The game industry, starting to reach a significant point globally, seems to be one of the bright areas of the future. The global gaming market was valued at 173.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to raise. When thinking of quality games, we can rank some top companies such as Epic Games, Blizzard, Ubisoft, Gameloft, and Bungie. These companies have thousands of employees around the world, it doesn’t mean that few people can’t make games though. Actually, how are computer games, console games, and mobile games made? And, how long does it take to make a great video game? Well, most modern PC or console games take 3-5 years to complete However, you can also make a nice 3D game in six months by yourself such as farming, idle games, etc. Of course not a GTA in six months alone, right? Just be sure that learning how to make a video game from scratch is a very fun and rewarding process. Let’s see more about how and where to begin!
Make Your Own Game!
1. Explore your desire
Firstly, you must decide what you want. PC, Console, and Mobile games are from different worlds. You should pick a path for moving on the route. From game engines to programming languages, everything will be one of a kind. So now, think about what you wish through this journey as well as what it will take to get it!
2. A Game Engine : Eternal Friendship
You will always walk together with a game engine during this journey. To develop a game, you should be fully aware of game engines. Many game engines, from paid to free, currently serve game developers. Games can be made with programs such as Unity 3D, Unreal Engine, CryEngine, and Game Maker.
Unity
Either 2D & 3D PC, mobile game, or a simple game app, you can do everything through Unity. By far the most widely used game engine among mobile game developers, Unity is free to use. You can publish your game for free, but your annual earnings must not exceed 100 thousand dollars. If it exceeds 100 thousand dollars, you need to get a paid license. To develop games with Unity, you must learn C#. You can find limitless resources on the internet about Unity, where you can develop 2D & 3D games. For example, you can check out videos of making games from scratch with Unity on the Brackeys YouTube channel as well as Jason Weimann, Sebastian Lague, Code Monkey, Dani, Sykoo, and Imphenza.
Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine, developed by Epic Games, is also quite popular and free to use, just like Unity. To use Unreal Engine, you must know the C++ programming language. You will find many resources on the internet. And, there is a publishing license agreement through Unreal Engine. The license is free to use, however, a 5% royalty is due only when you monetize your game or other interactive off-the-shelf product and your gross revenues exceeding a million USD.
Game Maker
Game Maker, another free-to-use game engine, is a very easy game platform to learn. You can make your first game in a few hours as a beginner. Overall, Game Maker is a fine tool for new developers, but it will eventually leave you wanting more since it is quite a simple engine compared to its competitors
3. Which language to use?
After picking your game engine, you will have to learn the language for communicating with the engine. While C# is used for Unity, C++ is a must to proceed in Unreal Engine. And, Java is the most popular programming language for creating Android games. You can also learn how to make games with JavaScript easily and create simple mobile apps and games by combining JavaScript, HTML, and CSS with the PhoneGap platform. Swift is a comparatively new programming language, especially for IOS. And, C family is mostly preferred for advanced game and software development.
4. Now what?
Beginning to research and practice is fun for newbies while it may seem scary for some. Just start with the simple mechanics first. Then you can do other stuff such as designing sections, creating interfaces like menus and options. You have lots of things to learn, take your time. In time, you will experience a wide array of tools for 3D models, items, terrain, environment, objects, behavior, and much more. Perform small tasks and projects for yourself. You know that practice makes perfect!
5. Need some visual?
There are numerous assets on the Web. While you can find packages and assets from Unity Assetstore for Unity, you will see assets in Unreal Editor for Unreal Engine. You can also prefer Photoshop to design 2D images and Maya or 3ds Max for 3D images.
6. Develop, Practice, Improve
Knowing how to create a mobile game is not enough by itself. In order for the game you developed to be successful, players must want to play. Be more empathic, why should people like your game? For this, it is important that the gameplay mechanics are easy. You should also add an interesting and compelling story to your game. People love stories! You should also choose music that reflects the spirit of the game. In this process, you should test the construction frequently.
7. Final or a new beginning?
Newcomers to game development mostly work hard to perfect the game, and this delays the game’s release. It is better to remove the game without delay. If any error occurs in the game after removing the game, you can solve the problem by publishing an update. Also, if you want to monetize your game, you need to set aside a budget for marketing. Good job chef, it’s ready to be served!
