Embracing Game Development

Hi there! As far as I know, we are all here to discuss about video games (usually me ranting about stuff). Anyway, after long deliberation I thought about taking a first hand look at game development and all it entails.

Firstly, you must, of course come up with an idea. It doesn't matter if it sounds stupid to you, it is actually better that way. Look at Doom for example: shooting demons on Mars. Getting back to my train of thought, you can hone the stupid idea into something great by adding layers to it, layers of which we will talk about soon enough.

So, you have your idea. Bravo! Now, we need to think about the mechanics of your game, and most importantly: do you want to make it 3D or 2D? Each of these branches even more, but more to the point, both require different amounts of work and resources. Evidently, a 2D game is cheaper (if you are just starting out as an indie, price=time) to make most of the time, but, at least in my eyes, it requires a greater degree of artistry to at least look decent. In either case, you need to take into consideration how much time is required to adapt your vision on the screen. This step is most important when you choose the tech which will bring your game to life, be it a preexisting engine like Unity or UE4, or creating it by coding.

Ok, we are done with perspective. Now, you need to create your mechanics, and they need to gel well with your original idea to create a cohesive experience. Generally speaking, you need to get the basic interactions with the world out of the way (for example: movement, combat). Then, you get into the more complex stuff. After that, special interactions and AI(if you plan to have enemies). And the rabbit hole can continue even more, but that depends on what you may want to do.

So, now you have a functional game. You need to design environments, clean up or create the models/sprites, texture everything and add the soundscape. Also, you need to hone your story. This is the artsy part of the process and, if you are more on the tech side, you may need some friends. This is the step which will set the mood of the game through the aforementioned aesthetics and sounds. Photoshop and Blender are your best friends for visual design and on the audio side you may want to opt for royalty free libraries for your first project.

After all that development, you need to test your creation, because you really don't want to have game breaking bugs. Also, you need to think about how you will sell your game. You can opt to put it on either digital marketplace, but before that comes the legal stuff, like trademarks and certification, which cost a lot of money. And yes, after spending that money, it also costs money to put it on a marketplace. Here is the thing: do not get your hopes up for profits. Your first few things will be more about building a reputation and you will work at a loss. This is why, creating is more about passion than money (and as a side note: I went MIA for almost a year because I lost the passion to write).

All in all, I hope this was somewhat encouraging for the wannabe game developers out there. I know I missed a lot of stuff, but I tried to keep this as general as possible in order not to force a certain game formula down anyone's throat.

Image: here

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