Getting Started with Git for Game Dev | Quest to Compile - SHORT

Microsoft Developer explains why version control in game development is trickier than typical software projects: game repos often contain large binary assets that can’t be merged cleanly, and teams need workflows that work for both artists and developers.

Overview

Andy and Stacey cover how version control works in game studios and demonstrate setting up Git for a real Godot project using the terminal.

Centralized vs distributed version control

• Compares centralized systems (SVN/Perforce) with distributed version control (Git)
• Highlights why game studios often care about workflows like file locking and handling large assets

Git LFS for large binary assets

• Explains how Git LFS makes Git workable for repositories with large files (textures, audio, 3D models)
• Covers the core idea of LFS pointer files and separate storage to reduce local repo size
• Describes Git LFS file locking and why it matters for non-mergeable game assets

Git fundamentals (terminal workflow)

• Initializing and working with a repository: init, add, commit
• Syncing changes: push, pull
• Working with branches and handling merge conflicts

Game project best practices (Unity and Godot)

• Project/scene structure considerations
• Using .gitignore appropriately
• Commit hygiene
• Keeping the main branch stable

Links and resources

• Git: https://git-scm.com
• Git LFS: https://git-lfs.com
• GitHub: https://github.com
• Godot C# Essentials series: https://youtu.be/0Pf41YBedMk
• Full series: https://aka.ms/Quest-to-Compile