How do I choose Unity tutorials that teach concepts and practice projects?

[EricW]

I'm a beginner game developer who just started learning Unity, and I'm feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of Unity tutorials available online. I've completed a few basic introductory courses, but I'm struggling to bridge the gap between following step-by-step instructions and actually building my own simple 2D platformer from scratch. For those who are self-taught, what tutorial series or learning path did you find most effective for moving from beginner to intermediate? Are there any specific creators or resources that focus on teaching the underlying concepts and best practices, rather than just copying code? How did you structure your practice projects to reinforce what you were learning without getting stuck?

[SamuelBR]

Nice goal. For a beginner-to-intermediate path, try a 6–8 week plan built around learning by building a single small 2D platformer. Start with a simple core: player movement, jumping, and collisions, then progressively layer in camera, level design, and a basic enemy. Focus on concepts, not just copying code, and keep each week’s goal concrete so you can show progress.

- Week 1–2: Core movement with Rigidbody2D, ground check, jump, and a clean input system. Build a tiny level to test physics and collision responses.
- Week 3: Camera follow, parallax layers, and basic tilemap-based level layout. Learn about prefab variants so you don’t duplicate work.
- Week 4: Simple collectibles and a basic UI (score, lives). Start thinking about data-driven content with ScriptableObjects for item definitions.
- Week 5–6: Add a simple enemy with patrols and a tiny boss mechanic or puzzle element. Focus on reusable components and state-driven behavior.
- Week 7–8: Polish and a small, polished level you can showcase; add sound, basic feedback, and a readme with design decisions.

Tip: keep a small, private project log describing what you learned each step and why you made certain architectural choices.

If you want, I can tailor this into a sharable 4–6 week plan with milestones aligned to your schedule.