"I’ve done a lot of Udemy courses before but it was always too focused on programming rather than finishing a game and putting it out for everyone to play it. I saw this course and made the jump to spend a little more money than I usually do on these types of things. And it has paid off! I’ve learned so much by just watching the "talking" videos alone [...] this course basically tells you how to finish a game by yourself without doing too much which has already been done by others. To sum it all up, it is a great in-depth course with teaching you how to create a game, finish a game and putting it out there (marketing included)."

5 out of 5 stars

"Whether you're experienced with making games or completely new to it, David does a fantastic job with walking you through the process and mindset needed to create the games you've always dreamed of, even if you don't have the spare change to. I personally feel like I've grown as a solo game dev by following David's videos and learning from his own experiences. [...] Along with the additional discounts provided in the course to be used in Unity I'd say that it is worth every penny."

5 out of 5 stars

“The instruction were very clear and the complicated concepts were explained in depth, I would like some more information on proposed timelines for videos in the Int Section.”

4 out of 5 stars

“I am still running through the beginning of GDU and I am loving it! GDU is a wonderful resource that has inspired many to start and finish creating a game. The community here is so helpful to one another and I see it everyday! Students seeking help and many jumping in to help. GDU an amazing community and learning resource that any inspiring game dev would benefit from! I cannot wait to see what else is in store for GDU!”

5 out of 5 stars

“David has really gone above and beyond. I've been in the indie game field for over 10 years, and I was blown away by how much information was in this course that I didn't even know!”

5 out of 5 stars

“The course really picked up for when showing intermediate workflow, so I hope more content will be added for that. The idea creation was helpful, and the marketing was priceless valuable information. But, it feels like most of the information can be found on GDC talks and online free tutorials. Browsing the asset store is not very valuable knowledge. I think this course would benefit most from adding even more detailed marketing information, and even more artistic style development details since that is where the developer’s skills are. The importance is to add detail. Course lectures being only a few minutes long feels like it could lack detail, there is more that can be added I think. Overall worth buying for newcomers to game development, intermediate developers have a thing or two to learn, but will hope to learn much more.”

4 out of 5 stars

“The community and David's attention to detail during lectures is my favorite part. His instructions are by far the most user-friendly for a complete beginner like me and that's exactly what I need to keep my motivation!”

5 out of 5 stars

“The school comes with not only a great course, but also a great community filled with a variety of people from various backgrounds. The videos are very informative and help by giving you the push you need in order to start and finish your very own game. All in all, I love it!”

5 out of 5 stars

“When I first found about about David and his game The First Tree I was immediately fascinated by his ability to create such beautiful game on his own. So naturally when I discovered his online course Game Dev Unlocked I wanted to learn more about it and be able to be apart of it. Seeing David's course as an option for me was genuinely an exciting and defining moment for me to want to start pursuing game development. I have watched several other solo game devs, but I'm being honest when I say that David is the only one that stuck out for me in being someone I could look up to and hopefully one day achieve even some of what he has accomplished. David is a personable, intelligent and driven game developer and person, he made it easy to justify joining the course and ultimately encourage me to try this all out on my own. Game Dev Unlocked has shown me new and extremely helpful tips for making games, the course is easy enough to follow but is also able to challenge you in various and helpful ways. This course is definitely for anyone interested in making games, but also in my opinion, great for people who are brand new to it all and want something that covers everything in an extremely comprehensive way where you don't feel overwhelmed. Game Dev Unlocked gives me something that I've never been able to find anywhere else, it's shown me a whole new way to approach making games and I'm so glad I was able to find out about it.”

5 out of 5 stars

“[I like] the quality of the examples and especially the production and editing, in addition to the privilege and precious opportunity to have direct access to [David] and his know-how.”

5 out of 5 stars

“This is hands down the best course on game development available. If you want to get a game published on Steam or some other platform, then this course is the one for you.

What separates this course from the others is:

1. David focuses on getting the game done and provides specific insights that he's learned while developing his own successful game.

2. There's no reinventing the wheel. David has us use assets that save us, in some cases, months and months of work.

3. While he has us use preexisting assets, he shows us how to "make them your own".

3. He focuses on helping us create a beautiful and cohesive art style which is easy to follow even if your background in art is very limited.

4. He covers the process from start to finish. Everything from looking at a specific case study to using reference art, marketing, Steam related concerns (e.g. Steam Achievements), multi-platform deployment, etc. .

5. The information is relevant for beginners and advanced developers.

6. He understands the limitations and concerns of indie developers and addresses those issues (e.g. day job conflicts, time, money, etc.).

7. He doesn't simply show what to do. More importantly, he explains WHY he's doing things in a certain way. This is so important!”

5 out of 5 stars

“Since I don't use Unity, I feel like 50% of the content isn't for me but I love the first part of the course. I would love to see more content like the first part if it's possible.”

4 out of 5 stars

“I haven't finished it yet, I'm about to though. I am taking it very slow and reading every article and watching every video that you mention, and of those articles and videos even linked me to another articles, so I am reading and watching a lot of stuff thanks to your advice.

I do live in a small country, and in a very small city, with barely ten thousand people. Being a game developer seemed like a far away dream for me, but your story has inspired me. I've always wanted to have my own studio, but I never knew how to make it profitable, I still don't but I believe that your course can provide the knowledge of how as a solo developer one can make a living out of it.”

5 out of 5 stars

“This course is extremely motivating. I came into this course with a fair bit of experience programming but I have struggled to find motivation to finish projects. David's sections on motivation, using assets to speed up development, and effective marketing have all encouraged me to work towards a finished product. I can't wait to put something in front of people.

Even though I have development experience, I have found his videos on his process extremely helpful. I tend to want perfect workflows and things to all be "just right" but David shows how you can get a lot done if you're OK with things working just well enough to execute the game. I'm also very happy with how the intermediate course has been going and can't wait for the advanced section so I can see David's working style on his next big game. Watching people work always inspires me and I love picking up new tricks on how to make my own work better.”

5 out of 5 stars

“The quality of the videos is the toppest notch, and the discounts/vouchers are super great resources. The community is also really great and supportive!

My biggest complaint is the sections that aren't complete. The sections on marketing and releasing games are completed before the modules on actually MAKING a game. It's.. a bit backwards.

I would much rather have the development sections released as a whole rather than trickling in every so often. And I understand it takes a while to record and edit everything, but I just prefer to have things complete or not have it at all.

Other than that, GDU is a phenomenal resource.”

4 out of 5 stars

“This course is really amazing. It cuts all the right corners in game development to do what most devs struggle to do. Finish games. David has a great way of teaching and a very thoughtful course that answers many of the questions I had about making games that I couldn't find elsewhere. If your questioning whether this will help your game development journey, I would say you cant go wrong with this course and jump in and get started with it. I'm very excited about the future of this course and will continue to follow as I progress as a game dev.”

5 out of 5 stars

“The course is overall well made.

Pros:

-Easy to follow (Divided in easy to follow sections)

-Right to the point (Short,but specific videos)

-You give a lot of motivation for other developers,as you are an example to them(even to me :) )

Cons:

-Price,500$ might not seem that much for a possible life changing career,but for younger devs,this amount would be ridiculously high.Almost impossible for devs below 20 yr. old.I am 18 yr. old,and I could only buy this course because of my revenue with others game of mine.

Other than that I really like this course and the community you created around it.

Keep up the good work. :)”

5 out of 5 stars

“This course contains not only making game but also marketing, getting ideas, and keeping motivated. I'm Japanese and not so good at English, but I can understand the video 80% because the videos contain many animations.”

4 out of 5 stars

David’s note: English subtitles will soon be available for all videos.

“I've really enjoyed the course so far, the passion and enthusiasm within the course content as well as the community/discord channel is incredibly contagious. I'm about a quarter of the way through and have spent many many hours exploring and improving.

The only thing that I hadn't quite expected was the amount of the course that was in Playmaker for the Let’s Dev section. Might be worth including info about the paid used products in your tutorials. But that's a super minor thing, other than that it's a really great course, and I'm loving the community a lot!”

5 out of 5 stars

“David has done a stellar job, his lectures are of a very high standard and his videos are very professional and engaging. His course offers so much more useful information than other courses. For example, links are provided to videos and articles that are being mentioned in each lecture; this is a great addition and very useful if you want to go deeper. I felt confident with his teaching style, he gives off a warm sense of presence that inspired me to want to give game development a real shot.”

5 out of 5 stars

“Hey David! I really appreciate your dedication and helpful insights. The idea of creating a Discord community is excellent - and it is a chance for everyone to see and hear what the other fellow devs are doing. Overall, I think that what I like the most about this course is the feeling of reality, of something that I can relate to. It's not another lecture by some successful manager or even a book by a well-known designer - people who are actually very far from me personally in terms of professional level and probably views on life in general. You've gone a long and hard way, and you are now helping us who are now going the same route, tackling the same challenges, I feel this is all real and I feel we all can finally publish our games on various platforms because of this support.”

5 out of 5 stars

“I really love the modules in this course. David does a great job of explaining things and it really kickstarted my game development projects. The marketing and motivational sections in particular are essential for me because they weren't things I typically thought about. By going through this course I was able to push myself to learn about game development and make 3 small games on my own.”

5 out of 5 stars

“The main thing I enjoy is the positive spirit. But sometimes for me it is to much and I would like more hands-on development. But I reckon I am not the right audience for this particular course. Despite that, I enjoy it nonetheless.”

4 out of 5 stars

“There is nothing like GDU right now. It's the perfect middle ground between an online course and a 1-to-1 mentor that gets straight to the point and makes you learn, think and not just copy. Alongside the very active and friendly Discord with people from all over, it's worth every penny and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon so you can take your time going through each stage of the process.”

5 out of 5 stars

“David has put a rare course together in Game Dev Unlocked! If you're looking to get a game started and finished "the easy way". You'll be making a great decision to learn from him. Think game development in a film type story telling format that anyone with a willingness to put some time and effort into can accomplish.

I especially appreciate that it focuses on the indie developer. Even a solo developer can create a game by using the methods David teaches...after all, that is exactly what he did himself with his first two games. I find it freeing that I am given permission as a indie developer to find easier ways (like using the asset store) of accomplishing a task that a large studio would spend months of resources developing all the assets for themselves.

It covers beginner to advanced ideas and so many tips and tricks that I would have never considered. Even more than that, David guides you through the marketing side of getting a game out.

You won't regret spending those hard earned dollars on Game Dev Unlocked. If you're a solo/small team developer or simply have the desire to make your own game. Jump on board, there is a whole group of amazing people in the GDU community to help you through the process and David is leading the way.”

5 out of 5 stars

“Love the ‘over the shoulder’ view to see behind the scene of game creation and motivation. Love the quote ‘Never have a 0% day’, thanks David!”

5 out of 5 stars

“It cuts straight through to being practical, and is highly opinionated. Most content on YouTube is generic, this is focused on getting one to finish a project that can be released.”

4 out of 5 stars

“Whether you're a complete beginner or a more advanced profile, your indie game journey starts with GDU. The course covers everything (and only everything) you need to know, from marketing to visual and sound design. Apart from being a MacGyver of game dev, David will also support and coach you in the private Discord Server.

The course is definitely result oriented, by completing it you can expect to release at least one game (and probably more once new content will be added).

Thanks again for kicking my butt with GDU, David ! ;)”

5 out of 5 stars

“Before Game Dev Unlocked I knew how to do some basic things with Unity, but I didn't know how to take that next step. How do I actually get a game released on Steam? How do I grow my social media presence? How do I market my game? Game Dev Unlocked helped me to gain the skills and confidence I needed to get my first game Sketchy House Flipper approved on Steam and to build a following for it.

One thing I was not expecting to be one of my favorite things about Game Dev Unlocked was the amazing community of game developers from all of the world. I think it is so awesome that I now have friends all across the world with similar backgrounds and interest as me. They have helped motivate me when I got discouraged and helped pushed me to accomplish things I never thought I possibly could. People in the community come from all kinds of different backgrounds. I've gotten help with Photoshop, play testing, 3D modeling, level design, writing, advertisements, website building, and much more.

Game Dev Unlocked is so much more than just a course to help you get your game on the front page of Steam, which would be worth it all on its own. It is something truly unique and special that you just can't find anywhere else. I am grateful to David for creating this program because it changed my life.”

5 out of 5 stars

“The idea to market yourself is something I’ve never thought of to become a game developer. I’ve never thought creating gifs would be so much fun and one of the key skills to build fans to market our indie games. Learning to see and use steam tag data, finding social networks that work to market our games are some of the ideas David demonstrates. Watching David’s lesson videos are the best... so top-notch very well produced!! The lessons and topics he covers are very practical and applies to all skill level of game development. From keeping things simple by cutting ideas in half. Importance of creating and writing a story-driven game. Using FREE or paid game assets to inspire a story, game ideas, level design, and best to speed up game development to finish.

David is self-taught to use Playmaker. Using this visual code FSM Unity asset, I was able to create my very simple 1st Unity game without typing a single game code. Being with fellow indie game devs at GDU is the best community I’ve ever been to. From around the world with different skill backgrounds, the wide range of topics and resources shared are very inspiring and very encouraging to overcome any struggles to learn and create. Thank you, David, to your GDU team and fellow indie game devs in creating such a great community to learn to become a game developer! Leveling UP!!”

5 out of 5 stars