Sakurai's Youtube has reached over 100 videos; Here's an Index of all that.
The best intro to game development? (Plus other recommended content)
TLDR: Sakurai has produced over 100 videos of great content to get your mind wrapped around the world of game development. I’ve compiled a index of this content for the reader to explore. Enjoy!
Introduction
Whether or not you know of the name Sakurai you have played or heard the titles he’s worked on:
Super Smash Bros.
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby Super Star
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby Air Ride
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Super Smash Bros.
( Just to name a few ) See Masahiro Sakurai's Creative Works for his breakdown.
After finishing up his work with the latest smash title Super Smash Bros. Ultimate he has taken up a role of managing an educational youtube channel called:
Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games
These started around a year ago on August 23rd, 2023 when “About This Channel” was posted. His channel posts content on a frequent basis; with new videos consistently coming out every 3-6 days. Each video runs from around 4-12 mins, covering a good introduction to the topic.
An index for the channel’s content
Sakurai has each video tagged with a specific category. Each is indexed with a letter and has an introductory video + a playlist tied to it. I’ll be providing the link to the playlist along with a link to each video. Each category will have a quote from the introductory video he provides describing the category.
A : Worth Ethic
In the Work Ethic category, I'd like to talk about the ways we approach and prepare for our jobs. How we think and feel about our work is important—we're not robots, after all.
B : Game Essence
In the Game Essence category, I'll explore the thinking behind "game essence" and how it impacts the push and pull at the heart of games.
C : Planning & Game Design
In the Planning & Game Design category, I'll talk about topics to consider when coming up with game ideas and mechanics.
D : Design Specifics
In the Design Specifics category of videos, I’d like to discuss the thinking behind some of the smaller details that go into games.
E : Team Management
Team Management! Games are often made by teams, so I'll be discussing how to best manage them to keep development going smoothly.
F : Graphics
In the Graphics category, we'll talk about making art for games. I won't be sharing tool tutorials and such, but rather practical points to consider when creating game visuals.
G : Animation
In the Animation category, I'll be sharing some of the tricks we use to express character movement.
H : Effects
In the Effects category, I'll be discussing some of the myriad special effects used in games.
I : Audio
In the Audio category of videos, I’ll be discussing aspects to consider when adding sound to your games.
J : UI
In this category, I'll be talking about the on-screen elements of UI in games, such as menus and other display information.
K : Programming & Tech
I've also prepared a Programming & Tech category—though I'll do my best to keep things simple.
L : Marketing
No matter how good your game is, it may as well not exist if people don't know about it. It's not enough to only put effort into developing something special—you need to spread the word, too!
M : Grab Bag
In the Grab Bag category, you never know what you're going to get. Here, we'll delve into topics that don't quite fit neatly into any of the other categories—though the conversations will still be largely focused around games.
N : Game Concepts
In the Game Concepts category, I'll be looking back at how I came up with the ideas for each of the games I worked on, in release order.
More content?
Theory of Fun for Game Design ( ISBN-13: 978-1449363215 )
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses ( ISBN-13: 978-1138632059 )
An Architectural Approach to Level Design ( ISBN-13: 978-0815361367 )
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made ( ISBN-13 : 978-0062651235 )
Post Credits
Thanks Haczar for the post idea!