So you want to make video games?
Many gamers have the desire to make video games. As they soon learn, making video games is serious work. I’ll go over a few options that can help you get started.
I will focus on Microsoft Windows as your target system, but keep in mind there are many other options like other Operating systems (Apple OSX, Linux), phones (iPhone, Android), and media players (Zune, iPod Touch) to name a few.
What are some of the options you might ask?
Write games the easy way:
RPG Maker VX ( Company Website, Download.com Link ): This is an application that you can use to make Role Playing Games without needing to know the details of writing computer software. It’s probably the easiest way to make RPG games, and not a bad idea if you are looking to write a story based game instead of a new gaming concept you came up with. It also comes with a scripting ability, so you can customize it once you spend the time to learn their custom commands.
There are other programs like RPG maker out there, which you can find with an Internet search. A few others I have heard of are Ren’py, Inform 7, ADRIFT, YoYoGames Game Maker, and Adventure Game Studio.
Write a game the hard way:
You will need to learn how to write computer programs. That in itself is difficult enough. You will need to learn about computer graphics, sound, game design, advanced aspects of computer programming, and the mathematics necessary for the type of game you want to write.
Using what the Pros Use (C/C++):
If you want to make a career out of game programming, it’s not a bad idea to start with the computer language that is used the most by professionals. That language is called C++. This can be difficult to start with because there is a large learning curve in the language and secondary tools you would use to make games. First, you need to learn the basics of the C++ language, from there you need to decide what special programming libraries you want to use to help you accomplish all aspects of the game. For graphics and sound, you can use things like the Windows Application Programming Interface (Windows API for short), OpenGL/OpenAL, or DirectX. C++ with the Windows API is probably the fastest way to get started, but the API slow, so your games might have performance issues depending on your computer speed and game complexity.
Okay, if you are new to computer programming, that probably sounded like gibberish. Sorry about that! Just start by learning C++ and from there, frequently visit game programming websites like GameDev.Net to learn about game specific programming.
Microsoft XNA Studio
Microsoft created a free game studio (based off of their professional programming application called Visual Studio), where you can write games for Windows PCs, XBOX 360, and Zune. You will need to first learn the C# programming language. After that, you can learn the specifics of the XNA framework. In my opinion, this is your best compromise between technical difficulty and level of control to make the game you really want.
Microsoft Small Basic
While not specifically designed for writing games like the XNA Game Studio, it is possible to write games with this new programming language Microsoft employees made. If you don’t know any programming languages, but don’t want to use things like that RPG Maker application I mentioned before, this might be your easiest starting point.
Other programming languages:
Pretty much any programming language can be used to write games. It’s all up to you to decide which tools best fit your style and skill level.
Taking care of other tasks:
Graphics: You need to learn about computer graphics to make most games. For example, what image formats your tools support (bmp files, gif files, png files, jpg files…), how coordinate systems work, and what programs you can use to make graphics. You can attempt to make your own graphics or buy stock graphics (just make sure the license allows the graphics to be in games).
Sound: The same can be said about sound effects and background music. You need a tool to make or edit sound files. You can try to buy some stock sound effects and music to use in your game, or attempt to make your own.
Math:
Math is a very big part of game programming. There are a few specific categories that rely heavily on math to work.
Graphics: In general, there are 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) graphics for games. 2D games require less math knowledge to get started than 3D games.
Physics: Many games require some simulation. For example, if you have side scrolling game like Mario Brothers, the character needs to jump like we do in real life. That requires simulation of jumping with gravity, which means math in your game.
Scoring: Many games have scores and statistics in the game. Say you have a two player game that tracks wins over many play sessions. Once the whole game is over, a list of statistics would be displayed to the players, so they can see who did the best in each category of scoring.
Hopefully that gave you a decent overview to point you in a good direction. Good luck!
