lets make a videogame how hard can it be
nevermind you have to know shit about computers
hey!! sorry to hijack this post, but there are a bunch of ways you can make videogames without knowing shit about computers!!
for starters, there’s Twine, which is fucking great for making all kinds of interactive experiences (it’s what Crystal Warrior Ke$ha was made in so you KNOW it’s good) at all skill levels (i picked it up and made a game in two minutes a few nights ago)
if you want a bit more involved experience there’s Inform 7 which is a simple language for text-based adventure games that reads like slightly-weird English and also relatively easy to learn
you can do some pretty fucking cool stuff with Unity (my personal engine of choice) but you may need to dig a bit farther to get at the good stuff. there’s lots of really good presets though (i made an entire game just mixing and matching pre-existing templates and adding in my own art, won an award at a game jam for that one) and if you want help the community’s pretty dang friendly from what i’ve seen!
this is just a taste of what’s out there from what i’ve seen, but there’s so many cool resources out there. if anyone wants help getting started, i’m around to give you a leg up on making something in the coolest, most unexplored art medium around!
I’m addin’ to this post because lowering the barrier to entry for making games is super important to me!!!! If y’all have any questions about making games, you’re welcome to come and ask! I made this list a while back with some friends, so it has some of the programs John already mentioned.
2D Editors:
GameMaker : Potential for pure drag-and-drop “programming”. It is recommended to read-up on the program’s functions to make good use of it. Good for prototyping. Uses its own language called Game Maker Language (GML) that is similar to a C language (e.g. C++ or C#). For both Mac and PC; free version available.
Construct2 : Drag and drop level editor that uses an “If-Then” event sheet structure for programming. Good for prototyping and for beginners. For PC; free version available.
GameSalad : Drag and drop with no code requirement. Good for programming. For both Mac and PC; free version available.
Solpeo : HTML5 based game engine for 2D and isometric game development. Some programming knowledge needed. Platforms supported: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer 9+. Free version available.
Stencyl : Drag and Drop “programming,” templates you can edit the variables/values for.
Scratch : Lego-block-style coding platform by MIT; totally free and a great intro to thinking in code. Very kid-friendly and comes with a community site. Browser version available.
3D Editors:
Unity : 3D editor that creates 3D games. Can build games for browser, as an app, or for mobile devices (iOS and Android). For both Mac and PC; free version available.
UDK (Unreal Development Kit) : Full-fledged, highly advanced editor. Features a complete set of tools that go from level design to visual scripting to cut-scene creation. Uses it’s own programming language called Unreal Script that can be arranged with Kismet, a visual code editor. For Mac and PC; free.
2D Art/Animation Software:
GIMP : Free photo editing and digital painting software.
Easy Paint Tool SAI : Free digital painting software with a UI similar to Photoshop.
Mischief : Free digital painting software with an endless canvas.
3D Art/Animation Software:
Sculptris : From the company that created Zbrush, this free software is ideal for beginning 3D sculptors.
Maya : Animation, VFX, lighting, and rendering software.
Magical Voxel : Voxel Art (3D Pixel Art). Very intuitive and quick to pick up.
SketchUp : Architectural modeling software, great for creating 3D environments and buildings. Free version available.
Text-Based Games:
Twine : Create interactive text stories using Twine’s visual map system that links your game together. Easy to learn and use. End result is browser-based. For Mac and PC; free.
Quest : Interactive text stories that you can build in-browser.
Ren’Py : Create visual novels using a modified version of Python that reads like a combination of stage directions and a CYOA novel. For PC, Mac, and Linux; free.
Audio Resources/Editors:
Indie Game Music : This site offers free indie music with no need to worry about royalties or licenses.
Audacity : A free, open-source, cross-platform sound editor that allows you to record and arrange sound.
Super Flash Bros. : This site allows you to record theremin-like (8bit) sounds and export them as .wav files for your games.
FL Studio : Free music composition software.
Miscellaneous Tools:
Donjon RPG Tools : Randomly generates maps, items, XP, etc.
W3Schools : Web-code tutorial database: HTML, CSS, Javascript+.
Debut Video Capture : Video screen capture to record Let’s Play videos, showcase your game on Youtube, etc.
Korsakow : Free tool for creating interactive and database films.
Processing : Flexible programming language used for visual and interactive artworks and simulations.
From Student to Designer, Part 2 : Tips for making a well-rounded, solid portfolio
Places to Publish/Share:
Itch.io : Platform for self-publishing games
Philome.la : Place to share Twine Games
@slimetony how does it feel to have your shitpost be turned into a helpful resource
It feels like a betrayal of every tenant of humor I subscribe to. Helping people is an alien concept to me. It makes me upset.
it’s mentioned elsewhere in the notes but the older RPGMakers are all pretty damn affordable and keeping an eye on Humble Bundle can do the same for the newer engines
A new one is Smile Game Builder (also on Steam); it’s effectively a 3D RPGMaker style engine without scripting and I’m excited to see what people do with it, especially once the community has some decent modelers (it can also be used with 2D assets)
If you’ve got any ability to read music another great audio resource is MuseScore, which is free
And another graphics program that’s well suited especially to making spritesheets is Asesprite, a pixel-art specific program that’s 15 USD and has the most user friendly animation setup I’ve ever seen, with an option to save said animations as sprite sheets. You can play the animation in the preview as you work on it it’s the best thing
And if you have NO ability to read music, Bosca Ceol is pretty intuitive to use, free, and makes some really good stuff! just keep in mind that exporting anything takes… uh, forever. Also that the in-app sounds aren’t the same as what it exports to, which threw me for a loop when I started working with it. But it’s still a fantastic resource that I highly recommend!
