Godot game engine and open-source software

We’ll be using the Godot game engine, which I presume you already know exists as this is a book specifically about that engine. But let me give you some more insight into its history and what open-source means.

Some background on the engine

Godot Engine is a piece of open-source software that lets people from all experience levels and walks of life create games. The project was started in 2007 by Juan Linietsky and Ariel Manzur as an in-house engine for several Argentinian game studios. In late 2014, the engine got open-sourced, giving everyone free access to the code. Since then, it has gained lots of traction and is currently one of the most used game engines on the market. Many commercial games have been released or are under development using the engine. Examples of released games are Brotato, Dome Keeper, Case of the Golden Idol, and Cassette Beasts.

For those of you wondering, yes, the engine is named after the theatrical piece Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett. This choice of name is because people will always be waiting for the next version or new feature, resulting in an endless cycle of waiting.

While on the topic of the engine’s name, let’s also get the pronunciation out of the way. In short, there is no standard way of pronouncing Godot. Because of the association with the play’s title, which is written in French, some people say it should be “go-do,” without emphasis on any syllable. But most English speakers would say “GOH-doh” and stress the first syllable. Then, there is the stream of people that pronounce it “go-DOT,” mainly because it sounds similar to the word “robot” and the engine’s logo is a blue robot. But I notice that I say Godot differently each time. So, to cut a long story short, pronounce it however you like. Just use roughly the same letters.

What is open-source software?

As mentioned earlier, Godot is open-source, meaning the engine’s source code is freely available. Because everyone has access, people can alter this code to their liking. Once they have tweaked enough parameters or developed a new feature, they can ask the creator of the software to include these tweaks or features in the original project. The creator will then review what the other person has done, alter it a bit if needed, and then add it to the code of the original software. This process creates a virtuous circle that results in a win-win situation for everyone:

• The software’s creator can grow the code faster because everyone chips in
• People with technical knowledge can add the features they miss, making it fit their needs
• The end user gets a much better and more stable end product

But not every open-source project is created equal. Each free open-source software (FOSS) comes with its respective license. This license dictates how you can or should use the software. Some of these are pretty restrictive, but in the case of Godot Engine, we are in luck: we can do anything without significant restrictions. We only have to attribute the creators on the credit page of our games.

Alright – we know what Godot Engine is, how to pronounce its name (or not), and why FOSS is so awesome. Let’s dive right into preparing our development environment!