GameDev Club
Hobby activity for young game developers
GameDev Club is a hobby group for 15-to-25-year-olds interested in making games. The club gathers on Thursdays at 18.00–20.30. We speak both Finnish and English on club nights.
All club members should attend to the weekly Thursday meeting. Volunteer professionals are present in these meetings to help with the game development process. There are also some extra workshop nights and sometimes weekend happenings, like game jams or LAN parties too!
Is GameDev Club only for coders? No! At the club there are
- level designers
- programmers
- artists – 3D and 2D
- sound designers and musicians
- and more!
In addition to digital games, you can also choose to make board games or card games. Remember that it takes time and dedication to make great games: you need to learn the basics and the simple stuff first and then advance step by step – no one is an expert in the start!
Watch GameDev Club demoreels
What can you do at the Gamedev Club?
- If you are a newcomer, you will usually start by learning a game engine that interests you with a tutorial. We recommend starting with either Godot or GameMaker, but we also have made games with Unity, Ren’Py, Roblox Studio and many more!
- If you want to continue programming after the tutorial, you are free to use the software / programming language you want as long as it is fine with the entire team.
- You can also choose to do graphics, audio or game design etc if you like. Those are also very important things when you are making a game. You don’t need to do any programming after the tutorial if that is not your cup of tea. You can have two or more roles if you wish (just keep it simple though!).
- You can make any kind of game: a digital game, a board game, a card game etc.
- You can’t play games during club hours unless it’s meant for playtesting purposes or it is scheduled in the calendar.
Who are we?
- Gamedev Club is organised by Helsinki city Youth Department. There is a youth worker, who runs the activity.
- There is a wonderful group of volunteer professionals, who provide support and guidance to young people with their game projects. Without these fantastic people there couldn’t be this kind of activity going on!
- Most importantly there are club members like you 🙂
What kind of software and tools you can use?
- All free software or software you own a license to.
- We have computers and graphics tablets available. You are also free to bring your own!
- We have some tools and material for board games and card games too!
How do you make games in GameDev Club?
- You can choose to make a game with a team, or with a pair. Solo work must be discussed with youth workers separately. Teams will be formed during the starting evening of the season. You should come open minded, be ready to work with other people, and make compromises. You can make your first project with your friends, but after that you are encouraged to make game projects with other people.
- First development meeting is dedicated to team / group forming, game ideas and design. This is a very important stage in game development process as it defines the whole project.
- After the first meeting there are 5 – 6 development nights, where you make the actual game.
- After these 6 meetings there is a demo night where all the games are presented to others. Groups can choose to make their presentations in Finnish or in English.
- You can choose to make your game further after the demo, but only if your whole group agrees to do so. Mostly new groups are formed after each demo.
What are the most important things to remember in the Gamedev Club?
- Be present in the Thursday meetings and be on time (before 18.00).
- If you have unsolved problems with some Game development issue, google it. It usually helps. There are some very instructive Youtube videos too. If you cannot find a solution, your GameDev peers and the volunteer professionals are happy to help you!
- Remember that you are going to fail at some point (and many times), and it’s ok! If you learn something when you fail, you basically win! So be happy to fail at some point.
- Be nice to people. That’s the golden rule for life in general.
- Use your time in GameDev Club to make games. You’re doing it for yourself, not for volunteers, the GameDev Club or anyone else.
How can I join?
If you’d like to join, please email us. Please give some information about yourself: why are you interested about the club, are you a beginner or do you have some experience already? Please note that all newcomers are interviewed before starting in the club. There are no skill requirements for joining the club: we just want to know your interests, so forming groups is easier! We will be in contact with you as soon as possible!