Why I choose the Godot Engine to power my new hobby

Introduction

For years I have wanted to make a game. I have churned through tutorials, started dozens of projects, messed with all of the big engines, and attempted to use C++ to make a game from scratch before I knew there were other options.

I have finally landed with the Open Source engine Godot. I chose to use Godot for my newest project because of how lightweight it is and how easy it was to start using. It also seems to have great documentation and a thriving community. Much of my development experience is with the programming language Python so GDScript was also a draw due to its similar syntax and ease to learn.

What is Godot?

Godot is an open-source game engine developed by the community-driven Godot Engine project. Its accessible, versatile, and easy-to-use approach to game development have made it popular with both beginners and veteran game developers.

Why Choose Godot?

Over the last few years I have tried a number of times to learn Unity and Unreal engine for game development. Both are very powerful engines and good at what they do. The issue I ran into each time was that I would get lost in the UI. There are so many features that I was unsure where to start.

In late 2024 I installed Godot. My first impression was a bit of surprise at how small the engine was and how simple it was to get started. Godot is smaller than the two, but packs enough of a punch to support 2D and 3D games on multiple platforms. After completing a couple of straightforward 2D game tutorials I was feeling much more at home in the user interface and much less overwhelmed.

Godot is also a completely open source project with a very open license. To my understanding this license allows for the development of games with the engine without the heavy licensing royalties of the larger game engines in the market. Unlike Unity, which recently attempted to change its licensing terms, Godot remains completely free with no hidden costs. I am nowhere near needing to worry about that currently, but it is nice to know.

In the end I choose to stick with Godot for a small game or two because I felt it would allow me to focus more on the game development and less on the overwhelming available options.

Getting Started with Godot

There are many options available to learn and get started with game development in the Godot engine. I am not at the point yet where I am ready to write a guide, but I will share some links to a YouTube Tutorial and other resources that helped me. You will find many more great resources like these to help you get started on your journey.

• Chris’ Tutorials - Godot 2D Crash Course - Longer tutorial that will go over all of the basics. I have gone back and referenced this tutorial many times. This channel has a large number of great game development tutorials presented well.
• Godot 4 Documentation - When learning a new technical tool or programming language the documentation is always an excellent place to start. I have found the Godot docs to be an excellent resource to read up on how the engine works and how different methods in the GDScript library work.
• Godot Engine - You will need this link to find the engine and download it.

Conclusion

After years of struggling with other engines, Godot finally made game development feel fun instead of frustrating. If you're in the same boat, I highly recommend giving it a try!