Introduction to Game-Making Tools
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So You Want to Make a Game A Short Introduction to Game-Making Tools
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These are the slides from Dames Making Games' "Introduction to Game-Making Tools" workshop. If you want to make a game, there are lots of tools available to help you -- even if you've never made one before, and even if you don't know how to code! This presentation provides an overview of the tools that are most popular with DMG members.
Transcript of Introduction to Game-Making Tools
So You Want to Make a Game
A Short Introduction to Game-Making Tools
You can make a game
Even if you’ve never made one before
Even if you don’t know how to code
Even if you can’t draw
What to ask yourself
What kind of games am I interested in?
What technical resources are available to me?
What are my existing skills? Writing, illustration, music, 3D modelling, programming, design?
What skills do I want to learn?
A note on coding
It’s not the only skill that matters. Games need artists, writers, designers, composers, and musicians too.
Best benefit/time ratio will come from understanding logic flow concepts rather than “coding”
Tools that do one thing
Twine (interactive fiction)
iV (interactive art and video)
RPG Maker (RPGs)
Adventure Game Studio,
Ren’Py (visual novels)
Inform 7 (text adventures)
Tools that do many things
Stencyl
GameMaker
GameSalad
Unity
Construct 2
THE ESSENTIAL TRADEOFF:
Fast and easy vs. flexible and powerful
A note on “free” tools
You can probably do this for free:
Building your game and exporting to a single platform
This will probably cost money:
Multiple platforms
Putting your game on a mobile device (especially iOS)
Monetization
Twine
Twine in a nutshell
A free, very beginner-friendly text-oriented tool for writing interactive stories with branching paths.
Twine Questions
Is it free? Yep.
Mac or PC? Both.
Coding needed? Nope, although you can make more complex games with a basic knowledge of variables, “if” statements, and HTML/CSS/javascript.
Where to get it? twinery.org
What does it export to? HTML.
Some games by our members
Penalties, Soha El-Sabaawi
Even Cowgirls Bleed, Christine Love
Phone Home, Jen Costa, Noreen Rana, Kaitlin Smith
I’m Fine, by Royel Edwards
There are Monsters Under Your Bed, by Kaitlin Tremblay
Twine is worth trying if
You mostly want to write
You’re an absolute beginner
You’re short on time
You’re interested in non-linear narratives
You’re savvy with HTML and CSS
Avoid Twine if
You’re making a game with avatars/movement/action
You hate writing
iV
iV in a nutshell
“Twine with video.” Create branching narratives/experiences with images and video as well as text. Developed by DMG as a fork from ScreenPerfect!
An important note
iV is a fork from ScreenPerfect. ScreenPerfect concept and development by Alex Leitch with the kind support of the OCADu game::play lab.
Engine produced to drive Hannah Epstein's synchronous multi-screen/device installation game PsXXYborg and completed in concert with Alex's thesis "ScreenPerfect: Accessible web tools for contemporary art."
iV Questions
Is it free? Yes.
Mac or PC? Both.
Coding needed? Nope.
Where to get it? bentobx.github.io/iV/
What does it export to? Web.
iV is worth a try if
You want to focus on making art/video/story instead of the tech
You’re interested in non-linear narratives
You want to help us out
Avoid iV if
You don’t like new things (‘cause they’re still rough around the edges)
You want a game with action, physics, puzzles, etc.
RPG Maker
RPG Maker in a nutshell
A tool for making RPGs in the style of early Final Fantasy games. With some creativity, adaptable to the “adventure” genre.
RPG Maker Questions
Is it free? No. But there’s a free, limited “lite” version you can try out.
Mac or PC? PC only.
Coding needed? Nope. But you can if you want to.
Where to get it? rpgmakerweb.com
What does it export to? PC executable.
Some games From the community
Restless, Natalie Zed
The Doctor is Ready, Megan Patterson, Kara Stone, Cecily Carver
Actual Sunlight, Will O’Neill
RPG Maker is worth a try if...
You want to make an RPG
You want to make a game that’s dialogue/story-heavy
You like world-building
You’re feeling nostalgic
Avoid RPG Maker if
You’re on a Mac
You don’t like the early 90’s RPG “style”
You want to make something that’s not an RPG or an adventure game
Stencyl
Stencyl in a nutshell
A free tool for making Flash games using Scratch (code-learning tool for beginners) and ActionScript
Stencyl Questions
Is it free? Yep (mostly).
Mac or PC? Both (and Linux!)
Coding needed? Depends. You can get pretty far with no code, and even complex/unusual games can be made mostly with the built-in Scratch interface, which is a simplified learn-to-code tool for children and beginners.
Where to get it? stencyl.com
What does it export to? Flash.
Some games by our members
Icarus, Sagan Yee
Having it All, Miriam Verburg
Unicorn Justice Fighter/Unicorn Robber Baron, Una Lee
Stencyl is worth trying if...
You want to make a 2D platformer, action, or physics game
You want to learn to code, or you’re a beginner coder who wants to improve
You want to eventually publish to mobile platforms
Avoid Stencyl if...
You want to display a lot of text on the screen (i.e. a point-and-click adventure)
You have no interest in coding and are easily frustrated by it
GameMaker
GameMaker in a nutshell
A widely-used, well-respected beginner-friendly PC tool with some powerful advanced features.
GameMaker Questions
Is it free? Not really. There’s a free version, but it’s limited.
Mac or PC? PC (mostly) There’s a Mac version, but it’s limited.
Coding needed? Nope. There’s a drag-and-drop interface that covers most simple actions. But you can code if you want using GML.
Where to get it? yoyogames.com
What does it export to? .exe
Some games by our members
Cuddlegeddon, Gillian Blekkenhorst
Seven Sins, Leisha-Marie Riddel
Girl Sprout Camp, Carly Beath
Golden Fall, Yuliya Boublikova
GameMaker is worth trying if
You want to make a 2D platformer, action, or physics game
You like lots of tutorials and online support
You’re on a PC
Avoid GameMaker if
You’re on a Mac
You want your games to be playable in-browser
Story is your main focus
You hate ugly interfaces
GameSalad
GameSalad in a nutshell
A beginner-oriented tool for 2D games with absolutely no coding. Exports to iOS out-of-the-box.
GameSalad Questions
Is it free? Yes. There’s a free version, but it’s limited.
Mac or PC? Mac (mostly). There’s a PC version, but it’s not very good.
Coding needed? Nope. Everything is drag-and-drop. Even if you want to code, you can’t!
Where to get it? gamesalad.com
What does it export to? Mac executable, web (in the GameSalad arcade), iOS.
Some games by our members
MedicationMeditation, Kara Stone
So You’ve Been Fridged, Izzie Colpitts-Campbell, Kat Verhoeven, Natalie Zed
GameSalad is worth a try if
You want to make a 2D action, platformer, or physics game
You don’t want to code
You’re on a Mac
You want to make an iPhone/iPad game
Avoid GameSalad if
You’re on a PC
You want to learn to code
You want to focus on story
Unity in a nutshell
A free, widely used, very powerful engine for creating 3D games.
Unity Questions
Is it free? Yes.
Mac or PC? Both.
Coding needed? Yes.
Where to get it? unity3d.com
What does it export to? Pretty much everything
Some games by our members
Countenance, Carly Beath, Yuliya Boublikova, Leisha-Marie Riddel, Pina Visconti, and Alex Wong
Spy Jammer, Daniele Hopkins
Unity is worth a try if
You want to make a 3D game
You want a professional-grade tool
You’re comfortable with coding or want to learn how to code
You’re interested in the Oculus Rift, EEG headsets, etc.
Avoid Unity if
You don’t want a steep learning curve
You don’t want to code
Unsolicited Advice
Cecily Sez
Your first game is not your magnum opus
Keep it as simple as possible
Try lots of things
Work in a spiral, not a straight line
Back up your games
Programming Concepts to learn (If
you want)Variables
If/else statements
Boolean logic
Loops
