The latest Great Northern Games AMA featuring Jack Murrell, founder of Blaze Games Ltd explored a challenge familiar to many aspiring game developers: how to move beyond tutorials and develop the practical skills needed for a career using Unreal Engine. The discussion covered everything from technical learning and portfolio development to collaboration, professional workflows and the growing role of AI in education.
The free Discord chat formed part of Game Republic’s activities for 2026 supported by Official Partners Red Kite Games, Xsolla and Double Eleven. Here are some of the key points from the session that we wanted to share…
Moving Beyond Tutorials to Build Real Unreal Engine Skills
Unreal Engine is widely used for large-scale commercial games, but it is more accessible than many beginners expect. While its features can feel overwhelming, especially for those new to technical environments, free access, extensive learning materials, and a strong community make it easier than ever to start. Progress comes less from mastering every tool and more from building confidence through exploration and practical experience.
“Tutorials are a useful starting point, but meaningful learning happens when developers experiment, adapt systems to their own needs, and learn to justify their technical decisions. That’s what builds genuine understanding and industry readiness.” Jack Murrell, Blaze Games Ltd
Tutorials are a useful starting point, but they should not be the end goal. Real learning begins when developers question how systems work, experiment with different approaches, and adapt solutions to their own needs. The ability to troubleshoot, modify functionality, and justify technical decisions shows deeper understanding and helps learners grow into adaptable, job-ready developers.
Portfolios Should Demonstrate Thinking, Not Just Scale
When building a portfolio, there can be a temptation to create increasingly large and ambitious projects. In practice, smaller projects that clearly demonstrate technical understanding often provide stronger evidence of a developer’s capabilities. Areas like blueprints, debugging, optimisation and systems design can reveal more about a candidate’s skills than the overall size of a project.
“Portfolios are strongest when they show clear technical understanding like debugging, optimisation, and system design rather than large scope. What matters most is explaining decisions and showing how existing assets or templates were improved or extended, not just copied.” Jack Murrell, Blaze Games Ltd
Equally important is the ability to explain the reasoning behind technical decisions and articulate how challenges were overcome. Even when using existing templates, marketplace assets or pre-built systems, originality remains important. Employers are often interested in understanding what was changed, improved or expanded upon, rather than simply seeing a recreated example.
Building Strong Development Habits Through Practice
Developing confidence with Unreal Engine comes from more than theory or tutorials; it is strengthened through hands-on experimentation, testing ideas, and learning from mistakes and unexpected issues. While this can be challenging, especially for beginners, it builds deeper understanding and essential problem-solving skills for real-world development.
“Confidence in Unreal Engine comes from hands-on experimentation and learning through problem-solving, supported by good habits like clear organisation, consistent naming, and proper documentation for better workflow and collaboration.” Jack Murrell, Blaze Games Ltd
Alongside technical learning, strong professional habits are important. Good folder structure, consistent naming, organised Blueprints, and clear documentation improve workflow and make collaboration easier. Developing these habits early supports better long-term project management and teamwork in larger development environments.
AI Should Support Learning, Not Replace It
As with many discussions, the growing presence of AI tools in both game development and education was soon brought to the table. Used effectively, AI can improve productivity, support research and help developers explore ideas more efficiently.
“AI can boost productivity in game development, but it should support understanding rather than replace it. Developers still need to evaluate outputs and apply critical thinking.” Jack Murrell, Blaze Games Ltd
The greatest value comes when these tools enhance understanding rather than replace it. Whether working with AI-generated code, tutorials or documentation, developers still need to understand why solutions work, evaluate their quality and make informed decisions about how they are used. Critical thinking remains one of the most important skills developers can develop.
Key Takeaways
Learning Unreal Engine is about more than completing tutorials. While resources, templates, and AI tools can speed up development for anyone learning Unreal Engine today, the goal is not just to complete projects, but to develop the confidence and understanding needed to create, adapt, and solve problems independently.
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