It could be rewarding and funny to learn how to make a video game from scratch.
As the mobile game industry is booming day by day due to which people are taking advantage of it by developing and selling different games.
Because of this, a great increase in the number of people has also been observed who are learning game development.
There are different types of games for different operating systems and platforms.
As every platform and operating system is different, a game is created slightly differently from the others.
Beginning to make a Video Game from scratch
In the beginning, it could be difficult for you to learn how to make your own game.
You may even think about stepping back and leaving game development.
But we will recommend you to do it as we will suggest you work hard to learn the basics of video game development initially.
That is not going to be as difficult as you may consider.
Remember that the exact process of game development changes according to the game type and the platform on which you want to release your game.
Before you start making your own games first you need to learn at least one coding language and it becomes more important if you want to design or customize your games according to your own will.
We can also say that programming or coding is the basics of game development.
The question of how to make a game also includes the question of how to code.
In the following article, we will explain some main principles which you must know about game development.
We will help you to find some general ways which you need to follow to make your own game and you will also learn about the other programming languages used to develop video games.
If you are serious about learning game development here we will not just ask you to follow a template rather we will give you a complete insight into a few things which you need to learn for game development.
Do Some Research & Conceptualize Your Game
First, you need to think about exactly what type of game you are planning to develop before you try to make your own game.
This means you have to make proper research to know the skills you need to develop this game and the features you want to have on this game.
Before you move further you must join some introductory courses if you are serious about developing your own game.
Like if you want to develop a 2D role-playing game we would recommend you to have a look at the course of how to make a 2D game in Unity.
But you need to put more effort and work hard if you want to create an advanced-level game.
This type of learning program suits you as you will get two different courses to get a good sort of education.
Work On A Design Document
The next step after figuring out how to make a video game is conceptualizing and thinking about what you want it to look like means you have to create a design document.
You can also consider a design document as a brief game outline like what things are needed to develop this game and how it will look like.
You need to consider these important things before you put together your design document.
- You should have enough skills. Because if you start hiring people to do different things as you don’t have enough skills then it could be very expensive. But you need to remember that you can easily improve your skills online.
- Which language do you want to use in your game? Because it will specify the things you are going to build.
- How it will look like or perform.
- Do you want to add new releases in the future or updates in your game? If you want to do all of these things then you need to think about how you can make these things happen.
- That’s the time to start programming once you have set up the design document.
Decide Whether You Need Software
Before you start learning about how to make a video game the next thing you have to do is to know about what software you need.
You don’t need a number of different software for mobile game development.
Instead most of the time you just need a code editor and a compiler.
But advanced games need some specific and powerful software like image editors and 3D modeling programs.
This software can cost a great amount of money which means you need to pay attention to your budget as well.
You also need a PC with a high-quality processor and a good amount of RAM to run the software needed to create some complex games.
Start Programming
Then you have to start coding after downloading the required software.
We know that more complex and advanced games need a game engine to run games but simple games don’t require anything like that.
So, you have to decide exactly what language you are going to write for your game and get started right into this language.
You should watch the Unity Video games tutorials if you want to know how to make a video game with a number of variables like an RPG game.
There are 28 hours of video lectures included in this course. In this course, you will learn almost everything you need to use the Unity editor.
Test Your Game & Start Marketing
Just learning about how to make a video game will not be enough to make it successful.
You also need to promote your game. First, You have to test your game to make sure that everything is working fine and remove any type of bugs.
This will take a long period of your time so you should make sure to prepare for it and spend a good amount of time testing things.
Marketing is not very complex, rather simple. You can hire a marketing consultant to get started.
It becomes more important when you don’t have any kind of marketing experience.
It is quite difficult to get your game out there for people to buy it but still, you have some options available:
- Using a platform where different people can purchase your game and download it like you can make a website.
- The other way is creating some hard copies of your game and distributing it through different game stores or other retailers.
- If you have created a mobile game you need to list this game on the Google Play store and the app store of Apple.
These are some of the best options available. But you can also consult experts to find the best way to sell your game.
How to develop a Video Game Without Coding
We all know that it requires a solid understanding of computer programming to make a video game. After all, they are computer games.
But most people don’t have enough programming skills to make a video game due to which we believe that we will not be able to make a video game.
There is no doubt about the fact that the offerings and flexibility offered by computer programming can not be replaced.
But here are some tools that can help you to make simple games without learning any programming language.
You may not be able to make the next triple-A RPG or FPS with the help of these programs but they are suitable for those who want to create a small inside game.
GameMaker: Studio
GameMaker is one of the best and most popular tools to create games.
There are many drag and drop options available with easy-to-use features due to which anyone can make a game even without having any experience of programming. By using this platform you can create some good quality games in spite of simplicity.
You may know that the two most popular games like Spelunky and Hotline Miami their first versions were also made on the GameMaker Studio.
There is a built-in scripting language in GameMaker which is one of its best parts as you can do something more with this tool if you have more experience. In this way, this tool also helps people who also want to learn programming to create different games.
Which means you can also continue your learning process. Recently, there have been three versions of GameMakers offered by YoYoGames. The first one is the free version which could be a good choice to try out the system.
So, if you really want to make a game by using GameMaker then you can also get the professional version at the price of $50 and you will get a great number of tools as well to create games.
There is another premium version available with the name of the Master Collection version at the price of $800 which offers everything that YoYoGames has to offer. It also includes the capability to export the current generation games.
Adventure Game Studio
This gaming tool mostly targets people with some experience in programming as compared to beginners. Adventure Game Studio allows you to make keyboard-controlled adventures or point and click.
This tool is also used by some of the recently successful indie games which include the Blackwell series, Gemini Rue and Eye Games.
But if you are a beginner or just starting out to make a game Adventure Game Studio will be a good choice for you as it is quite easy to use the software.
This tool is basically a Windows-based IDE that allows you to do anything easily and quickly.
It also includes importing graphics and writing game scripts.
You can download this tool for free of cost and you will also get a good number of resources like fonts, backgrounds, characters, and templates.
Unity
There is no other tool in this list that can compete with the popularity and growth of Unity.
It has its own built-in IDE and it also supports a great platform library.
Unity is used to make both 2D and 3D games and possesses a wide range of resources and assets.
There are a number of high-profile game developers that use Unity. It includes inXile Entertainment and Obsidian Entertainment.
You can use Unity free of charge and it is good news for you.
But you should purchase the license of Unity Pro if you are making more than $100K and the price of the pro version is $1,500.
It’s pro version offers a range of extra features as well. If you are making a good amount of money it would not be a big deal for you.
RPG Maker
With the RPG Maker, you can make a game with some memorable characters and wonderful locations.
This tool has helped a lot of game developers to create some simple RGB games.
You will get almost everything that you need from the best game creation tool.
Like it has a lot of tilesets, easy to use interface, and a system that is able to take care of all the numerical elements which RGB games must-have.
Over the last few years, a great number of features have also been added to make this tool more powerful.
You will never feel limited due to the lack of programming knowledge.
Now different versions of this tool are available but the RPG Maker VX ACE is the latest version and costs around $59.99.
All of it,s versions offer a free trial so you can check this tool before purchasing it.
GameSalad
This tool is the same as the GameMaker and it allows users to create and publish games on various platforms with its own easy-to-use drag and drop interface.
Its behavior library is very impressive which offers complex behaviors to developers for implementation but it would be hard for anyone without any programming knowledge.
There are hundreds of games created through GameSalad and many of them have remained successful in the mobile market.
GameSalad is available in both free and pro versions. The price of the Pro version is $300 with additional advantages and features.
How to Make a Video game for Free
Do you want to create your own game for free? Do you have an idea and don’t know how to convert your idea into reality by creating a game? In recent times you don’t need to work for a gaming company to create your own game for free.
Even if you don’t have vast experience of programming. Here are some of the best and free game-making tools which you can use to make your game.
Stencyl
If you don’t have enough money and experience to make games then you can check Stencyl to make a sidescroller or puzzle game.
You don’t need to know about coding or programming.
You just need to drag and drap the things to make a game with Stencyl.
Due to the simplicity of the tools, it is quite difficult to do anything complex with Stencyl but it is a good tool to start with if you want to make a puzzle game.
Unreal
The unreal gaming engine is for advanced game developers.
You will find a learning curve sometimes during the process of game creation even if you have some experience in C++.
There is a full development kit available in Unreal which could be difficult for beginners but it can help you to make some professional games.
You will get landscape systems and 3D modeling from this game engine which go beyond the scope of a beginner-friendly system.
It also has some tutorials which can help you to learn about the system more deeply.
After completing the game you can release it on Android, iOS, Mac, PC, and Playstation.
If you want to monetize your game you have to pay some royalty fee to Unreal but only if your game is making money.
Game Development vs Game Design
It is necessary for you to know about the main difference between video game design and video game development before you jump into the main steps of game development.
You must remember you need to learn both if you want to make your own game.
To make it simple we the video game design refers to the actual design of the game.
Most of the time of the game designers is spent on the concept of the latest aspects of the games.
They work on aspects like how a game will react under different conditions, what things need to include in a game and how to make a game as good as possible.
But the game developers or programmers are the persons who are fully aware and know about how to make a video game through coding or programming and the game would do what they are supposed to do it.
In the next part of this guide, we will be focusing on the development of video gaming through coding but before that, you need to understand you have to design your game before you start programming it.
It is definitely possible for the same person to be a game developer or game designer.
If you want to make a simple game then the process of designing and development can also be completed side by side.
Can only one person make a video game?
Video games are always considered the most complex forms of entertainment to create. Usually, it requires a complete team of professional game developers to manage these tasks and even then it is an impressive task. But it could be difficult for a single person to handle all these tasks.
Can one person make a 3D game?
One person can not make a 3D game. For a beginner, without any experience in 3D programming or modeling, it would not be easy to create a 3D game. But it will be easy to create a 2D game like it,s concepts are more instinctive.
Is it tough making video games?
It is not as daunting to create a game as it seems. We hope that you are not going to make a high-level game such as Grand Theft Auto but actually, it has never been easy to get started and create games. Some games are specifically designed for a genre that could be easy for beginners.
How much work does it require to make a game?
Usually, the work is measured in person-months, weeks, and days.
Any big AAA can easily take the time of ten thousand developer months.
This means it would take 2 years with a team of 400 and 10 years with a team of 80.
Why is game designing so hard?
There are a few things that make the game design a tough task.
The first thing which makes game design and development so difficult is the amount of time it takes to make only one part of the game.
The lack of communication can also be one of the prospects which make it difficult to create a successful game.
What should you study to make a video game?
There are most game designers have bachelor’s degrees in graphics design or related fields.
There are also some universities that offer special degrees in video game design.
This egress usually includes software engineering 2D and 3D animation, computer design, and programming languages.
Final Words:
You can also make a video game even if you are not a programmer.
Because these days a number of great free and paid tools and platforms are available out there which allows you to make games even for free of cost without any knowledge of a particular programming language.
Here we have also explained some free and paid tools to create a video game from scratch and free of cost.
Hope after reading this article you will be able to create games without any prior programming knowledge.