How to Make Your Own Video Game

Unity 3D is considered to be the best game engine and has a large user community ready to help you with your project. Free for personal use, but if you publish a game you'll pay $35 per month to Unity Technology.

Designing a video game is no small task, but if you have an idea that is too good not to make, there is no better time than now get started. With the widespread growth of independent development, creating a game has never been easier or cheaper. Follow this guide to start designing and creating the game of your dreams, and then share it with the world.

Laying the Foundations

1. Pick Your Genre.

While every successful game is unique in its own way, almost all of them fit into a specific genre. Decide what kind of game you want to create, and look at what other games in the same genre do. Some common genres include:

• Arcade games
• Shooters
• Puzzles
• Platformers
• Racing
• Adventures
• Endless runners
• RPGs (Role-Playing Game)
• First person shooters
• Third person shooters
• Story/Manga driven JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game)
• Visual novels
• Tower Defense
• Horror
• Fighters
• Comedy
• Survival

2. Pick Your Platform.

The platform that you choose to develop your game for will significantly impact the way it is developed. The platform dictates the way the game is controlled; smartphone games are typically touch- and tilt-based, PC games typically use a keyboard and mouse, and console games use gamepads. Note that most commercial PC games also support Gamepad.

There are exceptions to all these rules, but you will generally find it easier to design the game around a specific control method. If you want to make an iPhone game, you will need to submit it to the Apple store from a Mac computer. However one exception is the Godot Engine which also allows you to create for iPhone on Linux which is useful if you don't have a Mac.

3. Write The Preliminary Design.

This should just be at least one page, but will be the heart of the gameplay experience you create. It contains the fundamental concepts of your game, and will allow you to see if your idea is really viable as a video game.

4. Start With a Core Philosophy.

This statement will serve as the motivating force behind the game. These are very simple statements that get to the heart of what the game is. Revisit it often to ensure that your game is still meeting its basic goals. Some example core philosophies:

• This game simulates a space station economy
• This game lets you play as a living car
• This game is about testing the player's reflexes

RSS Feed

 Follow @Stephen Bucaro