u/Pale-Candidate-4122

Hi!

I’m a very young beginner developer and recently released my first small arcade-style game made in C++ using raylib.

Right now I’m trying to learn not only programming/game design, but also how indie developers actually get people to notice their games.

I’ve been posting on a few subreddits and Discord servers and already got some feedback and a few downloads, which honestly feels really motivating

But I still have a lot of questions:

• Should I tell all my friends about the game, or is that a bad idea early on?
• What platforms are best for promoting very small indie games?
• What makes people actually click/download a game?
• Is GIF/video marketing really that important?
• At what point should a beginner start thinking about Steam?
• How do you improve a game when feedback is very mixed?
• What are common mistakes beginner indie devs make when trying to promote games?

I’d really appreciate advice from more experienced developers.

If anyone wants to see the game itself, I’ll put it in a comment

Game Title: Avoid Bubbles Game

Playable Link: https://pingponger231.itch.io/avoid-b

Hi! I’m a young developer and I’ve been learning C++ recently.
I made a small arcade game where you dodge enemies and try to survive as long as possible.

The game starts simple but gets chaotic pretty quickly — I’m trying to find the right balance between fun and difficulty.

I’d really appreciate any honest feedback

What do you think I should improve first?

• Does the difficulty feel fair or too frustrating?
• Is the gameplay clear when things get intense?
• Does it look engaging or a bit too simple?

I know it’s not perfect — I’m still learning — so any advice would really help!

I’m a very young beginner gamedev — how should I promote my first game?