👨🏫 Associate Professor of the Department Yatsenko V.V., as a member of the working project group of the educational program “Esports and Computer Game Development”, joined the annual international conference Games Gathering 2025 Lviv, which took place on April 3–6, 2025 🗓️.
🎮 The event brought together specialists, teachers, students and everyone interested in the development of game development – uniting them around a discussion of current trends in video game development and issues 💼 employment in the field.
📢 As part of the conference program, participants had the opportunity to listen to speeches by leading experts, get acquainted with real cases and receive practical advice on creating and promoting computer games. Among the key topics of discussion were innovations in game design, the peculiarities of the work of indie teams, as well as ways to develop young specialists in the industry.
✨ Special attention was paid to the development of indie games — that is, video games created without the support of major publishers. Such projects usually have a limited budget, small teams, and are distributed through digital platforms or as free software.
In the report “Indie Survival Secrets: Lessons from Veterans,” experienced developer D. Cheglakov shared his own experience of the full cycle of indie game development and focused on the key challenges of each stage. Among the main tips for indie developers were highlighted:
🔄 Iterative development: start with a minimally viable prototype, regularly test and improve the product, apply an agile approach to development;
📝 Technical documentation and standards: record architectural solutions, keep a journal of technical problems and their solutions, maintain uniform code standards;
⚠️ Risk management: identify technically complex components at the start of the project, create prototypes for them first;
🎯 Balance between ideal and expedient: focus on what is truly important for the player; a finished game is better than an ideal but unfinished one.
After the game is released, work on the project does not end. Important further steps include:
🔧 Product support: system updates, bug fixing, distribution of responsibilities in the support team;
📣 Communication with players: openness about problems, active information about changes, dialogue with key community members;
📱 Constant marketing: maintaining interest through social networks, regular content, searching for new promotion channels;
🗺️ Future planning: gradual transition to new projects, maintaining a balance of resources, analyzing experience for further growth.
🎓 Participation in Games Gathering 2025 Lviv demonstrated the importance of integrating theoretical training with practical industry insights. The information obtained allows you to better navigate modern game development trends, understand market needs and adapt educational programs to the real challenges of the professional environment.
📚 Such events are a valuable source of knowledge and inspiration for teachers, students and everyone who seeks to be professionally realized in the field of game development.
The information was prepared by Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor V.V. Yatsenko
