Everyone likes being a creator, which is why we all like doing creative things, from art to music, physical activities, woodworking and any type of creation. There are countless ways we can create new objects and today, even software. As people who frequently use computers, we are drawn to video games and software.
Creating a video game is something most gamers dream of, wanting to wield their own story and be the captains of a development ship. Not many gamers want to get their hands dirty and start coding.
But what if they wanted to? Could you create and code your own game? Well, you could, and here is how.
Brainstorming
The first part of any good plan is thinking about the plan itself. You can’t build something out of nothing, even though you might have materials. You can’t build anything if you don’t have an idea of what you want to build. This is true for anything, not just video games.
Before you start looking for solutions, you should know what your video game will be about and which genre of game it will belong to. This is a broad definition of your game and as such, it should still be specific enough that you know whether your game will be playing like an RPG and which kind and whether you will have puzzles, an open world, or something opposite, like a race track. You have to know what type of game it will be before you start looking for engines.
Video Game Engine Choice
This is an important part of making a video game. Beginners should stick to simple engines like Godot or Unity. If you are not a developer and don’t know how to code, working in something like Unreal will be difficult. Working in something like Unity will also be difficult, but doable.
A video game engine is an obligatory part of the game. It provides you with the physics and everything you would have to manually code to run a game. It is basically a canvas, though one with clear advantages and disadvantages, that you can paint your game on. Again, choosing the right engine will set a precedent for your game.
Art, Design and Audio
A large part of the game lies in the art, the design of the levels, the characters, as well as the audio. While coding also needs to be done, you can’t have a game without textures or sound, unless you want to make a game where the players will be meditating, rather than playing a game.
You should know by now whether your game will be 2D or 3D, and with that knowledge, the artwork should already be underway. The level and game design also comes from the first steps of planning for your game, though they are detailed in this step, and brought to life.
Games have music and effects, so you need to work on those, as well. Whether by downloading various free to use sounds or recording your own, audio is a necessary part of any video game.
Technically, you could code your own game, even faster if you actually knew how to code. If you don’t, then the challenge is harder, but still doable. Follow these tips and it should be an easier one.