{"id":136034,"date":"1969-12-31T23:59:59","date_gmt":"1969-12-31T23:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/1969\/12\/31\/how-to-make-your-own-game\/"},"modified":"1969-12-31T23:59:59","modified_gmt":"1969-12-31T23:59:59","slug":"how-to-make-your-own-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/1969\/12\/31\/how-to-make-your-own-game\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Your Own Game"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When you get stuck in a video game, you might head to\u00a0GameFAQs<\/a>\u00a0to find a walkthrough to help you get through it. When you get stuck\u00a0making<\/em>\u00a0your first video game, what can you do? That’s where this article comes in: think of this as a walkthrough for developing your first game.<\/p>\n

My First Game<\/h2>\n

Before we get to the video game development walkthrough, I want to tell you about my first game. It was a simple text based adventure inspired by a MUD called\u00a0Divine Blood<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"How\"How\"How<\/a><\/figure>\n

I first programmed it as just a simple room using the TI-83+ Calculator, and later made into a full-fledged town using Java in my last year of high school. I never finished that game (it didn’t go beyond the first town) and I don’t even think I have the code any more.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, my experience isn’t uncommon for game developers. Many developers start a game but never finish it. So how can you increase your chances of finishing your first game? Enter this video game development walkthrough.<\/p>\n

The Four Levels of Game Development<\/h2>\n

If developing a game is a game in itself, then it consists of four levels: Plan, Prototype, Develop, and Release.<\/p>\n

Just like in a video game, each level is more difficult than the last. Each level also has its own encounters (the problems and difficulties you are likely to come up against) and its own end level boss (which signifies when you are ready to move on to the next level).<\/p>\n

This walkthrough will guide you through the process of successfully creating your first game. It will incorporate resources and quotes from other game professionals, as well as insights about how implementing the walkthrough for my own first game would have helped me to finish it.<\/p>\n

Level 1: Plan<\/h2>\n
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Remember, the first 90% of your game takes 90% of the time; the last 10% takes the remaining 90% of the time. Plan accordingly.
\u2014 Ian Schreiber<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The first level, and arguably the most important level, is\u00a0planning<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 planning out every aspect of the game before you even begin coding. The goal of this level is to consider everything about your game up front so that you don’t have to improvise later.<\/p>\n

When you first start making your game, the best thing to do is write down all the details. Think about everything you want in your game, and then\u00a0write it down<\/em>. Usually this is pretty easy at first, as your mind races with lots of neat ideas that you will want to incorporate into your game. However, as time goes by, this level becomes\u00a0increasingly\u00a0harder to complete.<\/p>\n

\"How\"How\"How<\/figure>\n

As you jot down your ideas, also jot down the\u00a0details<\/em>\u00a0of these ideas: how they will work, how they will affect the player experience, and how they will affect the gameplay. You don’t want to leave any big holes in your design that will cause you to struggle later. It becomes more difficult to finish a game as the problems you encounter increases. Thus, the secret to finishing a game is to deal with problems in small amounts and without letting them pile up all at once.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Take a look at these tutorials for more advice on planning a gamedev project:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n