How to Make Video Games

The website devoted to helping you make video games. Want to become a video game designer? Have a passion for it? Everything is here including school and career options and more.

New: How is a video game designed? I take you through the steps of video game design and explain the major concepts.

A look at Assassin's Creed II - From a game makers perspective. This game is remarkable and there are some great lessons to be learned from it when it comes to making video games

Game Review: I have purchased, played, and conquered Dragon Age: Origins. See my review here Dragon Age Origins

Why is it so hard to make a video game? Do you have some great ideas and some computer skills? And have you ever wanted to make you own video game? It can be a very frustrating thing to surf around on the internet looking through websites and browsing through the online book stores trying to figure out how to go about creating your own video games. You finally land on some software or tutorial that just confuses everything and you end up just about the same place you started.

So why can it be so hard to learn how to make a video game?

There are three big reasons why it can be so challenging. The first reason is information overload. You can really pop a fuse trying to sort through the thousands of resources out there. The second reason is you need to find the style of learning that is right for you - and this encompasses your skill level and learning preferences. And the third reason is you have to figure out what your real goals are and then follow the path that matches those goals well.

I know this feeling of frustration. I have spent hundreds of hours scouring the internet and book stores looking for ways that would teach me how to make my own video games. Over the years I have learned a lot of lessons about making games and I have discovered the truth that making video games is not really that hard. You just need to figure out what tools, software, and books are right for you.

Here is a look at just some of the books I have bought over the years in my quest to learn how to make video games. Some are good and some are not so good. The big learning curve is trying to figure out which is which. And this isn't all of them. There are more - and let's not even talk about the regular programming and computer books I have (well over 100) That's a lot of money and a lot of time spent. .

The Real Purpose of all this Making Video game stuff

The real purpose for me, and no doubt for you too is that you want to unleash your creativity. Maybe you have some great ideas, or you know you are going to come up with some great ideas and you want a clear path and clear set of tools that will help you unleash this creativity. Those tools are out there!
The Truth when it comes to making video games
The ironic thing is that it really isn't that hard to make a video game. What is hard is trying to figure out how to start, what books to get, or which program to start with. The big issue is sorting through the million choices you have to find the materials and tutorials that are right for you -the stuff that will take your creativity and turn it into video games the way you like it.

So, What do you do?

Without a doubt, the absolute best thing you can do is to enroll in a school that will teach you how to make video games. This is after all the system that has built the modern world we live in. And what better way to learn a complex new thing than to get it from an experienced and accredited teacher and institution. I do have some information that will help you with this if you are curious about a formal education. Here are some quick resources if you want to take a look:

• Thinking about getting an online degree in video game design or art? - There are plenty of options if you want to learn how to make video games online without having to relocate to a school. If you want to pursue a career in video game making I have sorted through a lot of stuff and given you information about some of the best online degree programs in the realm of game and art design. Online Game Design Degrees
• Traditional Brick and Mortar Colleges and figuring out what paths you should take when considering a career in video game making - A career in video game design

Okay but you want to learn how to make video games now - and at home

And this is why I have built this website. You want to unleash your creativity and start making video games now - and hopefully for free! Or at least for very little expense. Well, I have got it all right here on this site for you. I have some great step-by-step tutorials, lots of resources, code you can download, book reviews, and guides to help you figure out how best you can make video games. There are lots of articles on game making and creativity and lots of tutorials (in the left column). If you have some experience in game making you can browse through the various things. If you are an absolute beginner I have a great tutorial that will start from ground zero and take you through the process. It will help you understand the various software and concepts of game making. You can find the link to that tutorial (The Game School for Beginners). Have some fun with this. And if you end up making a best-selling video game send me an email and let me know!

I talked a little bit about different learning styles and maybe you are the kind of person that likes to have a printed out book so you can read along as you are learning to make video games. I have exactly that in ebook form. It's totally free and it's packed with articles on creativity and game making and it has a full tutorial that will help you make your first video game. It assumes you know very little about game making and gives you the basics. It's a great place to get started. Download it and print it up here. (pdf)

Put Yourself in a Video Game - I have started work on some tutorials for the Games Factory 2 Software. This is some great, and easy to use software for making 2-D games. It's a great way to explore creativity and I have started with a video showing how to put yourself right into a game. Here is the video. Sign up for the newsletter if you want to be notificed when I have the Games Factory 2 Tutorials up!

- I created a complete video game that shows some of the basic concepts of designing a good game. It's all about challenging and rewarding the player. This tutorial also comes with a complete youtube walk-thru you can watch. I explain the concepts as we move through the game. If you are making video games you should read and watch this tutorial. It explains things like manipulating the environment, rewarding player ingenuity and the use of color to elevate the players awareness.