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A Complete Guide to Publishing Your Free Online Course

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A Complete Guide to Publishing Your Free Online Course

If you’ve got a talent, then why not teach it to others so that they can benefit from your expertise? Publishing a free online course is the best way to make the knowledge you have accessible to everyone all over the world. 

At first glance, creating and publishing a course online might seem like a daunting task. But in this blog post, you’ll find everything you need to know – from how to create a plan of action to marketing your course to the world.  You’ll also learn about the countless benefits an online course will bring to your brand, your industry and your newfound students!

 

Why Create a Free Online Course? 

Become an industry-recognised expert

Creating a free online course is the best way to establish yourself as an expert in your field. From here, it’s only a short journey to speaking at events, mentoring novices in your industry, and nourishing a whole generation of new talent. It’s an amazing opportunity for you to become a credible voice in your field and help others along the way.

Publishing a course also creates brand recognition. You will no longer be just an individual working in your field; instead, you’ll be an expert consultant for anyone looking to break into the industry.

Monetize your knowledge and grow your industry

Your online course can help you generate passive income on the side. Even if your course is free, you can make money through ads and influencer deals.

You’re also going to be doing a huge service to your own industry by getting more people interested in it. Through an online course, you’ll be doing your part to help your industry grow and bring in more capable young minds.

Statistics show that eLearning has a very high retention rate in students, roughly 25 to 60 percent, which is much higher than in-person learning. This makes it all the more important to make knowledge accessible online. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Your Publishing Plan

The first thing you’ll need to do after you decide to publish a course is research your target audience. What’s the age bracket you want to teach? Is the course going to be for beginners or experts? Who will be most interested?

There are also some more general questions you need to ask. For instance, what is the scope of your course going to be? How much of an impact do you think it will have on the students?

Once you’ve done the preliminary research,  you need to plan the course itself. Divide your course into sessions, with each session covering a different topic of importance. Split your course up into modules and create appropriate tests and quizzes.

Remember that there should be no unnecessary content in your course. Everything should be to the point and grasp the student’s attention immediately. People tend to quit online courses halfway through if they feel like they’re not learning anything valuable, so you’ll have to be mindful of this when drafting your content.

Once you have a preliminary draft for your content, see if you can get other experts in your fields to weigh in on your course. Perhaps you could even collaborate with them.

After your content is ready, you will have to find a site to publish it on. Alison is a fantastic website that allows you to publish your course for free and gives you access to over 20 million Learners.

Once you’ve done the hard labour, it’s time to sit back and track engagement to see who’s showing up to your sessions. Make sure to consider feedback and keep updating your course based on what your students have to say about it.

 

Marketing Your Course

All the effort you put into making your course is rendered moot if no one knows about it. This is why marketing on all platforms at your disposal is so important to increase reach. Below are some of the most crucial marketing tips you should keep in mind.

1. Use social media

Social media marketing is the best way to generate traffic to your course. This type of marketing has been proven to be incredibly effective for all types of businesses, and yours will be no different.

Create colourful and engaging posts and infographics that people will likely click on. Make them as splashy as possible, so they catch potential students’ attention. Share these on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and invite people to sign up.

Making social media posts may seem like a tedious task, but it’s really not. Sites like PosterMyWall offer many great social media post templates that you can customise and download according to your needs.

You should also make a private Facebook group with just your students so you can talk, post important announcements, and get feedback, all while building a trusting relationship with them.

2. Start a podcast

Give potential students a sneak peek into what your course will be like by talking about it in a 30 minute podcast every week. Then post these podcast episodes on social media. Make sure to subtly advertise your course in your podcast and urge people to check it out to learn more. Be careful not to give too much away, though. You do want to make sure that people actually go to your course without feeling like they got all the information they needed just through the podcast. Talk about other topics similar to your course. Keep it light, fun, and conversational. And invite guests to chat with occasionally.

3. Find partners

Don’t try to be a lone wolf in this game. Make sure you’re routinely connecting with other experts in your industry. Tell them about your course and ask them, if they’re comfortable doing it, to share it on their socials. Chances are, their followers will fall into your target audience, so this is a fool-proof way of getting more students into your virtual classroom.

Also try to get these experts to give you a shout out or vouch for your credibility in some other way. People appreciate a second opinion, so why not give it to them?

You could contact experts through social media – LinkedIn is a great place to start! – or get referrals from colleagues. Contact them and set up a meeting to discuss a possible collaboration. Let them know what’s in it for them and how their contribution will be good for the industry and newcomers.

4. Gather student testimonials

Once you get the first batch of students in, get their feedback. There are a number of sites, for instance, Trust Pulse, that allow you to get testimonials automatically and anonymously so people will feel comfortable sharing their honest opinions.

Sift through the testimonials you get and post glowing reviews on your social media and your website. Ask students specifically how the course helped them and what they went on to achieve because of it. The more nuance there is to the opinions, the greater their effectiveness in attracting new students.

5. Have an email list

This is perhaps one of the most important strategies to keep in mind. Collect students’ and potential students’ email addresses so you can keep them in the loop about your courses or any other important announcements you might have for them.

Direct marketing is an efficient tool, and it allows your customer to fully read through the information that concerns only them. Collect emails through your website or through your socials. You should also ask for emails when students sign up for your course.

Once you have all the emails you need, segment them into different categories. For instance, if the course is for teenagers, emails sent to them and emails sent to their parents should not be the same because that’s ultimately a wasted email. Always email the relevant people to avoid being sent straight to spam. Similarly, other experts in the field will not get the same emails as students. So make sure you keep this in mind.

 

This guest blog was published by PosterMyWall, a one-stop online solution for all your graphic design needs.

5 Courses for a Strong Professional Foundation – Whatever Your Industry!

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5 Courses for a Strong Professional Foundation – Whatever Your Industry!

There are certain skills that are necessary to succeed in particular sectors. Accountants need to be able to balance books, electricians need to be able to wire plugs, and salespeople need to be able to make a pitch. 

But there are other skills that are required in all industries, regardless of your job, and your career won’t progress unless you have a solid foundation in these key areas. However, because these skills are common to all jobs, sometimes people can forget how vital they are and take them for granted. We’ve put together a list of these essential skills to make sure that you’re career has a rock solid foundation, whatever your industry.

 

Diploma in Operations Management

No matter what sector you work in, clinical operations management skills are vital to keep everything running smoothly. In this course you’ll learn how to juggle all the various elements of the modern business and how to maximise productivity and output. Operations management skills don’t just improve life within the workplace. Improved operations mean that customers receive good and services faster and have a better experience of your company.

Diploma in Workplace Safety and Health

Health and Safety are two paramount concerns for every workplace. While the dangers to be avoided and the precautions to be taken are unique to each work environment, an attitude of vigilance and a conscientious habit of always being up-to-date with safety procedure and protocols are necessary in every profession. This course outlines both specific circumstances to watch out for and general rules to follow and will guarantee that you both stay healthy and remain safe.

Diploma in Project Management

A must for every career, and absolutely essential if you plan on pursuing a promotion for a managerial role. Great Project Management skills are universal among those who climb the professional ladder. It’s not just about overseeing that the task at hand is carried out correctly, it’s also about coordinating all the individual players involved, making sure that deadlines are respected and guaranteeing that the client is satisfied with the outcome.

 

Diploma in Customer Service

Without great Customer Service skills, your career options are going to be severely limited. Whether you’re selling a product or marketing a service, if you cannot handle clients correctly and in a way that leaves them satisfied, then you’re not going to be an asset to your company. Customer Skills are also applicable to all the other people you interact with in a work environment, such as colleagues and managers, so mastering these skills will have a positive ripple affect on your career.

Diploma in Human Resources

One of the biggest mistakes in professional development is the idea that Human Resource skills are only for those in the HR department. Having the social and emotional intelligence that comes with quality HR training is a fantastic asset, regardless of your industry. Like Customer Service skill, these skills are applicable across all the relationships you’ll build in your career and will give you an edge over peers who lack the lightness of touch you’ll gain from this incredibly popular course.

Times Reporter Leaves for Another Journalism Adventure

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Times Reporter Leaves for Another Journalism Adventure

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

We were somewhere above south Louisiana’s wetlands when the helicopter door popped open.

If you want adventure, there is no better job in the world than being a reporter. Many of my colleagues have done heroic work as war correspondents, gone into hot zones to help cover Ebola or the coronavirus and witnessed heartbreaking conditions among the world’s poorest people. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.

I, on the other hand, have done what I love to do as a journalist largely focused on the role of science and technology in our lives: ride the rides. In 21 years at The New York Times, I have traveled in airboats, river dredges and a moon buggy prototype, flown in zero gravity twice and even (briefly) used a jetpack.

I have watched high school students blow up a watermelon, climbed down into Albuquerque’s sewers and stood safely in a metal suit that got zapped with a zillion volts of electricity. Along the way, I wrote stories for nearly every section of The Times.

Which brings me back to that other helicopter ride, when the door flew open.

I was sitting across from Kenneth R. Feinberg, the lawyer and trailblazing mediator who has fashioned victim compensation funds after tragedies like the Sept. 11 attacks, the Boston Marathon bombing and, on this steamy day in 2010, the BP oil spill. He was crisscrossing south Louisiana by car, a private plane paid for by BP and a state helicopter to squeeze in presentations in four communities on that day, urging those harmed by the environmental disaster to sign up for settlements.

I had arranged to travel with him for the day, and it was exhausting just trying to keep up. As the helicopter took us toward the state’s watery southernmost towns and the afternoon’s summer heat rose in the cabin, we were all feeling drowsy. Mr. Feinberg rested against the door.

Which opened.

Suddenly, the cabin filled with wind and the fierce noise of the rotors above. Mr. Feinberg was strapped into a harness, but his body still lurched to his left, toward the void. Despite the restraints, the moment was disorienting and terrifying, and Amy Weiss, Mr. Feinberg’s longtime spokeswoman, lunged to pull him fully into position while the two of us fought to close the door and jam down the locking lever.

Mr. Feinberg, his eyes wide, looked across at me and said with perfect delivery, “That would have been a story.”

Look in the dictionary under “aplomb.” Mr. Feinberg’s picture should be there. I saw a person who, even in an extreme moment, could recover with remarkable speed and still get off a good line, and felt that I knew him much better than I had at the beginning of that long day.

And then we landed, and he got out and gave another speech. And then one more.

That’s a ride I wouldn’t have traded for anything.

At the end of the week, I will leave The Times for another dream job: teaching journalism at my alma mater, the University of Texas, and serving as associate director of U.T.’s new Global Sustainability Leadership Institute. It’s a different kind of adventure. As a teacher, I hope to help my students approach scientific topics without fear, and to communicate clearly; to ask good questions and demand honest answers. To help their future readers not just to understand, but to see, and to feel.

And to ride the rides.

Taking a break with the Codecademy community

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Taking a break with the Codecademy community

Little compares to the satisfaction you feel as you progress through your courses, mastering new languages, acing quizzes, and building projects — but sometimes, you need a break. Learning new skills is great, but eventually, you might find yourself feeling burned out.

It happens to everybody. One minute you’re speeding through lines of code, the next, you find yourself growing bored or frustrated. You might even feel like you’ve lost your passion for coding.

Fortunately, there are several things we can do to pull ourselves out of a slump. We reached out to our learners on our forums and asked about what they do when it’s time for a break. Below, we’ll walk you through their most popular answers. These tips will help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated the next time you find yourself needing a break.

1. Exercise

Several learners explained that they turn to exercise when they need to get away from their coursework. This comes as no surprise as the benefits of exercise have been long recorded.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, exercise can help improve your memory and thinking skills — and even your mood as it also helps lower your stress and anxiety. To gain these benefits, Harvard recommends engaging in some form of physical activity for at least half an hour, five days a week.

It doesn’t really matter what type of exercise you engage in as long as you get your heart racing. Some of our learners recommend going for a run. Others suggest hiking, riding your bike, or playing tennis. You could even just go for a walk in a local park or nature trail. As you’ll see below, spending time in nature has its own benefits.

2. Spend time in nature

Spending time in nature was the second most popular way our learners cleared their heads after too much studying. As Spannakin describes in the comment below, there’s nothing like the serenity that washes over you as you stroll through the woods, listening to birds chirp in the trees.

While spending time in nature is great for the soul, it can also be great for your development. This study by Frontiers in Psychology delves into the research on the topic, which suggests that spending time in nature can improve your learning ability by boosting your attentiveness and self-discipline.

3. Do something creative

Whether it’s drawing, painting, dancing, or playing an instrument — doing something creative is a great way to step away from your lessons and get the juices flowing.

As Nicole touches on in the comment above, creativity can be very beneficial for your learning.

npj Science of Learning asserts that improving your creative thinking skills helps you become more motivated and better engaged with your learning materials. It also enhances your problem-solving ability by creating new pathways in your brain, which helps you “become comfortable making new, meaningful connections and thinking of new possibilities.”

Despite the irony in using code to take a break from coding, you could even use tools like p5.js to create art through programming. Check out these art projects made using p5.js for inspiration.

Hopefully, the tips above will help you clear your head the next time you need a break from your courses. Even if you don’t find yourself growing bored or frustrated, consider taking a break anyway. Stepping away from a problem often makes it easier to come up with a solution later on.

How do you rejuvenate yourself when it’s time for a break? Leave your response in a comment below.

Introducing workspaces: A new way to build projects and experiment with code

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Introducing workspaces: A new way to build projects and experiment with code

As a professional developer, you’ll often need to write code with little to no instruction — coming up with your own solutions and processes as you create programs and applications. To do so, you’ll need experience with building your own projects. That’s why we’re excited to announce workspaces.

What are workspaces?

Workspaces allow Pro learners to work in their own integrated development environment (IDE) right inside Codecademy. Unlike the code editor you use in your lessons, workspaces are independent of your coursework and allow you to engage in free, unguided coding.

With workspaces, you can skip the work involved with setting up a local environment (which can take a lot of time and resources) and jump right into coding — tinkering and experimenting with the skills and concepts you’ve learned in your courses. You can even create your own projects from scratch, which will help you better understand your languages’ syntax and methods and is great if you’re looking to build a portfolio.

What languages are supported?

Currently, workspaces support HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python. Support for other programming languages will come with future updates, but in the meantime, learn how to use the languages above with the courses below (if you haven’t already):

Why should you be excited about workspaces?

Workspaces are exciting because they provide a space for you to try things out with different programming languages. Plus, they give you room to be creative, which will help cement the concepts and skills you’re learning and develop your problem-solving ability.

While studying creativity’s influence on learning, Lakshini Mendis, Ph.D., found that adding a creative element to your education can help you stay engaged and motivated. Plus, it also develops the parts of your brain related to imagination and focus, which helps you “become comfortable making new, meaningful connections, and thinking of new possibilities.”

In other words, experimenting with code will help you both memorize your languages’ syntax and come up with new ideas.

Plus, while you can always start from scratch in your Workspace, you can also copy over and experiment with code you wrote in your lessons.

Getting started

To create your first workspace, use the link at the bottom of your dashboard as seen in the image below:

What is competitive programming?

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What is competitive programming?

It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginning programmer, still in high school, or well into your career in development. Now is a great time to get into competitive programming. But just what is it, and how do you get started? Read on to find out.

What is competitive programming?

Competitive programming involves programmers competing against each other to solve programming questions in a limited amount of time. These events are usually held over the Internet or a local network. The contestants of the events are known as sport programmers.

Contestants solve logical or mathematical programming questions in the coding language of their choice. The number of questions can vary depending on the contest. The results are judged on the number of questions solved, time spent solving the problems, and other factors, like execution time, program size, etc.

Benefits of competitive programming

There are many benefits to participating in programming contests, especially if programming is your career.

Prizes

Most competitive programming contests have prizes. These prizes can be in the form of cash, software, hardware, free services, and more. There have even been some sport programmers who had so much success competing in coding contests that they turned it into a career.

Technical interview prep

Many tech companies, like Facebook, Google, and Amazon, use the same type of questions in their technical interviews as those you’ll face in coding contests. While you may know how to write code, you may not be familiar with the algorithms and data structures that you must use to solve these types of problems. Competing in programming contests will give you the practice and confidence you need to make it through one of these intensive interviews.

Problem-solving and programming skills

There’s probably no better way to improve your problem-solving and programming skills than by entering programming contests. During the contest, you’ll be given complex problems that you’ll have to solve in a limited time. Many of those problems are ones you may have never run into before. Solving them will improve your analytical thinking skills and teach you more about the programming language you chose to compete with. And these are skills you can take with you in your career.

How do I get started with competitive programming?

Are you ready to get started? It’ll take some preparation, especially if you’re new to programming, but the experience is rewarding and will definitely be worth it.

Learn a programming language

The first thing you need to do is learn how to program. There are many programming languages out there to choose from, and many contests will allow you to choose any language you’re comfortable with. Still, you might want to choose a language that’s commonly used in competitions, such as:

Since your program’s runtime may be a factor when it comes to winning a coding contest, you’ll want to choose a fast, low-level language that’ll give you the control you need to tweak its performance.

Of all the languages in our list, Python is the slowest and may not be allowed in some contests, but it’s a good choice for beginners because its syntax is easy to learn. Java is pretty quick and is supported by many libraries that add to your code, but it’s more verbose than C or C++, so it may take longer to write a solution, depending on the problem.

Learn data structures and algorithms

Once you’ve learned the basics of your chosen programming language, it’s time to study data structures and algorithms. Choosing the right data structure can make the difference between a brute force solution and an elegant one. Some of the common data structures you may end up using to solve a contest problem include:

  • Array
  • Linked List
  • Stack
  • Queue
  • Tree
  • Trie
  • Graph

Algorithms are the logic you use to solve a problem. There are usually multiple ways to solve the same problem, but some algorithms are more efficient than others. Since winning the contest may depend on the time it takes for your solution to run and the amount of memory it uses, you want to have a good knowledge of algorithms to know which one to apply to your problem. Some common algorithm types include:

  • Sorting
  • Recursion
  • Dynamic programming
  • Bit manipulation
  • Searching

To learn more about data structures and algorithms, check out our Computer Science Career Path.

Practice your skills

To put your knowledge of programming languages, data structures, and algorithms to use, you need to practice. There are plenty of places online where you can solve the same type of problems as those you’ll run into in competitive programming. Try a few of these platforms to see which one you prefer.

Many of the sites that offer these coding challenges also hold their own coding contests, so practicing will prepare you to handle the problems and become more familiar with their platform. We’ll explore some of these sites in the next section. In the meantime, here are some places where you can practice your competitive programming skills:

Enter programming competitions

Once you’ve practiced your programming skills with the type of problems you’ll face in competitive programming, it’s time to enter a programming competition. There are quite a few places you can compete. Some of these places will also allow you to sign up and take practice challenges.

Learn more about programming

Competitive programming can be a rewarding activity. Not only do you have the chance to win prizes and stand out from your peers, but you’ll also hone your problem-solving and programming skills by putting them to the test.As a bonus, the skills learned by competing in these contests can make it easier for you to land a job that requires coding. Plus, it’s easy to get started. But first, you need to learn to program. Check out our programming course catalog to get started.

Should I learn C#?

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Should I learn C#?

It can be a challenge to pick which programming language to devote your time to learning. Even for experienced developers, this is a hard decision to make. But when you’re a new developer, choosing the programming language you want to learn first can be even harder. There are so many to choose from, and it can be hard to figure out what each language is used for.

While a lot can be said for jumping in and getting started, that’s not necessarily the case when choosing a programming language to learn. It takes time to learn a new language, so it’s better to know its advantages and how it’s used before starting your training. Keep reading to learn the advantages of learning C# and why developers like this programming language.

Why is C# a good programming language to learn?

C# is the most popular language developed by Microsoft. It was developed over two decades ago, and its popularity has only increased with every new release. Here are some of the reasons why developers like using C#:

  • C# is designed to be a high-level language. This means it takes care of a lot of the code you would have to write in other languages like Java and C++. Plus, it provides you with libraries that make writing code quicker and easier.
  • C# is in demand. Thousands of enterprises use Microsoft technologies in their infrastructure, and even when they don’t, C# is still a popular language for creating web services.
  • C# is now open-source and cross-platform. When it first came out, C# was designed specifically for Windows, but now you can also run C# on the Mac OSX and Linux operating systems.
  • C# is relatively easy to learn. Since it omits many of the complex tasks in programming, a programmer doesn’t have to worry about these potential issues ahead of time and can just start coding.
  • C# is fast. Because it’s a statically typed language, it’s faster than dynamically typed languages. So you can write high-performance apps in C# at a relatively fast speed.

What is C# used for?

As you can see, C# has a lot of benefits. It’s also a general-purpose programming language, which means it has a lot of uses. Here are some of them:

Web development

C# is popular for web development. Before it became cross-platform, it was the most popular language for developing web applications for Windows Server using the ASP.NET platform. Using ASP.NET, you can build full-stack, modern web applications.

Now that C# is cross-platform and can run on the Windows, Mac OSX, or Linux operating systems, it’s become a popular language for back-end web development on Linux. Web services created with C# are fast, reliable, and can run on any cloud platform.

Windows desktop app development

Originally, C# only ran on the Windows operating system —this was one of the main uses of the language. But even now that the language is cross-platform, it’s still the preferred programming language for Windows desktop development. Some Windows desktop apps written in C# that you may know include Microsoft Visual Studio, Paint.NET, and KeyPass.

Game development

The Unity game engine is one of the most popular game engines around, especially for new developers because of its easy-to-use game editor. To build games with Unity, you need to know C#. So, if you want to get into game development, learning C# is a great choice.

Unity can also be used for virtual reality development on platforms like Samsung Gear and Oculus Rift. There are over 770 million users who have downloaded Unity, and many of the top games were created using it.

Windows components and controls

If you want to create components and controls for existing Microsoft applications like Word, Excel, and others, then C# is the perfect language to learn.

Mobile development

Even though Android apps are normally written in Java or Kotlin and iPhone apps are normally written in Objective-C or Swift, you can use C# for mobile development using the Xamarin platform. With Xamarin, you can create modern, performant apps for iOS, Android, and Windows using one codebase.

Enterprise development

When you listen to developers talk about a company, they might say “that one is a Java shop” or “this one is a Microsoft shop.” Enterprises tend to choose a platform and programming language to build their infrastructure with.

In a Microsoft shop, you will find a lot of C# code, and there are a lot of Microsoft shops that create almost every new application or service they offer using C#. So there are times when you may pick a certain programming language to learn based on what your current or future employer uses most often.

Can I learn C# on my own?

You certainly can learn C# on your own. Many working developers are self-taught. Another secret of the industry is that many developers don’t even have a computer science degree — some don’t have a degree at all.

Programming jobs are in high demand, and there are never enough developers to fill the jobs available. With the right programming skills and projects to show off your capabilities, you can launch your career in no time.

One thing you may need, though, is some guidance. It can be hard to learn on your own without it. Our Learn C# course can give you the guidance you need while you learn at your own pace.

How quickly can I learn C#?

It can take several months to learn C#, but this doesn’t mean you won’t be writing C# code that runs in the first week of training. It will take a while to learn the ins and outs of the language so you know everything you need to build projects in C# without guidance.

Depending on how much time you can devote to learning C#, you may even shorten this timeline by weeks or months. And if you already know another programming language, you might find that you pick up C# in a lot less time than you originally expected.

Getting started with C#

C# is one of the most popular programming languages out there, and there are many things you can build with it. Plus, there will always be jobs available that require C#. Ready to get started? A great place to do so is our Learn C# course. It will introduce you to the concepts of programming and get you started writing C# programs right away. After that, if you plan on creating web applications, you can check out Learn ASP.NET to get a grasp of the fundamentals and continue your learning with Build Web Apps with ASP.NET.

5 ways to build a mini-game

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5 ways to build a mini-game

Learning how to build a video game from scratch can be a rewarding experience. If you’re a gamer, it’ll teach you the process of how to create a game concept and expose you to the programming it takes to develop a finished game. You’ll probably end up with a newfound respect for Game Developers and may even want to join their ranks!

Below, we’ll take a look at the game development process and some of the technologies you’ll need to bring your game idea into reality. You’ll need to know at least one programming language to build a game, and there are quite a few options to choose from.

How to make a game

To create a video game, first, you need an idea. You may already have one and have a head start, but even with an idea, there are still some general steps to follow to turn that idea into a finished game.

Choose a concept for your game

If you don’t have an idea for a game, then the best way to come up with one is to look at the type of games you like to play. Do you like first-person shooters, platformers, tower defense games, or one of the many other types of video games? There are plenty of options. It helps to know what type of game you want to create to pick the best technology to build it.

Do market research on your game

Once you have an idea of the type of game you want to build, you may want to try playing a few of the games available in that genre to get an idea of the features your game will have. Competing games will have slightly different functionality, which players swear by. Which do you want to emulate in your game?

Create a design document

Once you have a concept and have done your research, you’ll most likely have a pretty good idea of the game you want to build. The next step is to make a design document, which is basically an outline of the game, what type of features you need to add, what it will look like, and more. It should have enough detail so that someone else could read it and understand the type of game you want to build. This design document will help you decide what technologies are necessary to use and keep your game project on track.

Start coding

Using your design document will help you decide which programming language and/or gaming engine you will use for your game. If your game will be in 3D, then you must choose a technology that supports it. If it’ll be a mobile game, then you may use a totally different technology than you would use for a PC game. Let’s look at some of the technologies that are used to create video games.

5 technologies to create a video game

The technology you’ll need to create your game depends on the type of game you’re building and the platforms you want it to run on. Below, we’ll explore five of the most popular technologies used for game development.

1. Unreal

Unreal is a cross-platform commercial game engine created by Epic Games. It was designed for creating high-quality 3D games and has been used in many commercially successful video games, including Unreal, Fortnite, Batman Arkham City, BioShock, Deux Ex, Mass Effect 2, and more. Unreal is written in C++, so to use the engine, you need to know this programming language, which you can learn with our Learn C++ course.

The Unreal Engine features a high degree of portability, and games written with the platform can run on various desktop, mobile, console, and virtual reality platforms. It’s free to download and uses a royalty model based on sales if you plan on creating a commercial game.

2. Unity

Unity is a cross-platform commercial game engine created by Unity Technologies. You can use it to create 2D, 3D, and virtual reality video games that run on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and more. While it costs money for larger game companies to use, it’s free to use for hobby projects and indie game studios.

Unity is a very popular engine for new developers because you can create many types of games that run on multiple platforms and its full-featured game editor. There have been many commercial games written with it, including Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout and Subnautica. If you want to learn to create a game using Unity, you’ll need to know C#, which our Learn C# course can teach you.

3. Phaser.js

Phaser.js is a free, open-source video game framework that allows you to create games using JavaScript. Plus, the games will run in any modern browser. You can use Phaser.js to create 2D games that people can play on any operating system with a web browser installed, including mobile phones.

Another advantage of Phaser.js is that you can try out some of the games written with it right now in your browser without downloading gigabytes of files and installing them on your system. Check out some of the games written in Phaser.js here.

4. PyGame

PyGame is a free, open-source Python library designed for creating video games. It’s popular among new Game Developers because Python has a simple syntax similar to the English language and modern programming features that allow developers to write concise code. PyGame is also cross-platform, and you can use it to build games for Windows, Mac, Linux, and other operating systems.

PyGame is used specifically for creating 2D games and is a good choice if you want to create puzzle games or other simple games, though it’s also been used for more advanced game development. Unity of Command is one of the more popular games written with PyGame. You can get started by learning to write Python code in our Learn Python 3 course.

5. ncurses

If you’re into retro games, you might want to write your game in C++ using ncurses. Ncurses is a simple, free library that allows you to write text-based user interfaces that run in the terminal. Using it, you can create the types of video games that came out in the 1980s and run them on the terminal using simple commands.

For example, the game will say you’re in a dungeon and ask you what you want to do. Then you’d type in directions like “move forward,” “move left,” etc., and hit enter to see the results.

You can even create simple graphics using ASCII code and print them to the terminal. Developers have created games that emulate Pong and Snake using ncurses.

Getting started with game development

Knowing how to program is the key to building a video game. Fortunately, you can learn to program as you build your game. In fact, if you’re already into video games and want to learn to program, then learning while building your first video game is perfect. You’ll have two motives to finish the game: learning a new skill and completing a game you can show your friends and family.

If you think Unreal is the game engine for you or you want to create a terminal game, then our Learn C++ course will teach you the language you need to know. If you’re leaning toward Unity, then go with Learn C#. If you want to create games that run in a web browser, check out Learn JavaScript and Create Video Games with Phaser.js. And if you think PyGame sounds like a good place to start because of its simple syntax, use our Learn Python 3 course to get started.

If you’d rather learn at your own pace, check out our courses on game development.

Live Webinar: An Introduction to The Learning Network

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Live Webinar: An Introduction to The Learning Network

The Learning Network publishes nearly 1,000 teaching resources each school year, all based on New York Times content — articles, essays, images, videos, graphics and podcasts. Educators across the globe use our resources to connect students to the world, give them a voice, strengthen literacy skills, and promote critical and creative thinking.

Whether you are a teacher or a parent, this webinar will help you get started in using these free learning tools. We will show you what The Learning Network is all about; teach you how to use our popular student activities; walk you through account creation and commenting; and share resources for online learning. We will do this through 60 minutes of interactive content, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.

C.T.L.E. credit is available for New York educators. All participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Register now to join our LIVE webinar or to receive a link to view the on-demand recording.

Live Webinar: Using Visual Media From The Times to Engage Students

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onlinefreecourse
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Live Webinar: Using Visual Media From The Times to Engage Students

In addition to articles, The New York Times offers photographs, illustrations, graphics, videos and virtual reality films that are accessible to learners of all levels. Every school day, The Learning Network uses this rich collection of visuals to create new teaching resources that help educators bring the world to their classrooms.

In this webinar, editors from The Learning Network discuss the following ways to use visual media from The Times:

  • Encounter new perspectives and explore the world through virtual reality documentaries.

  • Build literacy skills, promote discussion and foster creativity by using our image-based Picture Prompts.

  • Activate critical thinking and practice data analysis by participating in our weekly “What’s Going On in This Graph?” discussions.

  • Strengthen close reading skills by joining our regular “What’s Going On in This Picture?” activity.

C.T.L.E. credit is available for New York educators. All participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Register now to join our live webinar or to receive a link to view the on-demand recording.

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