My Game Development Workflow in 2024

After years of trial and error, I’ve settled on a workflow that maximizes productivity while keeping things fun.

The Stack

Engine

Unity for most projects. Unreal for anything requiring cutting-edge graphics.

Why Unity?

• Fast iteration
• Huge asset store
• C# is pleasant to write
• Good 2D support

Version Control

Git + GitHub exclusively. No exceptions.

[!warning] Not using version control is professional malpractice. Set it up before writing a single line of code.

Code Editor

VS Code with extensions:

• C# extension
• Unity snippets
• GitLens
• Prettier

Art Tools

• Blender for 3D modeling
• Substance Painter for texturing
• Aseprite for pixel art
• Figma for UI mockups

Daily Routine

Morning (9 AM - 12 PM)

Focus time. No meetings, no distractions. This is when I:

• Write complex systems
• Debug difficult issues
• Architect new features

Afternoon (1 PM - 5 PM)

Lighter work:

• Art integration
• Polish and juice
• Playtesting
• Documentation

Evening (Optional)

Creative exploration:

• Shader experiments
• Prototype new ideas
• Learn new techniques

Project Structure

GameProject/
├── Assets/
│   ├── _Project/           # All game-specific assets
│   │   ├── Scripts/
│   │   ├── Prefabs/
│   │   ├── Scenes/
│   │   └── Art/
│   ├── Plugins/            # Third-party code
│   └── Resources/          # Runtime-loaded assets
├── Packages/               # Package manager deps
└── ProjectSettings/        # Unity settings

Keep third-party assets separate from your code. You’ll thank yourself later.

Best Practices

Code Organization

• One class per file
• Meaningful names (no abbreviations)
• Comments explain WHY, not WHAT
• Keep methods under 50 lines

Scene Management

• Use prefabs for everything
• Additive scene loading
• Separate scenes for UI, lighting, gameplay
• Never edit prefab instances directly

Performance

• Profile early, profile often
• Object pooling for frequently spawned objects
• Async operations for heavy tasks
• LOD for distant objects

Avoiding Burnout

This is crucial. Game development is a marathon:

1. Set boundaries - Work ends at 6 PM
2. Take breaks - Pomodoro technique works
3. Ship small - Finish things regularly
4. Play games - Remember why you started
5. Exercise - Sitting destroys your body

[!note] Your best work happens when you’re well-rested and healthy.

Continuous Learning

I dedicate Friday afternoons to learning:

• Read postmortems
• Watch GDC talks
• Experiment with new tech
• Study other games

The industry moves fast. Stay curious.

Shipping

The best workflow is the one that helps you ship. Everything else is noise.

Don’t get caught in tool obsession. Pick good tools, then focus on making great games.