Many of the readers of this article undoubtedly like to spend the evening playing computer games. Be it a popular MMO RPG, an unknown turkey, or an old, time-tested and gamer-based strategy. And almost everyone who was somehow involved in the video game industry at least once in their life thought about how good it would be to create the game themselves.
Someone wants to realize their old ideas, someone wants to demonstrate to the players the plot that was born in his head. It seems to someone that he can create an ideal game in which he himself will have a good time later. It all occurred to them: "I want to become a game developer!"
Of course, there are those who want to get money from the production of games. Alas and ah, at least in the world of games for mobile devices such a majority. So, how do you start developing your own game?
What you need to know before you start
It is worth noting right away that developing your own video game is, at least in the beginning, not too profitable, and making a game on the basis of finding money is useless. Especially if this game is the first on your track record. However, you still should not be afraid of not getting any payment for your work. If the game is done well, it will have a highlight that can attract players, then it will certainly find its audience.
So, the first thing a future creator of a game needs is a willingness. Willingness to spend time, money and effort on creating something of their own. Willingness to receive criticism from users. Willingness to fall, because it is not necessarily the first game will be good. What else do you need to become a game developer?
Confidence. Confidence in himself and that he will be able to devote a sufficient amount of time, effort and finances to the creation of his game, the realization of himself as a creator.
As you can understand, a lot depends on the very nature of a person, his willpower and ability to overcome difficulties. It would seem, why is this even more important than a good knowledge of the right programs and rich imagination? Everything is very simple: a person can start writing his game, make an excellent story for it, but after receiving the first criticism, and she will invariably accompany any developer, give up and give up this business. Therefore, it is very important to be prepared for the fact that the player may not like the game.
Where to begin
How to become a game developer, if before that you have never met the code of a full-fledged game? Difficult. Therefore, you should start your acquaintance with the world of video game creation with less than a real game. You can start by creating fan-made modifications and add-ons for various games. Since this entails interference in the files of finished products, the study of the structure, the study of writing languages. Also, mods are mainly created for options that are good: how many improvements to a bad game do not shove, if it has disgusting gameplay and a boring storyline, it will not become more interesting to play. For example, there are a lot of mods for projects such as Skyrim and GTA, which few can call bad. And for the extremely popular Undertale a few years ago, fans even created simple fan-made games, essentially consisting of a fight with bosses that were not in the original version.
However, if you do not have experience writing mods / add-ons, this is not too scary, although this approach will be very useful. Just in this case, you will have to spend time learning programming languages and gaining minimal knowledge about how it all works and on what.
Starting the production of the game itself is worth developing an idea. It’s worth figuring out what kind of game you want: choose a genre, outline at least an approximate plot (if any), figure out what kind of gameplay you would like to have.
What is needed first
What do you need to know to become a game developer? At least several programming languages and the essence of the work of games. Here is a list of what you will definitely need if you want to create your own game:
- Knowledge of programming languages such as Java, C ++, HTML. This is a necessary minimum, without which creating something will be extremely problematic.
- Understanding how the game works. It is easiest to get through writing fan-made modifications and additions to existing projects.
- Readiness for criticism from users, as well as self-confidence and desire to achieve something.
- Idea. In essence, an idea is all that projects on the indie game creators are based on. It is she who can make the work of beginners really good.
Game development from scratch
So, you have an idea and knowledge of programming languages, but the question of how to become a game developer from scratch still remains. Indeed, without any background with a full game, it’s hard to just come up with a work plan. And without the fees from past projects, it is difficult to find money to create something new.
Indeed, one way or another, it is almost impossible to develop a game alone: in addition to a good knowledge of programming languages, you need to be able to draw enough to make a design, as well as to understand music to substitute a suitable free composition / pay for its use. Of course, no music game is better than written specifically for it, but in this case you will have to look for musicians, as well as find someone who will play the role of composer. If the future game plans to have voice acting for the characters, it is also necessary to find voice actors, and if the project involves support for several languages, good translators and, if necessary, dubbing actors.
Of course, if there are no such people among your friends, their services will not be free. Also, many programs that are used in development are paid, although they are inexpensive. Therefore, among novice developers who do not have a lot of capital, fundraising on crowdfunding sites is very popular. To do this, you need to register on any such site, create your own project, in which you need to express a clear goal and the required amount of funds. Various rewards for people saving money, such as a free copy of the game or a unique merch, help in their set.
So, when you already have an initial monetary base, it is worth starting directly to development.
Development software
There are many programs for developing games at the moment. They all differ in the programming language they use, in the simplicity of the interface and also in the platform on which the project is being released.
Unity3D is one of the most popular programs. It supports most existing platforms, including Windows, Android, Linux and others, as well as several programming languages, which include C ++ and Java. Unity3D also has a free copy designed for beginner game devs. The main disadvantage of the program is that it only supports English.
Game Maker is another very popular program. However, it only supports Windows, which makes it unable to create games for mobile devices.
3D Rad - a program that works with 3D games. Has a Russian language.
Also, for development, you will need graphic editors (for example, Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator), programs for working with sound.
PC game development process
So, all of the above factors are available, and there is also a program for writing, but how to become a game developer on a PC is still in question? The process begins with a detailed study of the idea and writing design documentation. When the paper part is finished, you can go to the graphic editors. You need to draw sketches of the interface, locations, characters and much, much more. Of course, if you managed to find people who can do part of the production, this is very cool, because doing it all alone is extremely difficult. However, in this case, these people still need to explain their idea in detail.
Next, all plot lines and dialogs should be prescribed. This is an important part of the work, because it is through this that the plot is revealed to the player. We should not forget about the calculation and balancing of both the combat and economic systems.
Is everything spelled out? You can start adding content to the game. Many character models, weapons, environments, and the compilation of this game locations - not all. It is necessary to make a convenient interface, enter all the texts, draw up a training system, fill in the parameters of all NPS and characters.
When the idea is almost ready, the levels and characters are drawn, and the mechanics are registered, it is worth testing the game by going on your own or by hiring testers.
And the last step is to analyze the data obtained after the tests, correct the errors found and optimize the gameplay.
How to become a game developer on Android
If your game implies that it will be used by players of the Android platform installed on mobile devices, then you should take care of a number of nuances that arise.
Firstly, it is worth knowing that the largest platform for the distribution of such games is the Play Market. To add your project there you will have to pay for the ownership of the developer account. Now, before becoming a developer of games on Android, or rather, putting your project in the public domain, you will have to pay about $ 25 (about 1700 rubles) for a year of using the developer’s account. All this is done through the Google Play Console service. After that, on the same site you can add your game and customize how it will be displayed. Including note that this is a beta / alpha test or release version.
Secondly, the interface of games for mobile devices should be different from their PC counterparts. The buttons should be shown on the screen and be large enough so that they can be easily reached with your finger, but should not overlap the action area. The text must be larger in order to be readable, as well as the game’s video itself: the resolution of mobile devices is not as large as on a PC.
Thirdly, donation and advertising. In a sense, this is the scourge of all games on mobile devices, because even going into a paid game, the player is not protected from what he will be offered to buy "this is it" for real money. What can we say about ftp-games. However, as statistics show, if the project has too much advertising, users quickly throw it over.
An important part of developing games for mobile devices is to make it accessible not only when connected to the Internet. Unlike personal computers, phones and tablets can easily be out of network coverage.
Having learned all these rules, you can begin to develop. This is also done through programs like Unity 3D, Construct 2, or Unreal Engine. In general, the development process will not be much different, except perhaps for the above points.
Components of a good game
1. The plot.
It must be well registered and served in order to remain interesting to the player. Do not overdo it with the amount of text: statistically, most players prefer to flip through large lines and descriptions. So, the plot includes 3 points that need to be considered and considered:
- Scenario. The storyline itself.
- Atmosphere. That is why many people love games, the storyline surroundings with additional quests, a legend of the world.
- Staging. The way the story is told.
2. Graphics and sound.
Graphics can also be divided into several points: the graphics themselves and the development of location design. The sound should not distract from the passage, but only complement it, helping the player to plunge into the world. It is also worth noting that the quality of voice acting (if any) also has a big impact on the perception of the game world. And the last thing that is extremely important to know about sound, if you decide to voice the characters in several languages, you need to check not only the authenticity of the translation, but also the approximate coincidence of the voices and facial expressions of the characters.
3. Gameplay.
The gameplay should be consistent with the theme and idea of the project, and also be quite simple and understandable.
4. The idea.
Last on this list, but perhaps the first in importance. The game industry is now very developed, and it is very difficult to come up with something new. Moreover, somehow to shock the gameplay or graphics. Therefore, one of the main "catchy" components that can make a player after returning to the game and rebuild it is the idea and its implementation.
Level design
When creating levels, it is important to remember that they must be both simple enough (to be complex - not the goal of the game) and interesting. The same applies to open world locations. The environment should not confuse the player, make him wander in search of a way out.
You can set a goal - what the player must achieve in one place or another, what kind of atmosphere should be present there. It is also worth noting that all levels of the game must be made in the same style, so that they are a single whole.
An example of a great combination of levels is the platform game Ori and the Blind Forest. The game, although it looks like a whole, is actually divided into several levels, which, being extremely different, look very integral. There is no doubt that the Tree of Water, the Fire Mountain, and the Valley of the Winds, and the Tree of Spirits are part of a single world.
Useful Chips
- More often try to see the project from the point of view of the player, evaluate your creation. Ask yourself if you would like to play this. Re-run?
- Take part in various competitions. Those regularly take place both among games on a PC, and among games on mobile devices.
- Make a good presentation. If possible, record a video about the game.
- Try not to overload the user with the complexity of the gameplay. It's one thing if the game itself is not easy, and then there will be its own audience. But if the gameplay itself causes problems, it is unlikely that anyone will return.
- Do not drag out screensavers and cut scenes for too long.
- Try not to bother the players with ads and donation offers too much. If a project hooks a person, he himself wants to embed it. But if the offer to buy the next thing or currency constantly pops up on the screen, the gamer would rather prefer to exit.
- If you suddenly think about how, for example, to become a developer of Block Strike games, or rather, a member of the development team of a project, the most correct and simple way out is to talk about this with one of the Virgoes already working there.
Development in Russia
Well, if you are tormented by the question of how to become a game developer in Russia, then it is easy to answer. Just like in the whole world. Except for the fact that it can be more difficult to find helpers and you will have to do most of the work yourself.
The main problem for Russian-speaking developers is a small number of teams willing to accept them at their headquarters, as well as the fact that 90% of the programs and sites for hosting games are English-speaking and do not support the Russian language.
Collaboration with various companies
Many development companies love the influx of new staff, and no wonder: new people bring new ideas. On the websites of many companies you can see job offers, various announcements. For example, on the website of Blizzard, one of the largest game devs, there is a “Jobs” tab where you can see a list of required specialists and company requirements for them.
It is worth noting that in order to get into any really large and well-known company, it is necessary not only to have an idea and potential, but also to have excellent knowledge of the required skills and excellent knowledge of the necessary programming languages. Also, such work usually involves the application of considerable forces and the use of full time.
Sammari
- Start by writing modifications for existing games: this is the quickest and easiest way to delve into the structure.
- An excellent solution for obtaining initial finance for development is crowdfunding.
- In a good game at a decent level are the plot, sound, graphics, gameplay and idea.
- Do not write sheets of text in dialogs. Most players prefer skipping long lines. To reveal the plot, pay more attention to the actions of the characters.
- Even a masterpiece can be ruined by poor voice acting / dubbing / mixing sound.
- Try to demonstrate your creation at competitions.
- If you have the opportunity and desire to continue to develop games, you can join an existing development team.