If you’re an Ubuntu user looking to create the next Braid or Super Meat Boy, you may be wondering whether or not it’s possible given that you’re not running Mac OSX or Windows. Fear not — if anything, Linux is the home of programmers and those who work with code and software design, so you’ll soon find you’re right at home!

Ubuntu is built on coding, but that’s not all it can offer. If you’re used to using Wine to get the most out of your software capabilities in Ubuntu, then you’ll soon find that there are a lot of Windows design programs that will allow you to piece together animations, draw assets and create music that will work near-perfectly the majority of the time.

If you’ve noticed that iOS or Android games development is an attractive market, then you’ll be pleased to know that all the shiny new devices you see at o2.co.uk can be developed for on Ubuntu. Here’s a list of native programs that you can use to facilitate your games development process: Netbeans, code::blocks, jedit, Eclipse, MonoDevelop, vi/vim (old school).

Of course, you’ll also need graphics and assets, but what a lot of developers do until they’ve got everything in place is to use placeholder assets from other games or even just basic blocks with indicators on them to show their current state. There are a lot of aspects to a good game – art, music, design, mechanics, genre, good code – and all can be achieved by taking a look at the Ubuntu Software Center, which has a range of free software to assist you in achieving your goals.

There are also a lot of strong communities built on indie games development, from TigSource to IndieGames, and you’ll soon find that code is a language that transcends operating systems, bringing together everyone to help you solve a particular problem.

Now get out there, and go make games!