How do I make video games?
All you really need is a computer and some focus. No one will magically give you the desire to make your own video
games, so you have to really want it. Your computer probably doesn't come with a built-in beginner's computer
language, so go to the web and try these:
Microsoft Small BASIC - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/devlabs/cc950524.aspx
Microsoft C# - http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/Default.aspx
Microsoft XNA Creator's Club - http://creators.xna.com/en-US/
Game Maker - http://www.yoyogames.com/make
Unity3D for Macintosh computers - http://unity3d.com/
There are also many books you can buy from the store (or online) that will help you learn to make video games from scratch. Look for the one that's right for your
computer:
Books - http://www.amazon.com/s/?search-alias=aps&field-keywords=beginner+game+programming
Should I take a class for game development?
Sure, it can't hurt. But it can cost money, and there are few teachers with any practical experience. Many colleges are now offering programs and even degrees; in fact,
there are so many that very few will really help you get a job. The big two are:
Full Sail University - http://www.fullsail.edu/
Digipen Institute of Tech - https://www.digipen.edu/
As a beginner, finding an introductory class in High school or college can help you get started. But if you're not making games at home in your spare time, you might not
have the passion for making games that you need to survive a full degreed college curriculum.
How do I make money from my own video games?
If you've made a computer game, and you think it's good enough that other people will want to pay for it, here's what you do.
1- make sure that your game can work on other peoples' computers. Try it on your friends' or families' computers. If someone buys your game and can't get it to work,
they'll want their money back.
2- At the very least, you should be able to pack up your whole game into a single .ZIP file. http://www.7-zip.org/ But ideally, you should pack your game up into an
installer ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installer ). I recommend NSIS ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSIS ), but it's not easy to use.
3- Make a simplified version of your game, perhaps with 1/4 of the levels, or 1/4 of the monsters. This is your demo, which you will place on your website and give away
for free. Once people play your demo, they should come back to your website and pay for the full version.
4-Make a website. It's easier and cheaper than ever! Try these services: http://www.webs.com/ http://www.weebly.com/ http://www.wix.com/
http://www.myspace.com/
5- Sign up with an e-commerce provider, like http://www.regnow.com/ or http://home.plimus.com/, so your customers can use their credit cards to buy the full version of
your game. Upload the full version of your game to them, after your account is active.
6- Put the demo of your game on your website, with a download link so people can download and try it. Also put a link from your website to the sales page of your ecommerce provider, so customers know where to buy the full version.
7- Profit!! Well, hopefully. Everything has to go right to make lots of money; there's no way to get rich quick selling video games.
The Indie Gamer Forums ( http://forums.indiegamer.com/ ) are a great web resource for beginners who want to sell their games online.
Thom Robertson
[email protected]
thomr.eochu.com
How do I make video games?
All you really need is a computer and some focus. No one will magically give you the desire to make your own video
games, so you have to really want it. Your computer probably doesn't come with a built-in beginner's computer
language, so go to the web and try these:
Microsoft Small BASIC - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/devlabs/cc950524.aspx
Microsoft C# - http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/Default.aspx
Microsoft XNA Creator's Club - http://creators.xna.com/en-US/
Game Maker - http://www.yoyogames.com/make
Unity3D for Macintosh computers - http://unity3d.com/
There are also many books you can buy from the store (or online) that will help you learn to make video games from scratch. Look for the one that's right for your
computer:
Books - http://www.amazon.com/s/?search-alias=aps&field-keywords=beginner+game+programming
Should I take a class for game development?
Sure, it can't hurt. But it can cost money, and there are few teachers with any practical experience. Many colleges are now offering programs and even degrees; in fact,
there are so many that very few will really help you get a job. The big two are:
Full Sail University - http://www.fullsail.edu/
Digipen Institute of Tech - https://www.digipen.edu/
As a beginner, finding an introductory class in High school or college can help you get started. But if you're not making games at home in your spare time, you might not
have the passion for making games that you need to survive a full degreed college curriculum.
How do I make money from my own video games?
If you've made a computer game, and you think it's good enough that other people will want to pay for it, here's what you do.
1- make sure that your game can work on other peoples' computers. Try it on your friends' or families' computers. If someone buys your game and can't get it to work,
they'll want their money back.
2- At the very least, you should be able to pack up your whole game into a single .ZIP file. http://www.7-zip.org/ But ideally, you should pack your game up into an
installer ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installer ). I recommend NSIS ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSIS ), but it's not easy to use.
3- Make a simplified version of your game, perhaps with 1/4 of the levels, or 1/4 of the monsters. This is your demo, which you will place on your website and give away
for free. Once people play your demo, they should come back to your website and pay for the full version.
4-Make a website. It's easier and cheaper than ever! Try these services: http://www.webs.com/ http://www.weebly.com/ http://www.wix.com/
http://www.myspace.com/
5- Sign up with an e-commerce provider, like http://www.regnow.com/ or http://home.plimus.com/, so your customers can use their credit cards to buy the full version of
your game. Upload the full version of your game to them, after your account is active.
6- Put the demo of your game on your website, with a download link so people can download and try it. Also put a link from your website to the sales page of your ecommerce provider, so customers know where to buy the full version.
7- Profit!! Well, hopefully. Everything has to go right to make lots of money; there's no way to get rich quick selling video games.
The Indie Gamer Forums ( http://forums.indiegamer.com/ ) are a great web resource for beginners who want to sell their games online.
Thom Robertson
[email protected]
thomr.eochu.com
How do I get a job making video games?
While a degree can help you land a job in the games industry, what's most important is showing you love to make games. First, make
games for yourself and your friends. Mention your games on your resume, which you should e-mail to every game company you can
find out about. Have those games with you when you go in for an interview.
Don't be afraid to take a low-level job, as telephone technical support, or game testing. These jobs will get you in the door, and nearly
all companies like to promote from these jobs to real development jobs. Just be ready and willing to show off your mad skillz when
you get a chance to talk to the real developers.
http://www.gamasutra.com/jobs/
http://www.jobmonkey.com/videogamejobs/video_game_developer_jobs.html
http://www.gamedevmap.com/
How do I get a job as a video game programmer?
While a degree can help you land a job in the games industry, what's most important is showing you can program. First, make games for yourself and your friends. Show
those games (and their programming source code) with everyone who asks. Right now, practically every game development company programs in C++, although for web
games, they use Flash with ActionScript 3.
How do I get a job as a video game artist?
While a degree can help you land a job in the games industry, what's most important is showing you can make digital art. First, make digital art for yourself and your
friends. Show your art to everyone who asks. Right now, practically every game development company makes art using Photoshop, 3DS Max, and Maya. These are all
big, expensive software packages, so try to find a school that has computer labs with these software tools installed.
How do I get a job as a video game designer?
The short answer is, you can't. Everyone has great ideas, and no one will buy yours. Now, you CAN get a job as a LEVEL DESIGNER, which requires knowledge of the
same art tools that artists use (MAX, Maya, Photoshop), plus knowledge of scripting languages like Lua and Python.
Thom Robertson
[email protected]
thomr.eochu.com
How do I get a job making video games?
While a degree can help you land a job in the games industry, what's most important is showing you love to make games. First, make
games for yourself and your friends. Mention your games on your resume, which you should e-mail to every game company you can
find out about. Have those games with you when you go in for an interview.
Don't be afraid to take a low-level job, as telephone technical support, or game testing. These jobs will get you in the door, and nearly
all companies like to promote from these jobs to real development jobs. Just be ready and willing to show off your mad skillz when
you get a chance to talk to the real developers.
http://www.gamasutra.com/jobs/
http://www.jobmonkey.com/videogamejobs/video_game_developer_jobs.html
http://www.gamedevmap.com/
How do I get a job as a video game programmer?
While a degree can help you land a job in the games industry, what's most important is showing you can program. First, make games for yourself and your friends. Show
those games (and their programming source code) with everyone who asks. Right now, practically every game development company programs in C++, although for web
games, they use Flash with ActionScript 3.
How do I get a job as a video game artist?
While a degree can help you land a job in the games industry, what's most important is showing you can make digital art. First, make digital art for yourself and your
friends. Show your art to everyone who asks. Right now, practically every game development company makes art using Photoshop, 3DS Max, and Maya. These are all
big, expensive software packages, so try to find a school that has computer labs with these software tools installed.
How do I get a job as a video game designer?
The short answer is, you can't. Everyone has great ideas, and no one will buy yours. Now, you CAN get a job as a LEVEL DESIGNER, which requires knowledge of the
same art tools that artists use (MAX, Maya, Photoshop), plus knowledge of scripting languages like Lua and Python.
Thom Robertson
[email protected]
thomr.eochu.com