Jerry
I'm interested in designing a game and i don't know where to to start.
I'm a 11th grader who plays videogames almost everyday and was interested in designing my own video game but the problem is i don't know where to start. I was wondering do i start by learning coding or should i download a few software and start fiddling with the application. The games i usually play are something like League of Legend and Dota 2 but the game im most interested in are something like visual novel.
#game-design
2 answers
Mark Kreitler
Mark’s Answer
First off -- welcome! You're about to journey down the rabbit hole, but it's a great ride!
"Where to start" depends on many things: what kind of game you want to build, what your creative interests are, and what you already know.
For the purpose of this answer, I will assume you have access to a PC or Mac, don't know how to program, and aren't necessarily deep into fine arts. Given this as a starting point, you have many options.
If you want to build your own games from scratch, look into Construct 2, GameMaker and ClickTeam Fusion. These are all visual-based editors in which you can build games.
If you want to mod existing games, try searching for "Easiest games to mod" on Google. Some hits I got: Warcraft III, Garry's Mod, Skyrim. Also check out the game editor for Divinity: Original Sin I & II.
If you know some programming, you can also check out tutorials for Unity 3D. Udemy has several courses that explain how to build games from the ground up. Courses regularly go on sale for about $10.00.
Whatever you do, start small. Making games is a lot more work than most people think, and it's easy to get discouraged. Don't expect to bang out Super Mario World on your first try. That said, making games is also HUGE FUN, and even getting something as simple as a character jumping between two platforms will give a rush.
And don't forget to use the Internet. Resources like YouTube and StackOverflow are huge assets. Chances are, someone has already made every mistake you'll make on the road to creating your game. A quick Internet search will usually show you how to proceed, getting you unstuck in a few minutes.
Good luck!
Mark recommends the following next steps:
Walt Smith
Walt’s Answer
There is a really great and totally free game development engine called Godot that you can download for free. Godot will help you get from zero to building your first game in no time. There are a ton of free tutorials on YouTube that will help you get started with Godot and most of them will walk you through building a whole working game. I think Godot will help you decide whether the game development industry is really for you. And you can even sell games you build with Godot with no fees or licensing cost.
Give it a try and let me know how it works out!
Walt