How to ask questions and get help in gamedev communities

Have you ever asked a question online and got no reply, or worse, got a frustrated reply?

You're not alone!

At some point in your gamedev journey, you'll hit a roadblock and need help. This video shows you how to ask questions in a way that increases your chances of getting useful answers. It's part of the onboarding modules of GDQuest's Gamedev Curriculum and one of the first habits we encourage our students to build when they set out to make games!

The golden rule: Help me help you

If you look at our Discord or the Godot forums for example, you'll find that gamedevs are generous with their time and knowledge and help newcomers when they can.

But they're not sitting next to you, they can't see your screen or know everything you've done or tried so far. Yet, most programming issues are contextual. That's why you need to give people the right information so they can help you.

Here are three checks you can do before posting a question. Follow these, and you'll max out your chances of getting help from the community:

1. Are you asking in the right place?
2. Did you look for an answer?
3. Did you provide enough context?

Let's go through each of these checks one by one.

Check 1: Are you asking in the right place?

Before you post a question, ask yourself: am I in the right place?

Here's a good rule of thumb: Post your question where you would expect to find an answer to it.

Say you just watched a tutorial and you scroll down to the comments to ask about your own project. If your question isn't related to the tutorial, the comments probably aren't the best place for it.

People reading the comments want to discuss the tutorial itself. They might have their own questions about what the video covers. Along the way, they might answer your question too, but only if it's relevant to the tutorial.

Check 2: Did you look for an answer?

You don't need to know if your question is common or rare, don't worry about that. But it saves everyone time if you search for an answer before asking. Someone might have already gotten a great answer to the same question or a similar one.

You can try any of these methods to search for an answer:

• Search a few relevant keywords in your search engine: "Godot coding attacks" or "Godot 3d third person player movement"
• Find the main topic or game mechanic your question is about and look up relevant YouTube videos to see if someone asked your question in the comments
• Check help requests in the Godot forum, on Reddit, or in the help channels on the Godot Discord or GDQuest Discord
• If you suspect a bug in Godot itself, look up open issues in the Godot project on GitHub to see if someone reported it

Searching first saves you time and shows good citizenship in your community. Plus, reading other people's questions and answers helps you learn faster.

One more thing: you might not always get answers fast, because people are not always around or may not know about your specific problem. While you wait, look for chances to help others! And remember to be patient and ready to work on something else in the meantime.

Check 3: Did you provide enough context?

This is the most important check. Never skip this one: Gamedev problems are contextual. The more context you give, the easier it is for someone to help you.

People aren't in your head or sitting next to you. They haven't been dealing with your problem alongside you. So they need you to bridge that gap.

Just describing what went wrong won't get you answers. Avoid vague complaints like:

• "This doesn't work, I hate it"
• "My character won't move, why?"
• "Godot sucks"

People simply can't help with something too short like this.

But giving details doesn't mean writing an essay. Try to be clear and complete, while keeping it short. Here's what to include:

• What you're trying to do: Describe your goal clearly
• What you've tried: Explain the steps you already took
• What actually happens: Describe the specific problem or error you see
• Your setup: Mention your Godot version, operating system, and any relevant project settings
• Code or screenshots: Share the relevant code or a screenshot that shows the problem

People can be incredibly generous with their time and knowledge when you follow these steps. So remember: Help me help you.

faq/troubleshooting

What if my question seems too basic or stupid?

There's no stupid question, and you shouldn't be embarrassed to ask! Everyone starts somewhere. Sometimes programmers forget what it's like to get started, but many of us keep in mind that programming is hard. You'll also find people in these communities who are just getting started or have the same questions as you.

How long should I wait before asking my question again?

Wait at least 24 hours before bumping your question. Community members are volunteers helping in their free time across different time zones.

If you don't get an answer after waiting, try to review your question: Did you give enough context? Are you in the right place? Sometimes adding more details makes all the difference.

You can try working on other mechanics or problems in the meantime, or if you keep at it, you can bump with new things that you've tried since your last post.

bonus

Use our question checklist tool to write better questions!

We created a free tool to help you remember all these tips and write questions that get answers!

Fill out the GDQuest Question Checklist with your problem details, and it generates a well-formatted post that you can use in any community.

The form walks you through what to include: your goal, the issue, error messages, code, screenshots, and more. Click "Generate" at the bottom, and you'll have a clear, complete question ready to post.