We all like playing video games. Whether it’s a triple-A or indie project, a game with a meaningful story or an online shooter – they are something that unites so many people all over the world. Gaming is a hobby of millions, if not billions of people of all ages. It’s no surprise that the game development industry is growing so rapidly every year.
Anyone who ever wondered how video games are made should already know – it’s a complex process requiring a lot of time, effort, and enthusiastic individuals. But still, we know of cases when people created beautiful games on their own. If you want to try yourself in game development but you don’t know where to start – here are 7 tips and tools to help you with that.
Define Your Strengths
This may sound corny and too obvious, but that’s the first thing you need to do. Game production isn’t just coding or testing. Any game needs lots of other things, like good visuals and a soundtrack. You may be good at art and become a game designer. Or you can be a great storyteller and write stories for games. But you need to find your niche first.
But game development is a very time-consuming process. If you’re just a student who finished school and is about to go to college – a custom essay service from academic experts EssayPro is always there for you. Why waste time writing essays for dozens of colleges if you can spend more time learning about the game production industry?
Learn Programming Languages
Knowing multiple coding languages will benefit you in game development a lot. C++, Java, Python, Perl, and HTML5 are some of the most used programming languages in game production. If you want to become really proficient, you need to study as many of these languages as you can.
Game developers use programming languages to create the underlying systems and mechanics that make a game function. These include:
- proper physics
- artificial intelligence
- game logic
- networking
- graphics
and other fundamental things that run a game. Today, tons of free online programming courses are available online. Find yourself one and at least try to learn a new language. Because in game development, coding skills are as important as game design or sound production.
Don’t Expect A Lot at First
Well, let’s say you actually want to make a game, not just the soundtrack or story to it. You want to make a game and experience every stage of the game development process. Most likely you want to create something big and amazing – but it’s much better to start with a small project.
Even a small game takes a lot of time and effort. Keep your ambitions for big games low for a while – you need at least some experience in the first place. By completing a small project, you will learn a lot of useful stuff and understand the process in greater detail. All this knowledge may come in handy if you plan to work on bigger games in the future.
Now, let’s look at the tools you may find useful when developing a game.
Unity
Unity is an excellent game engine for beginners. The user-friendly interface and lots of tutorials online are what make it attractive for people who are just starting. Unity is super intuitive and offers a big asset store with 3D models, animations, and sound effects. Everything you need for a good start!
Unity supports multiple programming languages like C#, JavaScript, and Boo. As a developer, you can work with languages you are comfortable with and this is really convenient. Overall, Unity is a great game engine. Though it is used by many large development teams, it’s also perfect for smaller teams or independent solo developers.
Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine and Unity are the most popular game engines on the market right now. Development teams of different sizes use Unreal Engine to turn their concepts into visually impressive and playable content. UE is known for its wide feature set, which allows you to create both 2D and 3D games of the highest quality imaginable and customize them extensively.
Unlike Unity, Unreal Engine is mostly written in C++. The interface is also more complex, advanced features may be sort of confusing for rookies. But with dedication and hard work, you’ll learn to use Unreal Engine in like a couple of months.
Right now, Unreal Engine is the top of the tops – only here you can create top-quality games with the best quality visuals and sounds that you can get. UE offers more features than any other engine. By the way, it’s an open-source project too – which means it’s completely free to use.
GameMaker
GameMaker is an excellent game-making software for creating 2D games. It was used to create successful titles like Undertale, Katana Zero, Hyper Light Drifter, and Hotline Miami. Despite being limited to 2D games, GameMaker is a valuable tool if you just began learning video game production. It is easy to learn and suitable for beginners.
After creating a game using GameMaker, the software uses advanced graphics and algorithms to analyze the game’s design and identify any similarities to existing games. It will then try to replicate the game using its code. Users can modify and edit their game’s code in the process of creating it. Overall, great software for those who are new to coding and making games in general.
Blender
Blender is a cost-effective option for game developers. It provides animation and 3D modeling tools for rendering complete scenes and modifying existing files. Blender is an open-source software, so it’s free to use. It has a large community, which gives you access to many plugins, presets, and face rigs, which greatly simplify the game development process.
Blender is simple to use, but it may take time and practice to master. If you feel like you’re short of time because of never-ending college assignments – you are welcome to use the best research paper writing services. Make it easy on yourself and let other people do the boring stuff. Instead, learn how to use Blender. Because this tool is practically irreplaceable when making a 3D game.
Conclusion
Game development is a hard, sophisticated, and time-consuming process. But hopefully, these 7 tips and tools will make your game developer path easier and more convenient.
