🗒️ My “Sticky Note” Phase

When I started learning Unity, I kept track of player stuff like this:

“Health = 100” (scribbled on paper).
“Speed = fast?” (question mark and all).
“Score = …uh, I’ll figure it out later.”

Every time I tested my game, I had to remember these numbers.

Spoiler: I didn’t

Then I discovered variables
And suddenly, my scribbles turned into code that actually remembered things for me

🧩 What Are Variables?

Think of variables like little labeled boxes.
You can put numbers, words, or true/false values inside them — and Unity will keep them safe until you need them

Health? That’s a number box.
Player name? That’s a text box.
IsGameOver? That’s a yes/no box.

In C#, these boxes have types:

int health = 100;         // whole numbers
float speed = 5.5f;       // decimal numbers
string playerName = "Alex"; // text
bool isGameOver = false;  // true or false

🏃 A Simple Player Script

Let’s throw these variables into a Unity script:

using UnityEngine;

public class PlayerStats : MonoBehaviour
{
    int health = 100;
    float speed = 5f;
    string playerName = "CubeHero";
    bool isGameOver = false;

    void Start()
    {
        Debug.Log(playerName + " spawned with " + health + " HP.");
    }

    void Update()
    {
        transform.Translate(Vector3.forward * speed * Time.deltaTime);
    }
}

👉 What happens:

At the start, the Console prints the player’s name and health.
Every frame, the cube moves forward at the given speed.
The variables control all of this.

Change the numbers, and your game changes instantly.

🎯 Why Variables Matter

Variables are your game’s memory. They let you:

Store a player’s health, ammo, or score.
Adjust speed, gravity, or jump height.
Save whether a door is locked or open.
Keep track of literally anything you care about in your game.

No more sticky notes. Just reusable, reliable data inside your scripts.

🧪 Pro Tip: Public vs Private Variables

You’ll often see public and private in front of variables.

public int health = 100;  // shows up in Inspector
private float speed = 5f; // hidden in Inspector

Public → shows up in Unity’s Inspector window, so you can tweak it without editing code.
Private → stays hidden, safer from accidental changes.

Think of it like… public = “shared whiteboard,” private = “secret notebook.”

⚡ Quick Cheat Sheet

int → whole numbers (score = 10)
float → decimals (speed = 3.5f)
string → text (playerName = "Hero")
bool → true/false (isAlive = true)

🚀 Wrapping Up

Variables are tiny, simple things — but they’re the foundation of everything you’ll build.
They let you stop memorizing numbers, and start making your game world remember them for you.

🎮 Unity C# Basics: Variables in Scripts