Welcome to my blog! If you’ve not been here before, I’m Ninichi, a freelance video game music composer based in the UK. I work with independent game developers all over the world creating original music for their wonderful creations! I also maintain this blog where I try to share some of my experiences with you as well as trying to draw in knowledge and resources that I come across within the game development industry to share with you. The aim here is to try and build a resource that you can turn to when in need and that can support and help you through your game development journey.
This blog has been going for a few years now and so I thought that it could be useful to highlight and summarise some of the most popular resource lists and to pull them together in this blog so it’s easy for everyone to get to. So, here goes…
1. 11 Awesome Places for Game Developers to Learn Unity & Programming
Unity is an incredibly popular game building engine that many independent game developers choose to use. That’s why I created this blog to help list a wide range of training resources, tutorials and online schools where you can access great learning tools to help you get a grasp of Unity’s game development programming language and platform.
2. 17 Great Place to Find Free Game Art
Art and graphics plays a really important role in all games. If you have the means to create custom art yourself or to work with a game artist to do this, it is definitely something worth exploring and investing in. However, there are also a wide range of resources with ready-made art that can be useful to be aware of and explore. Check out the sites I found which offer free art for video games.
3. 12 Great Places to Find Sound Effects for Your Game
Another area where people often struggle and also where some people ask me for help and ideas is sound effects. Since I create the music for games, I know how important it is to get the sound and mood right for each area of a game. Finding the right sound effects is often key to creating the effect and experience that you want. Explore these resources to see if you can find the sound effects you need to make your game great! I would also recommend hiring a sound designer too if you want custom sound effects or are looking for something a bit more specific for your game.
4. 10 Awesome Source of Funding and Grants for Your Indie Game
As an indie game developer, finding a way to fund your game is often a real challenge. This is a common theme but there are resources out there to help which is why I decided to research a few options and pull them together in this article. Check out what funding opportunities and grants might be available to help you develop your game.
5. 10 Crowdfunding Platforms to Consider for Your Indie Project
I’ve seen many indie games become successful through launching a crowdfunding project and have been involved in a few myself as well - for example helping to create the music for trailers and prototype games as they prepare for their Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaigns. There are however, many different platforms which handle crowdfunding and so explore this list to see what might be the best option for you.
6. 10 Places to Find Beta Testers for Your Indie Game
Before releasing your game it is often a really good idea to make sure you get it tested and that you get some initial feedback from potential players. This will help to iron out any potential bugs and issues with your game and give you the opportunity to fine tune it before sharing your game with the general public. Here are some places where you can find willing and eager beta testers for indie games.
7. 16 Indie-Friendly Indie Game Publishers
This is one of my most read resource lists! Once your game has been developed and is ready for the big wild world to see, you may want to get help in publishing it. However, as a small indie game studio or indie game developer, it may not be obvious where to start. Here, I’ve tried to collate a range of game publishers that I could find that seem to be focused on supporting indie games and indie game developers.
8. 11 Places to Publish and Release Your Indie Game
Knowing what to do with and where to release your game once it’s ready can challenging, especially if this is your very first game! It’s a super exciting time though and many congratulations to getting to this stage. There are many ways to get your game out there without a publisher. Check out your options in this article and good luck!
About the author: Ninichi is a freelance UK-based indie game music composer. She works with indie game developers and indie filmmakers to create soundtracks for video games, film & media. She can compose in a wide range of styles & loves getting involved in new projects. Find out more about her game music or royalty free music and contact her to discuss your project and music needs.
Follow her @ninichimusic
