design a game

How I did it: I constantly worked on game design ideas as I worked toward making games. C++ was the first programming language I learned. From there I attempted Java and GameMaker (both of which didn't work for me) as well as several game design books. Eventually, I found a book which taught me game design in C using Allegro. I went through the book in about a week, and quickly began work on my own game designs.

Lessons & tips: 1) Find the way that works for you. There are many ways to make games, some of which don't require programming. Basically, the more complex the method of making the game, the more options one has as a game designer.

2) Keep dreaming of game ideas. Even if you haven't learned how to make games yet, keep thinking and dreaming. It keeps you motivated toward your goal and improves your thinking in game design.

3) Be persistent. There were a few years between when I learned how to program and when I finally found the right method for me. There were times when I started to think making a game would be too complicated for me (thanks to DirectX code... ugh), but it was my dream and I had to find a way to do it.

4) Walk before you run. If you don't know how to program and want to code a role-playing game first thing, you will probably get tired before you even get started. In my opinion, whenever you find your way of making games, start with pong. A huge project of a game wont be fun to play if it's so large you grow tired of it and can't even finish making it.

Resources: "Game Programming All In One" (2nd or 3rd Edition)
By: Jonathon S. Harbour

"The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses"
By: Jesse Schell

Bloodshed's free C/C++ compiler
http://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html

The free Allegro library
http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/allegro/

The Allegro design community
http://www.allegro.cc/

Jan 15, 09:07PM PST | 0 comments