What's New on this website

Sep 11: Go To College and Learn How to Design Video Games without leaving home! Plenty of Universities offer Online Degree programs in video game design and animation - worth just the savings in gas for a typical commute

(Sep 9, 08)How about taking a diorama and transforming it into a video game? This is exactly what I did with this diorama. I made the diorama then I used FPS Creator to make a video game of it. I have to get past the dragon to the castle, climb to the top, find the wizards fireball staff then battle the dragon. Included with this is a short video showing me playing the game. Diorama Made into a video game

New Article: So you have a great idea for a video game! What do you do now? I give you advice on how to get your game made and I also have some information about protecting your idea legally.

July 28: A student has submitted a level that he made. This is with about a week of working with the Reality Factory Software. You can do it too! Sample level with screenshots

June 17: AMD announces the new chipset "RV770" and all the rules are now set to be broken. Video games will soon rival movies in how real they look. I have more about this development and a short video. You won't believe the video. The city looks real but it is actually a real time rendered game. I can't tell the difference! Read More and see the video here

June 2: Added several new lessons to the Genesis 3d Tutorial. That tutorial is now complete. You can start it here Genesis 3d Game Making Tutorial

May 12: What lies in the future of Video Game Design? There are some exciting things happening in the world of video game making.

New article (April 28, 08) How much do video game makers earn? What is their pay? This number of course will vary but there are some guidelines we can use and we look to the Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook for answers. The quick answer is that programmers can earn quite a bit!

New article (April 27, 08) Who made the first video game? This is an article on the very interesting history and development of video games from the very first game played on a screen to the first arcade style games and eventually the first games in our homes.

(New April 15, 08) 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!

NEW March 6, 08 - I created a tutorial around a complete video game I made 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.

March 3, 08 - The importance of lighting in video game design - with a video that shows the dramatic impact of lights on a game

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

How to write a video game players guide - Writing a guide is an easy way to start learning about how games are made. Here are some tips for writing a guide.

How to make money playing video games without spending a nickel - This is the real deal. I lay out exactly how you can make money from your video game playing. It involves work but you won't have to spend a dime. Can there be any better way to make money than from your video game playing? Make money from your video game playing

Beowulf - The New Video Game - This is a video game that is being made in conjunction with the upcoming movie (Release Date: Nov 16, 07). Learn about the game, watch the game traile,r and learn about the movie too! Beowulf the Video Game - And most importantly, understand that a video game is often one piece of a bigger puzzle. (like say a movie release, website, podcast and more)

5 Keys to the Kingdom: How to conquer any online video game and rule the kingdom

: Guidelines and information about video game colleges and degrees There are some great colleges that offer degrees but you have to know a bit more than just that you want to make video games.

Website Update Dec 29 : New Tutorial started on FPS Creator!

FPS Creator is a complete game making software tool for making first person shooters. It's drag and drop and gets you making games ultra fast. They also have a 30 day trial period. Go to the tutorial introduction

Update: The Milkshape tutorial is complete!

I have many completed sections and we are now working on the animation portion where you can animate your first model. Here is a video of our first model animation. Click on the image or link to see it in action. It is a 3.8 meg avi file.

Microsoft XNA :Microsoft has free game development software for Xbox and Windows

It is called XNA and they are running a contest for the best games. I am looking into this and may create a tutorial on this software. Check out their homepage XNA . And I now have an introduction ot XNA, what it is, and how to get it here.

Considering a career in video games? The game design industry is now a mature industry and there are lots of opportunities in many different creative fields from art to music of games. Get yourself started out right and be prepared for an exciting career in the industry. Read more...

What Software should you use? The answer depends on a couple of questions you have to ask yourself? What skill level do you have with the computer and programming and what are your goals for making video games? I answer these questions and help you find the right software for achieving what you want. Read more on choosing game making software...

The Most important things about making your own video game There are two things you will need to think about when pursuing the making of video games. You need to have persistence and you need to be creative. The freely available software takes out a lot of the programming stuff from video game making but there is still a lot of things to learn and a lot of work to do. And you have to be creative when making video games. You need lots of ideas!! I recommend you start a notebook just for video game ideas. Read more about your game making notebook

Design Your Games and Levels on Paper first

You should always draw out your games and levels on paper before you start on the computer. Here is a tutorial that shows you how to get the most out of level design on paper Design your game on paper first!

Have the Ultimate Game Playing Experience

Here is a virtual reality chamber that I built to play video games in! Learn more about the project