Contributing to VirtualGamePad

Contribution guide for VirtualGamePad

Contributing to VirtualGamePad

Welcome to the VirtualGamePad project! We’re building a virtual gamepad that lets you use your Android phone as a game controller for Windows PC, and we need YOUR help - whether you’re a gamer or someone who just wants a better way to play games.

🎮 Who We Need

You don’t need to be a programmer to help! We especially need:

  • Gamers who can test with real games
  • Mobile users testing on different Android devices
  • Anyone who finds bugs or has ideas

🚧 Project Status

Heads up: This project is changing fast! We’re still figuring things out, so:

  • Features might break between updates
  • New stuff gets added regularly
  • Your feedback directly shapes what we build next

Go see the roadmap.

⚠️ What to Expect

The Reality:

  • I’m the only maintainer right now, so responses might take a week or two
  • Things break sometimes (we’re still figuring it out!)
  • Your idea might not get implemented immediately
  • But every bug report and suggestion helps make this better!

🎯 Our Goal

We want VirtualGamePad to be the easiest, lightest, most reliable way to use your phone as a game controller. Your testing and feedback is what gets us there!

🤝 How YOU Can Help (No Coding Required!)

Find and Report Bugs

This is HUGE for us!

  • Try to break things (seriously!)
  • Test with your favorite games
  • Try weird button combinations
  • Test on different Android devices

How to report: Create an issue and tell us:

  • What you were doing
  • What went wrong
  • What device you’re using (phone model, Android version)
  • Screenshots help a lot!

Test on Your Devices

We can’t test everything ourselves!

  • Different Android phones/tablets
  • Different screen sizes
  • Older Android devices
  • Any games that don’t work well?

Share Ideas

  • How could we make it easier to use?
  • What’s confusing about the current setup?
  • What features would make this awesome?

Help Others

  • Answer questions in Discussions
  • Share tips and tricks you discover
  • Help other users with setup problems

Spread the Word

  • Make videos showing it working
  • Post about it on gaming forums, Reddit, Discord
  • Tell your friends

🏗️ What Is VirtualGamePad?

It’s actually 4 connected projects:

Don’t worry about the technical details - just know that bugs could happen in any part!

📋 How to Report Issues

Please open an issue on the Github issue tracker of the relevant repository:

If you are not sure which repository to use, just use the VirtualGamePad Website and I will move it to the right place.

🎮 Testing Help We Really Need

Priority Testing Areas

  1. Device Testing
    • Older Android phones
    • Different screen sizes
  2. Game Compatibility
    • Steam games
    • Indie games
    • Emulators (Visual Boy Advance, RetroArch, Dolphin, etc.)
    • Browser games
  3. Child-Friendly Testing
    • Is it easy for children to use?
    • Are instructions clear enough?

🔧 For Developers

If you DO code and want to help:

Easy Starting Points

  • Fix typos in documentation
  • Improve error messages
  • Verify reported bugs

Setup Each Component

Each repository has its own README with setup instructions. Pick the one that matches your skills:

  • Desktop server: VirtualGamePad-PC (C++/Qt)
  • Android client: VirtualGamePad-Mobile (Kotlin/Android)

Remember: Using VirtualGamePad and giving feedback IS contributing!

You don’t need to write a single line of code to make a huge difference. Every bug you find, every game you test, every suggestion you make helps build something awesome for the gaming community! 🎮

Ready to help? Start by trying it out and let us know how it goes!