If you’re interested in Game Development then you’ve no doubt stumbled upon the Unity Real-Time Development Platform game engine in your travels. If you haven’t, or if you simply want to know more, then let me introduce you to the Unity Real-time Development Platform. Often referred to as Unity, Unity 3D, or the Unity Game Engine, this tool has quickly become a mainstay in the development world. Since being launched back in 2005, it has built a certain amount of ubiquity that could surprise some given that it’s not backed by a game studio that has released some of our most popular games.

Over the years, Unity has picked up more and more features, all while refining those that already existed. As of now, what was once the Unity 3D Game Framework is now a multi-use tool that is used in many different industries. It’s used for rendering professional or hobbyists images and videos. Architects can use Unity 3D to bring their blueprints into a much more visual medium, allowing them to then get more interest from their potential investors. It has uses in Film, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Gambling and so many more industries. It has truly become a force of its own.

Slowly but surely this juggernaut, through its accessibility, and numerous training courses has wormed its way through a huge chunk of the game development world. Now, not only do they continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible with a unified game development framework, they’re taking their software and pushing for you to be able to use it for many other purposes. It’s safe to say that Unity 3D is no longer just a game development framework, but rather a multi-purpose tool, more akin to something like the Microsoft Office Suite of products. It’s ubiquity will see it get ever more market share as time goes on.

How Do I Learn to Use the Unity Real-Time Development Platform?

As with all things, the biggest advice you’re going to hear online is for you to practice. However, learning Unity in 2021 comes with the serious advantage that training material is absolutely everywhere! Not the least of these sources is Unity’s very own, Unity Learn!

I’m going to be upfront with you about a very common question that you’ll hear when it comes to Unity Development. No you do NOT need to subscribe to Unity Plus if you are just starting out. While you should always read the terms and conditions on anything you sign up for, as of writing you don’t even need to subscribe to Unity Plus in order to sell your game. Take the time to learn game development before you sink too much money into it. Not only will that let you feel less guilty for not quickly getting your game on the shelf, but it will also help you to really learn the underlying mechanics of game development, and really get to know which assets will be most beneficial to you.

A common truth when it comes to game development is that everyone has a unique skillset. Not only that, but even if you try to learn everything there is to know about game development, there’s a really good chance that you will still have some things that you excel at more than others. That’s completely okay and expected. If you take the time to work through the Tutorials on Unity Learn, then you’ll really get to know which assets you’ll be better off spending money on, and which ones you can live without and build yourself. Myself, I end up spending my money on Music and Sound Effects because for me these are the most difficult aspects of video game creation to get right. You? You might be a modern-day Mozart. Only you know, and you’ll know more when you’ve completed the tutorials.

I recommend that you work your way through the tutorials on Unity Learn (Affiliate Link) or simply navigate to Unity’s website and access the Learning Portal. The learning portal is free as of the writing of this article. Once on the learning site, spend your time working through the many tutorials there. Do you have to finish them all to learn how to use Unity 3D absolutely not! Are you going to be better off the more you complete? Yes, yes you will.

Should I Subscribe to Unity Plus?

Once you’ve become comfortable with Unity and built a few projects, know that you will likely want to release your game. This is when it comes time to decide whether or not you want to put the money down on Unity Plus (Affiliate Link). It is not required until you hit a certain income threshold, but there are several reasons that you may want to subscribe beforehand:

Unity Plus Grants Access To:

• Unity’s Ad and Monetization Framework;
• In depth cloud diagnostics to see how your game is performing in the real-world;
• 25GB of Cloud Storage space with Unity so that you can store your projects on the cloud and access them wherever you are;
• and most importantly, Unity Plus provides you with splash screen customization.

For the most part, you can use other ad services without a problem. You can build your own crash reporting system, though make sure you have the users permission before transmitting anything. You can also do without storing your projects on the cloud. However, a huge goal in game development is going to be brand recognition. That’s how you’re going go from releasing your first game, where almost no one knows who you are, to your 10th game, where people become excited to see your logo pop up on the screen. If you do not subscribe to Unity Plus, the logo that pops up is going to be that of Unity themselves. If that’s okay with you, then absolutely use Unity Personal until you meet those income thresholds, but if not, check out Unity Plus (Affiliate Link).

Should I Buy Assets for Unity 3D on the Asset Store?

I’ve touched on this above, and I think you should take a look for yourself: 

Just look at the amazing options that are available for you to get finished Your Game Today!

There are literally thousands of assets that are going to make a huge difference when it comes to the final quality of your game. More than that, they can save you hundreds of hours of tinkering while still maintaining a high-quality product. See often you’ll spend hours on making just one aspect of your game perfect, when there may have been an out-of-the-box solution to your problem that could have saved you all that time.

There is a common fear among new game developers, and actually developers in general when it comes to frameworks, assets, and whatnot. New developers tend to want to build everything themselves, but you really need to put that thought into perspective. When you’re building a website, you don’t need to redevelop React, you just use it right? You’re not going to build the web browser for your users either no? How about the operating system?

Modern computing stands on the shoulders of the giants of today, who stand on the giants of yesterday, and all the way back to the earliest of mathematicians. Don’t get caught up trying to do it all yourself. Make use of the tools available to you because otherwise people will beat you to market, and you’ll spend far less time there yourself.

You can make your game, and you can make every part of it with Unity if you want, but if you find an aspect difficult, then check back often for hints, tips, and suggestions for building Your Game Today, with the Unity Real-Time Development engine!