameDev.tv is a great choice depending on your circumstances, so this may come down to your personal needs.
Is GameDev.tv expensive?
GameDev.tv courses are can range from inexpensive to expensive depending on your learning needs and when exactly you look. At their default retail price, courses range from $27-$200 depending on topic – with heavier-duty game development courses running for more. Bundles on average cost a little north of $400 – again depending on how many courses are in the bundle.
That said, this depends on the when you look – GameDev.tv often runs deep, deep sales, thus it’s very easy to pick up courses for less than $50.
How does GameDev.tv’s cost compare to other platforms?
GameDev.tv is fairly average compared to other platforms in terms of price. However, it may not be the most cost-effective for your needs. While many people prefer to “own” their courses, costs add up quickly when you need to purchase several courses in order to get what you need.
In comparison, other platforms like Zenva – which offers a low monthly or yearly fee for their entire 250+ catalog, may be a more suitable option.
Is GameDev.tv worth it?
In our opinion, GameDev.tv is only worth it for learners looking for a niche of topics within game development, with a format based on extremely long courses. This is where the platform’s specialty lies, and it’s where their courses tend to be well-received.
Plenty of other platforms out there are often better suited, such as:
GameDev.tv vs Zenva
As we’ve covered throughout the article, GameDev.tv and Zenva are both excellent learning platforms with guided learning and structured modules by professional instructors. Both platforms:
- Offer course support – GameDev.tv through community support forums and Zenva through expert mentors
- Have a variety of courses on Unity, Godot, Unreal Engine, and game art
- Have self-paced, online learning to suit any schedule
- Are beginner-friendly while also working for experience developers
- Cater to many different age groups
However, there are key differences between the two, namely:
- Zenva has a significantly wider catalog of content within game development
- In terms of coverage of both Godot and Unity, Zenva offers a much more extensive catalog
- GameDev.tv, as most Udemy vendors, focus on maximizing the “hours of video” required to learn a given topic. Zenva, with a subscription model, prefers a more modular approach with the goal of delivering skills in the shortest possible time
- The pricing structures are vastly different
- Offers extra features we didn’t mention previously – such as text summaries of the videos, interactive content, quizzes and full PDF guides of every courses, so you can learn how you want
While the choice always depends on your needs, we believe Zenva stands a bit stronger from the wider catalog and more courses in general comparatively to learn from. The more languages and tools developers have, the more appealing their results often are.
GameDev.tv Review Wrap up
GameDev.tv is a strong contender in today’s world for anyone wanting to learn game development. Honing in on the two most popular platforms – Unreal Engine and Unity – there is a lot to be learned that can get you started as a game developer. Their Blender collection is also quite astounding and focused to help you get all the skills you need even as a solo indie artist.
However, it’s not the only platform out there. If you’re interested in going deeper into game development, or in learning with more modular courses, Zenva has a lot more to offer in that realm. Zenva also has courses on Godot – which is quickly becoming a strong competitor to Unity and Unreal Engine.
Your learning journey is yours to decide – but we hope this review helps ease the way!
Did you come across any errors in this tutorial? Please let us know by completing this form and we’ll look into it!
FINAL DAYS: Unlock coding courses in Unity, Godot, Unreal, Python and more.
