Game Development for Fun

(and not profit)

“Hobbyist” game dev

(a subset of “indie” game development)

Where I’m coming from

http://games.dylanwolf.com/

First, the bad news.

The bad news

• Don’t quit your day job.
• There’s no quick path to mastery.
• Think small. Very small.
• Don’t start with your dream game / magnum opus.

But!

The good news

• You can beat the learning curve!
• There’s a community.
• It’s personally rewarding.
• Even small games can be really cool.
• Stick with it and you’ll be surprised what you can build.

This panel

• Getting started
• Entry-level tools
• Other resources for staying involved

Tinker where you can

• Mod other games
• Play with board, card, or other tabletop game mechanics.

Getting started

It’s not as tough as it used to be.

• Lots of visual, editor-centric tools now. Less (or no) code is necessary.
• Lots of stock art and audio resources.
• Mostly free.

Tools

Tools tend to be either flexible (and complex) or easy to learn (and limiting)�

• Be willing to switch�
• Own your tool’s weaknesses

Going Solo?

You need to wear multiple hats.�

• Focus on one thing at a time�
• Use stock art, music, audio, and code
• But watch the licenses!

Game programming is different

• Typically not like event-driven, business software development

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• Lots of optimization issues, but don’t obsess over them (yet)

Take it slow

• Don’t start with grandiose designs--iterate!
• Learn on projects you’re willing to throw away
• Try cloning an existing game.
• Start with mechanics that are easy to build--i.e., point-and-click over platformer.

Get support

• Get involved in a local group, if you can.
• Game jams are a good way to push yourself.
• But study up before your first jam.

Entry-level tools

Learn to code:

• Scratch
• App Inventor

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Flexible, but complicated:

• GameMaker
• Unity

Simple, but less flexible:

• RPG Maker
• GameSalad
• Stencyl

Some similarities...

Usually, a game consists of discrete:

Scenes = Maps = Rooms

Containing one or more:

Objects = Actors = Sprites

Whose purpose is defined by:

Properties

Events = Behaviors

Scratch

• Free, browser based (scratch.mit.edu)
• Drag-and-drop designer and “block” editor
• Good for learning basic concepts.
• Third-party tools to compile to EXE/APP/JAR

App Inventor

• Free, browser-based (appinventor.mit.edu)
• Drag-and-drop designer and “block” editor
• Builds Android apps
• Access to devices
• Both standard UI and canvas

Demo

AppInventor

RPG Maker

• Commercial software with several versions available (Steam)
• Made for JRPG-style games
• Builds to Windows

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To The Moon, several other games

http://store.steampowered.com/tag/en/RPGMaker/

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RPG Maker

Configurable turn-based battle system with stats, states, and classes.

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Maps with encounter regions and events

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Scriptable (either point-and-click event selection or Ruby scripting)

Demo

GameMaker

GameSalad

• gamesalad.com
• Free to build Mac, iOS, or web
• Costs to build Android or Win8
• Demo projects on website

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Mostly mobile games

http://gamesalad.com/featured-games

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GameSalad

Games are composed of Actors in Scenes.

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Actors and Scenes have Attributes that define position, size, movement, and physics.

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Prototypes define reusable Actor templates; Instances are actual in-game Actors

GameSalad

Custom Attributes can be added to track your game’s rules.

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Boolean: true or false (checkbox)

Integer: whole numbers (0, 1, 2, 3, etc.)

Real: floating-point numbers (3.141)

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GameSalad

Actors have Behaviors and Rules that define how they interact with various events.

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Otherwise, they don’t interact.

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It’s like writing code, but a guided process.

Demo

GameSalad

�Stencyl

GameMaker

• www.yoyogames.com/studio (or Steam)�
• Free to build Windows games
• Costs to build Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, WinPhone 8, etc.
• Video tutorials on website and�demos downloadable in-app

GameMaker

• Hotline Miami
• Home
• Risk of Rain
• Nidhogg

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https://www.yoyogames.com/showcase

Unity

• unity3d.com
• Windows or Mac
• 3D or 2D
• Builds for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Win8, web, etc. etc. etc. (free!)
• C# and JavaScript code

Unity

• Hearthstone
• Rust
• Kerbal Space Program
• Gone Home

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http://unity3d.com/showcase/gallery

Unity

It’s a bit like learning a 3D modelling tool, in that it’s not intuitive at first.

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Very few “built in” features. Find scripts or write code yourself.

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Asset Store can fill in missing pieces.

Unity

The basic unit is the GameObject.

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Scripts hang off GameObjects to add functionality.

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Prefabs create reusable GameObject templates.

Demo

Unity

Other free tools...

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/tools/

• Engines
• 2D/3D graphics
• Audio/music
• Map editors

Game Jams

Ludum Dare - ludumdare.com/compo

• Create a game in a weekend
• No winner or prize, but rated

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Compo: 48 hours, solo, from scratch

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Jam: 72 hours, teams, with assets

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Game Jams

Tons more: http://itch.io/jams

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Forces you to think small.

Helps you learn to control scope.

Learning through experience.

User Groups

KnoxGameDesign.org - Knoxville, TN

• Presentations
• Show-and-tell
• Game jam meetups

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User Groups - My experience

• Doesn’t need to be large, just have a core�
• Don’t need to be experts, just willing to share

User Groups - My experience

• Doesn’t need to be dominated by coders, because audio, graphics, and design matter�
• Don’t need to use the same tools, because cross-training is beneficial�
• Not everyone shares every meeting

Questions? Comments?

@dylanwolf

�@funcworks

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