Indie Game Academy

I recently completed IGA Level 1, and I have to say, it was an amazing experience! From the first day, I felt completely immersed, and by the time it ended, I genuinely didn’t want it to. It made me feel like a kid again, rediscovering the excitement of creating and learning alongside passionate people.One of the highlights was definitely the community. I met some great people, and I truly hope these friendships last beyond the course. There’s a real sense of camaraderie among students, and that makes the whole experience even more rewarding.As for the teachers, they are magnificent, knowledgeable, supportive, and genuinely invested in helping students succeed. They know how to keep things engaging while making sure everyone is on the same page, which is crucial in a beginner-friendly setting.Working in Unity was a great way to put everything into practice. However, when it came to artistic development, I felt that the course could have delved a little deeper into best practices, do’s and don’ts, or overall guidelines for a stronger artistic foundation. That said, I can see how this was likely a deliberate choice to avoid overwhelming beginners.Overall, IGA Level 1 is an excellent starting point for anyone looking to get into game development. The structure is solid, the atmosphere is inspiring, and the people you meet along the way make it all the more worthwhile. If you’re considering it, go for it you won’t regret it!

We covered a wide range of topics during the lesson, yet it was all paced in a way that felt achievable. Gaining at least light exposure to most disciplines of building a game is very valuable. The instructor was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful and patient. The TA was also very knowledgeable and eager to help debug. Other instructors provide content and homework for individual verticals, such as Visual Design, Audio Design, Project Managment, etc. The homework was so engaging that I wish I'd had the bandwidth to do every vertical! 
I took the Level 1 class before this, where I released my first indie title. Highly recommend doing that one first if you are new to games. With this second level course, we each built our own versions of the same game alongside the teacher, and I will be using this project as a base for my second indie title. 
If you are someone who struggles with self-imposed scheduling and deadlines, I highly recommend both Level 1 and Level 2. Also the networking is amazing!

I've participated in two Level 1 classes over the course of 2024 and it's genuinely such a delight to be a part of the classroom. The energy is enthusiastic and joyful, the team meeting place (Gather) is an absolute BLAST, and I've learned so, so much more about the game design/development industry. The knowledge about the comings and goings of the industry is up-to-date, and there's a plethora of knowledge to gain about various disciplines like visual art, narrative design, programming, game design, etc. There's even a section dedicated to resumes, portfolios, and networking! The instructors are people you can rely on for quality advice and connect with outside of the course as well. I already have a degree in animation (concentrated in game design) from a 4-year college and one course with IGA was basically the equivalent of that, which is mind-boggling. This course is excellent for those just starting in game dev, those looking to make a career change, and even those with lots of experience who need a refresher. I'm very proud to be a part of such a tight-knit and helpful community throughout my journey, and to have the opportunity to make a difference in others' lives with a helping hand. My only nitpicking critique is that the course is fast. It's essentially a speedrun of the aspects of game development. Later courses like Level 2 and Level 3 allow for more time and care on larger projects, but I also believe the swiftness of Level 1 helps students with releasing a game in spite of perfectionism. The discord server is at your disposal for communicating with staff and students alike, for recieving/giving help, and holding each other accountable with your projects (and participating in the many, many game dev-related events they host). I can vouch that joining Level 1 was the best thing I did for myself in regards to networking and strengthening my skills!

I recently participated in the Indie Game Academy Level One bootcamp, and it was an incredible experience from start to finish. The instructors were not only knowledgeable but also genuinely passionate about game development. They were always ready to help, whether it was diving into complex topics or guiding us through the nuances of game design. Even though I’ve spent years playing games, I was a complete beginner when it came to Unity, the software we used throughout the bootcamp. The instructors made the learning curve manageable, and I came away feeling confident in my new skills.

The format of the bootcamp was another highlight. Spread over two days during a single weekend, it was intense but entirely worth it. The Gather space where we met added a layer of immersion and fun, making the entire experience feel more like a collaborative adventure than a traditional class. Willem, the host, brought great energy and humor to the sessions, which kept things lively and engaging.

One of the best new additions to the bootcamp was the chance to contribute to a Collection, which is now available on Itch.io. It’s incredibly cool to have a game we made during the bootcamp online for everyone to see. This not only gave us great exposure but also allowed us to apply what we were learning in a practical, creative way and see how our work fit into the broader game development process.

Overall, the bootcamp was an excellent introduction to game development, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to break into the industry, especially if you’re coming in with more experience as a player than as a developer. The mix of hands-on learning, expert instruction, and the supportive community made it a standout experience.

The boot camp was two days full of fun and excitement as we learned the basics for making a 2D platformer in Unity! Not only that, we also got to engage with not just the instructors but also our fellow peers as we learned together about the various faces of the Game Development Industry such as: Game Design, Narrative Design, Production/Management, Resumes, Portfolios, and Networking. 

I came out at the end of the course with a playable level for 2D platformer, an expanded network of fellow devs of various levels, richer in knowledge, and far more motivated to pursue the art of game dev!

I look forward to trying out more Level 1 courses from IGA and then hopefully also later moving up to Levels 2 and 3!

In my opinion, anyone who is looking to get into game industry but they are overwhelmed by all the aspects of it and just the layout of the engine. I would recommend this course to them. In this course, they build up your confidence, they try to make the engine less scary through workshop, they share so much learning resources and career paths. Also the environment of the class room was so constructive and friendly I had a great time there. If you want to start making games and don't know how, consider doing this course, and in no time you'll be making your own simple games.

This class was so amazing! So helpful! And so much fun! I'm working towards being a game writer, so Gadot was not on my radar as something I should learn, but I'm so glad I did! I now have a basic understanding of how to make a 3D game so my portfolio doesn't have to be filled with text-based games. The instructors were so knowledgeable and I'm really happy I got to ask questions and learn all that I can from them. The other students really made the class, too. They were all so welcoming and knowledgeable in different fields so it was really cool to work with them in a way that highlighted all our different skills. If you can I highly recommend you take this class if you're looking to learn more about game development and the gaming industry. 

I took this class after IGA Level 1.  IGA Level 2 was worth every penny.  Besides making a game, I learned so much about each of the game industry verticals.  In terms of game programming, I learned industry best practices: everything from source control with Git, software architecture planning, project management, audio, and asset management.  I learned how to use common programming patterns in game design, developing game state managers, and more.  In the end, I am really proud of the game I developed and will be featuring it on my portfolio.

If you want a supportive environment where you can design games with other creative, motivated individuals, and where you'll learn real world skills, join IGA and take Level 2! 

I firmly believe the magic of the Indie Game Academy goes beyond the stellar staff, community, and guests that reside within its digital walls. It's that magic that created the happenstance for me to grow with and grow to know the fantastic headmaster, Willem Delventhal, and the amazing team at IGA!

My discovery of the academy was little different than the curiosity of a product that leads to investigating it. I was simply browsing Instagram those three years ago when, of all the ads I could have seen, I saw one for IGA. I took a chance to look into it deeper and booked a call with the man I'm grateful and honored to call friend today. He told me about his mission to bring the joys and guide rising talent through the mystic maze that is Game Development as a career. I expressed my wanting to "live to create" and enrich people's lives through what I could build. 

After he gave me a chance and I was admitted to my first cohort, the 2021 Fall IGA Level 3 Cohort, it was a joyous experience I fondly recollect to this day. I and many others were assorted into "House" teams as the theme of the program shared resemblance with the wizarding houses of Harry Potter and the classes of medieval fantasy Roleplaying games. Through a 3 month process of collaboration, ticket management, feature prioritizing and triaging, publishing steps, and a great presentation to a panel of Game Developers employed under major development studios we of House Rogues made and published to the Google Play store our game, RoStation!

Following that Cohort I was given an invitation to return again for the 2022 Fall IGA Level 3 Cohort, but as a Project Manager instead of a Programmer. During my time there I collaborated with a team of 3 wonderful people including myself. It gave me a great deal of perspective of what happens on the "other side" of the team and humbled me to better respect how my Project Manager helped me and our team during my former cohort. With our combined efforts, inspirations, and great talent House Rogues once again designed, built, marketed and published Rise N' Grind! An adventure platformer with a coffee barista theme.

All this to say, if you're looking to make a career investment for yourself and want to share your creativity, passion and grit for Game Dev with many like-minded students, then look no further than the Indie Game Academy!

I discovered Indie Game Academy through one of their free workshops. The class was a great introduction into the indie side of the games industry. They spoke about their Publish Program and I was very interested. William offered to answer any questions I had over a video call and was great in helping me decide if I thought it was a worthwhile investment of my time and money. Needless to say I don't regret it at all!

There are many positives to the Indie Game Academy that I would like to highlight. Every week we had small lectures with practical exercises to broaden our knowledge of the game dev pipeline. There was also several people that were brought in from specific parts of the games industry to teach in their area of expertise. It is also worth noting the main professors were charming and brought a lot of positive energy to the space. 

Speaking on the game development side I thought the teams were well put together. Based on our surveyed values and skill sets we were sorted into houses. I have nothing but positive things to say about the others that were on the project. There was some stressful moments due to deadlines but we made it to the end with a complete, and published game! In case you are not aware everything was developed in the unity engine.

After we had finished and had our house cup night there was a survey and was offered further support in our game dev journey through their discord. The IGA discord is lively and they hold classes and workshops regularly. If you need feedback on a project or portfolio, or want to promote your work there is a welcoming community eager to connect and share their game dev journey with you. 

Anyways, to wrap this review I would defiantly say I loved my experience and would highly recommend their classes at any level. Indie Game Academies classes were a crucial step into bridging an educational gap I had after college as an artist trying to get into the games industry. 

To begin: My background is in writing (MFA in writing for kids) and programming (self-taught programmer working in the industry for about 6 years).
I started my official journey with IGA in a Level 1 course where we built a Galaga clone, and it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. It was absolutely a firehose of information, but it sparked a joy in me that I haven't been able to find elsewhere, and pushed me to apply for Level 2.
Honestly, taking this course has been one of the best decisions I've ever made -- such a good investment in myself and a ton of fun.

This course was incredible. It was a perfect mix of self-teaching and instructional guidance that was really invaluable when trying to not only do the work, but understand what it is doing. I never felt like I was floundering, and even still there were additional pre-recorded versions of the lectures to help with anything after the fact. Those helped immensely on the class night that I wasn't able to make.

We covered a little bit of everything, from programming to animation. Then we also had verticals (mine was narrative), which was an additional video and homework outside of the class days -- the additional work from the verticals led to me officially completing and uploading my first game ever (Galaga was a fail on my part :') ) using a revised version of my graduate thesis (a middle grade novel). I have revamped it a number of times, but this class is the first time it actually came alive for me.

I have never felt so proud of something that I've made before and have never been so thrilled to show it off during the showcase.

The course itself was 10 classes, 2 a week for 5 weeks. The time frame was just right for getting through the material, and we were then given an extra two weeks to prepare for the showcase and polish up our game for demo. The classes themselves were straightforward, getting both hands-on and lecture learning for all sorts of topics, especially programming in Unity. Personally the programming side of things was the most valuable thing for me, and I feel like I learned so much more than I would have on my own (I fear I likely would have given up before getting anywhere with it without this course).

All in all, the course, the verticals and homework, and the showcase were all absolutely incredible. I learned so much, and even after an intensive five weeks, I almost signed up for the next Level 2 course to make a Diablo clone (I absolutely will be keeping my eyes open for a repeat in the coming years when I have more flexibility).

IGA completely changed my game dev journey. I am a graduate of both Level 1 and Level 2. Each course has different targets, methods, durations, etc., and both courses were very valuable. A cumulative 6 weeks of IGA classes did more for my abilities as a game dev than a year and a half of personal projects, game jams, and self-study. Instructors are generous with their time, flexible to different ability levels, and encouraging. I took Level 2 first, then circled back to Level 1 to use the class prompt as a foundation for a portfolio piece, and it turned out better than I expected. I would take either class again, and may take another Level 1 this year as another portfolio exercise. I do think it is a great way to get started for anyone who wants their first hands on experience, and who wants to feel enabled/empowered to make cool games!

IGA Level 1 was so much fun. I joined Level 1 to network and meet others.  There were many students there of varying experiences from all walks of life. The staff there was incredible. They had very well organized presentation that were very easy to follow and they were able to answer questions as they were able to. they also made the whole community feel very open and friendly. this made it easy for all of use to interact, ask questions , and over all enjoy the company of others. There is a good mix of friendly competition and comradery. would recommend for any skill level. 

I don't think I've ever learned so much in 8 hours, and I took college classes on some of this stuff. This course goes over each job path in game dev and walks you through building a complete game level. I've tried making games from scratch before but it all becomes so overwhelming, especially if you're trying to do everything solo. Now I know a little bit more about the areas that were unknown to me (narrative, production) and most importantly, I learned to just make games! The first few you make are going to be bad so get those out of the way quickly so you can move on to the better ones with the skills you learn.
Everyone (the instructors, the classmates) were incredibly nice and patient and I would recommend this course to anyone.