Developing and publishing a game is a monumental task that only those who persevere enough can truly achieve.

In this blog, I'm will discuss how I was able to develop a game in nine months, publish it on Steam, and ultimately earn real money.

## How it all started?

Developing a game is something that you don't learn in just a day. You learn it by continuously burning hours studying how to program, draw assets, incorporate sounds and music, test, debug, and so on.

I'll drop it here now so you'll have an idea where to learn game development. I learned it through Brackeys on YouTube. You can search him on YouTube, and you'll find tons of tutorials about game development.

The key is to follow and code alongside him as he progresses through his tutorials. I recommend starting with his tutorial on [how to make a video game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j48LtUkZRjU&list=PLPV2KyIb3jR53Jce9hP7G5xC4O9AgnOuL&index=1), as that's where I began.

## Developing your own unique game

![my game](https://image.solodevhub.com/solodevhub/mygame/mygame.webp)

There are many games in the world, and developing your own unique game is possible.

The concept of my game was inspired by my hometown. This is a place that I am so familiar with that I was able to easily incorporate the settings and design into the game.

![my-game-village-setting](https://image.solodevhub.com/solodevhub/mygame/village.webp)

The main character of the game was inspired by Lapu-Lapu, the first Filipino hero, who wielded a small sword known as a "bolo" or "tabak" in our local language.

As you can see, I was able to conceptualize what my game would look like by drawing inspiration from things or places that I inherently knew. So, maybe if you plan to start a game, think of something that you'd like to take inspiration from and start from there.

## Where to get game assets?

A game without artwork, sounds, and music is nothing. If you're skilled at drawing, then you can definitely create your own art and incorporate it into your game. That would be awesome, as some players like the novelty of a game, especially the unique art designs.

If, however, you are like me and aren't gifted at drawing things, then don't worry. There are a lot of free and paid assets to choose from.

Let's start with [itchi.io](https://itch.io/). It's an amazing online platform where you can find and share indie games for free!

I got some of my game assets from [ansimuz](https://ansimuz.itch.io/). Check out his assets; he has some of the most awesome 2D pixel art for any genre.

Another one that offers free assets for personal and commercial use is [Szadi art](https://szadiart.itch.io/). These creators are so awesome, don't you think?

If you're using Unity, you should definitely check out their [Unity Asset Store](https://assetstore.unity.com/). There are lots of free 2D, 3D, tools, music, etc. to get.

### What about the game sounds and music?

I got some of the background music and sounds from [https://www.zapsplat.com/](https://www.zapsplat.com/). They have over 125,000 stunning sound effects (SFX) and over 550 royalty-free music tracks free for commercial and noncommercial use.

That's mostly it. I think you can develop a good game using the free assets I have provided above, as I have done.

## Marketing the game

Believe it or not, marketing your game is one of the most important aspects of game development, alongside the actual development process.

If you want to publish your game on Steam and other online platforms, then the players should know about your game while it is still in development so you can gain ***wishlists***.

### What are Steam Wishlists?

According to Steamworks Documentation:

> Players can add your game to their wishlist on Steam to keep track of games they are interested in. When your game releases or goes on discount, those players automatically receive a notification.

When you have developed enough gameplay for a trailer and polished art assets, you should create a **Steam store page** ASAP.

The higher your wishlist on Steam pre-release, the higher the chance players will buy your game.

Some say this is not always the case, but it's better to have a metric of how many players would buy your game than nothing, right?

### Can you give a general idea as to how you marketed your game?

You have to post interesting stuff about your game almost every week to Reddit forums or subreddits about gamers and other social media platforms with which you're familiar. Don't forget to share your Steam store page to gain Steam wishlists.

I joined every game developer subreddit, like gamedev, indiedev, Unity subreddits, and so on.

## Publishing the game 

Before I published the game on Steam, I released the [beta version of the game ](https://naknamu.itch.io/the-golden-pearl) on [itch.io](https://itch.io/) to get some funding for the Steam release. 

My game's current gross revenue on itch.io is:
![my game's gross revenue in itch.io](https://image.solodevhub.com/solodevhub/mygame/itch_revenue.webp)

### How to publish a game on Steam?

To publish a game on Steam you need to pay around 100$. That is something I cannot afford as a broke developer. Fortunately, with the help and donations from fellow game developers, I was able to cover that fee and successfully publish it on Steam.

Truth be told, I simply followed their [documentation on how to publish on Steam](https://partner.steamgames.com/steamdirect). Their instructions were so straightforward and easy to comprehend that I was able to do it by myself without searching for help anywhere else. You just have to trust yourself and follow their guidelines. That's all it takes. 😅

You can check the Steam store page for my game by clicking on this link: [Steam Store Page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1753160/Legend_of_Labot_The_Golden_Pearl/#:~:text=Legend%20of%20Labot%3A%20The%20Golden%20Pearl%20is%20an%20action%20roguelike,relaxing%20nature%2Dinspired%20tropical%20setting!).

![my game store page](https://image.solodevhub.com/solodevhub/mygame/labot_steam.webp)

Thank you, and I hope you find success in your game as well. Happy coding!

How I Published a Game on Steam and Earned Money as A Solo Game Developer

Before I discuss something about me being an indie game developer, let's talk about the meaning of it.

## What is an indie game developer?

An indie game developer is a person or group of people who develop games independently on a very tight budget using their heart and soul.

Pretty definition, isn't it?

But it's actually true.

You know, when you are an indie game developer, you only have a few resources at your disposal, but you have to give them all to meet the players expectations as well as your own, obviously.

## So, how did I became an indie game developer?

It started when I was working as a Software Engineer for a certain company. That company is not related to the gaming industry or anything. It's a company that works on automotive products and services.

I was very happy that I got the job at that company because It's been my dream to finally be able to work there.

Anyway, days go by, and my enthusiasm has fairly declined. I began to despise working in a close environment like an office.

I wanted to work, but not in a stationary environment. I wanted to do my job but, at the same time, go to places wherever I wanted to go.

That's when I accidentally watched a YouTube video about an indie game developer who loves what he does and earns a good amount of money.

I thought to myself, "That is what I really want to do!".

After days of thinking about it, I finally took a leap of faith and left a good-paying job to pursue indie game development.

## The road to indie game development.

At that time, I really had no idea how to become an indie game developer.

There are a ton of tutorials online on how to build a game, but there is no standard way to become one.

For instance, there are many game engines to choose from, like Unreal Engine, Unity, Godot, RPG Maker, PyGame, libGDX, and a lot more!

How the hell would you know which is the best among all of this so you can start building a game?

Well, for me, I chose one and started building a game using it.

## My first game

At that time, I didn't have a computer. I was broke. I only have a mobile phone. But that didn't stop me from learning how to build a game.

First, I started learning the Java programming language. I was able to easily learn the language because I already knew the C and C++ programming languages from my previous work.

I built a game using libGDX on my phone and posted about it on a Reddit forum for indie game developers.

![A screenshot of my post on a forum about my game built using a phone](https://image.solodevhub.com/solodevhub/i-am-an-indie-game-developer/game-using-phone.webp) 

Spoiler alert! It's not great or mind-blowing compared to games published today, but I was very happy with the outcome of my first game. 😁

## I found Brackeys Youtube Channel

I don't recommend building a game using just your phone. You need a decent computer to build a decent game.

That is why, using the earnings I had from my previous job, I bought a second-hand laptop from an online store to quench my hunger to build games.

That is when I found a great YouTube channel called Brackeys that teaches game development using the Unity game engine.

[![Brackeys Youtube Channel](https://markdown-videos-api.jorgenkh.no/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dj48LtUkZRjU)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j48LtUkZRjU)

His approach to learning game development was so good that I was able to comprehend even the complex stuff.

I was able to deploy a game on the Google Play Store thanks to him.

## I began building my own game

When I felt that I had enough learning tutorials, I began to build my own game using Unity.

I wanted to build a game that reflected who I am. I carefully planned and designed what I was going to build before implementing it.

My ultimate goal was to publish it on Steam.

I am not good at drawing but I love to code. Therefore, I used some free assets available online to make up for it. I gathered assets from [itch.io](https://itch.io/) and the [Unity Asset Store](https://assetstore.unity.com/). 

It took me almost nine months to finally complete the game and publish it on Steam. I thought I could build it in four months, but I was totally mistaken.

![My own game published on Steam](https://image.solodevhub.com/solodevhub/mygame/labot_steam.webp)

To be honest, It's not good compared to AAA games released today, and there are some bugs to fix. But I was very happy and content, and I learned a ton building that game; therefore, it was totally worth it.

Thus began my journey as an indie game developer.

## The road ahead

Publishing the game on Steam was just the beginning.

The road to indie game development is definitely very hard, but it's totally worth it as long as I enjoy doing it.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed and learned something from my story. Cheers!

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