Hosted by ITMO’s Game Development School, ITMO.GameDev Day is a platform for both experienced and fledgling developers where they can learn about the industry’s latest trends, build their network, and present their projects. Being the third conference held in this format, the event attracted such partners as VK Play, VK Games, RuStore, Lesta Games, Studio 101, Interactive Visualization Lab, Indicator, as well as indie developers and gamedev experts.

ITMO.GameDev Day included lectures by experienced developers divided into two tracks: a general one for beginners in the field looking for a way to get into the industry with their first project and identify points of growth; and a specialized one for those who know all the basics and wish to develop in a specific field.

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Code or no-code: how to start making games

According to Alexander Sharipov, a manager of external developer interactions at VK Mini Apps, basic knowledge of web development is enough to create and publish your first game. Moreover, beginners can already monetize their games and engage with different social interaction mechanics on various platforms, such as VK Games. Those wanting to try their hand at gamedev can use the platform’s libraries and API.

Mr. Sharipov also shared a step-by-step on making a game on VK: 

1. A good idea is 80% of success: first, think through the game’s mechanics, plot, and characters. A good game should elicit emotions and motivate players to spend their time in the game.
2. Next, think about how you can make the game’s visuals memorable. You can make use of VK’s library of game elements (VKUI) to cut the production time. This way you will also make a game that looks familiar to VK users.
3. Before starting with development, register your game on VK’s developer platform – this way it will be accessible through VK in the future.
4. Time to start developing. First, create a template for the game and add the libraries necessary to interact with VK’s API. You can usethe platform to store your static data, as well as tweak your project using other tools. Once you’ve finished, share your game with your friends.
5. In order to be published on VK Games, your game has to be monetized. With the platform’s inbuilt tools, you will be able to enable ads, sales (of in-game objects, such as extra lives, gear, etc.), or subscriptions.
6. Once it passes moderation, the game will appear in the VK Games catalog. You can apply for the game to be displayed in various collections, as well as involve various social mechanics to attract new users or engage the current ones.

“Attract players by actively employing all kinds of social mechanics, such as sharing content on VK Stories, inviting friends or asking for their help within the game. Also, don’t forget to bring users back into the game with reminders, as well as by actively posting on your game’s page. Track the statistics provided by the platform to see how best to interact with your audience,” instructed Alexander Sharipov.

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Building a career in gamedev

For those set on making a career in game development, a handy list of ways to avoid making typical beginner mistakes was provided by Konstantin Dipezh, the founder and CEO of DeusOps and DeusGames and an associate professor at ITMO and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Here’s what he recommends to look into:

• working with Git: navigating branches, creating and reviewing pull requests, conflict resolution, and working with gitflow;
• working with code and documentation inside the team: learn to prepare such documents and share information on your code with your teammates in a coherent way;
• planning and setting realistic goals: get rid of exaggerated expectations and don’t try to make something complex right away – instead, get into your work gradually;
• properly resting: keep an eye out for signs of burnout and find a hobby.

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Showcase: public game testing

Another important aspect of the work is sharing your games with the community. 16 fledgling developers got the chance to do this at the showcase area of the event.

One of the presented projects, Arktos, is a game that helps school students prepare for their state exams in computer science; it was developed by a team of high-schoolers who are regulars at the National Technology Contest (NTC). In the game, a spaceship operated by bears lands on the wrong planet because of a wormhole instability. The ship is damaged and in order to get off the planet, the crew needs to send a message home and build a new one. However, the nearby wormhole disrupts the messages: the players will have to encrypt and decrypt them to help the bears, practicing the relevant skills. 

“We have already developed several projects with support from mentors at the NTC – they told us about ITMO.GameDev Day. When we learned that we were selected for the showcase, we confirmed our participation immediately, even though we don’t live in St. Petersburg. I come from Simferopol, while my partner is from Moscow Oblast. But we couldn’t miss the chance to present our game in front of such an audience or talk to experts in the field. This is a very valuable opportunity for us because we will be able to better understand the needs of our target audience and thus greatly improve our game,” said Yaroslav Reznikov, one of the developers of Arktos.

The team is mentored by Vladimir Makhiev, an ITMO Bachelor’s student whose game, which also began at NTC, was part of the showcase. His project, Old Fairy Tale, is already available on VK Play. In the game, a lazy bogatyr has to go through trials and tribulations based on Russian fairy tales and songs of a popular folk-themed band.  

Graduates of ITMO’s Master’s program Game Development Technologies also took part in the showcase with their roguelike game Hell Over Me. In it, the main character ends up in a futuristic-looking hell inspired by Dante’s The Divine Comedy – and they have to go through all nine circles of it. The team began developing the game while studying at the university’s Game Development School; now, nearly all its members have joined various gamedev studios but continue working on their project. For instance, last year Hell Over Me was presented at Red Expo, Russia’s biggest video game expo.

Apart from video games, participants of ITMO.GameDev Day 3 could enjoy freshly released board games, battling wizards in one or competing as cat detectives in another. All games were created by first-year Bachelor’s students of the Game Development Technologies program.

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For the first time, the competition also welcomed cosplayers and featured an art competition, where designers presented their works in concept art, illustration, or 3D visualization. The winners were presented with prizes. Another new activity was a Sumo Tatami tournament that included several stages with ten competitors in each.

“The main goal of ITMO.GameDev Day is to form a gamedev community in St. Petersburg. We see the demand: there is no platform where developers could network, share their insights, or look for teammates. Moreover, such events help us spark interest in the industry and demonstrate the skills of students in related programs,” explained Nikita Bolushev, one of the organizers of the project.

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The next ITMO.GameDev Day will be held on June 28. This time, the organizers are planning to make the format even more convenient and invite even more speakers. However, the main idea will remain the same: to support young developers and give them the opportunity to present themselves and their projects.