For anyone looking to build a game but not yet settled on an engine I highly suggest giving Phaser a shot. I spent a few hours with the latest version and was pleasantly surprised how far it has come.<p>Most importantly the documentation and example code are now so robust that most common game components like 2d physics, collision, projectiles, multiplayer can be found here: <a href="https://www.phaser.io/examples" rel="nofollow">https://www.phaser.io/examples</a>
I want to second LÖVE [1] as an easy way to build games! Some user "adn" has documented almost the whole process using the framework to build his own game (which he released on Steam) on Github [2], so it's <i>fantastic</i> starting point..<p>I hope this year I'll have some time to participate!<p>[1] <a href="https://love2d.org/" rel="nofollow">https://love2d.org/</a><p>[2] <a href="https://github.com/adnzzzzZ/blog/issues/30" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/adnzzzzZ/blog/issues/30</a>
I've never attended, but a co-worker of mine attended and made a hex based equivalent of a Sokoban game <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokoban" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokoban</a>. It was pretty fun to play, I'd probably recommend the game jam based on that alone.<p>On a somewhat related note, the games from DigiPen's senior projects are often pretty enjoyable: <a href="https://games.digipen.edu/" rel="nofollow">https://games.digipen.edu/</a>. I'd especially recommend Narbacular Drop (predecessor of Portal, the game got the students hired at Valve), and Empyreal Nocturne (a sort of aerial combat game).
I did some work at my previous job building a slot machine game in Phaser 2. I'd never done game dev prior to this but found it really simple to pick up.<p>From the knowledge I gained in this, I was able to make a simple infinite scrolling game, package it up with cocoon and release it into the iOS and Android stores all within a day from my bed on a Sunday. It wasn't the best game ever but amazing to be able to get something out there so fast (I am a JS dev)<p>I've not done any game dev since but may use this jam as an excuse to take a stab at Phaser 3
I've used LÖVE a bunch in the past and it's great. Recently, I've been playing with Godot, and it's also wonderful. If you're interested in learning Godot, Ben Tristam's course on Udemy[1] is a great tutorial series. The Godot community is very friendly and helpful on Discord.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.udemy.com/godot/" rel="nofollow">https://www.udemy.com/godot/</a>