So I want to make a game.

[PeterD23]

When it comes to gaming, I play a wide variety of games from many genres: FPS, RPG, Strategy, Puzzle but one genre I seem to be very fond of is Space (combat, strategy). I've grown up on games such as the X series, Freelancer, Independence War 2, Ascendancy etc but probably my most favourite of them all was a game called X Beyond The Frontier. All my life i've wanted to develop games, starting from a tool I used called The Games Factory and leaving many many unfinished projects. For a while now I've had an idea for a truly epic game but my starting point seems rather hampered. I am a terrible programmer, artist, composer, modeller not to mention I have my exams to deduce whether or not I go to University in about a months time. I've been part of a very small development team that really hasn't developed that much (I made a crappy flash game that has like, 200 hits http://www.mochigames.com/games/the-untitled-ball-puzzle/) but something I do have is a ton of ideas. I've heard the kickstarter has become very successful, and I wonder if it would be a good place to start funding a project on such a large scale for 3D modellers, music composers etc?

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

Kickstarter is a place where someone could make money, but not you. If you are a "terrible programmer, artist, composer, modeller" then you have nothing to offer prospective investors; everyone thinks they have great ideas for things, the very best ideas for things, the ideas that will make a ton of money if they're made, but it's the people who can put it into practise who make money.

So that was my bubble-bursting; now for the upbeat part. The link to your game doesn't work, but I'm going to assume it's fabulous. You then have 2 jobs ahead of you:

1. Find some people to help you . If you want to make games, you need to have people to make games with. Find some friends (maybe at university if you get in)who are also interested in making games. Work with them, try out some ideas, make a couple flash games in your spare time; get to know what it's like to make a few different kinds of games.

2. LEARN TO DO SHIT . I can't stress this enough; everyone has ideas, and nobody want to work with someone who has nothing but ideas. Take some classes in programming, buy some art books, get a friend to teach you how to play an instrument; learn to do something of value that can help make a game. It will also help you learn the limitations of what you can do in games; you don't want to be the executive at a company who orders people to complete impossible goals because they don't know what it's like to work a job other than 'executive'.

After you have built a portfolio of a couple games, go and join Kickstarter. People will see that you are not just a kid who's going to waste their money dicking about, but (hopefully) a company with skills, experience and ideas, who just need a little capital to get things going.

And now I can rest easy, knowing I've just brought about the next generation of game designer. Good luck with your exams, and enjoy yourself.

 

[PeterD23]

http://www.mochigames.com/games/the-untitled-ball-puzzle

Sorry about that, the formatting added the closing parenthesis to the url. Thanks a lot for the advice, and I hope that I can make my ambition come true!

 

[Limecake]

I've heard of Mochigames, they are fairly well known (they are no armor games though) how did you go about making that game? did you write the code for it or use another program?

as for actual advice on making a game it would help if you knew what you wanted to do. Like people have said, ideas are a dime a dozen and unless your idea is spectacularly amazing it probably won't be given a lot of attention. Furthermore if you did become a designer you wouldn't have a lot of background knowledge of what it takes to put a game together.

so try and pick an area that you could excel at and work from there, remember that nobody is born with the knowledge of how to create video games so post-secondary education helps:

-Designer: Sociology, psychology, behavioral science (you want to know how to manipulate the player)
-Programmer: Computer Science... uhh... more computer science? (you need to actually know how to write code)
-Artist: Design, Digital design, 3D modelling (not sure of actual courses but good computer art skills are important)
-Music/Sound: Music, Audio engineering (there are other aspects like voice-acting and sound mixing)
-PR/Public sector: Business (I heard EA could use a new PR department)

pick something that interests you and learn as much as you can about it, you might find it's easier to work with people if you have something you can bring to the table as well.

 

[aba1]

Kickstarter is a place where someone could make money, but not you. If you are a "terrible programmer, artist, composer, modeller" then you have nothing to offer prospective investors; everyone thinks they have great ideas for things, the very best ideas for things, the ideas that will make a ton of money if they're made, but it's the people who can put it into practise who make money.

So that was my bubble-bursting; now for the upbeat part. The link to your game doesn't work, but I'm going to assume it's fabulous. You then have 2 jobs ahead of you:

1. Find some people to help you . If you want to make games, you need to have people to make games with. Find some friends (maybe at university if you get in)who are also interested in making games. Work with them, try out some ideas, make a couple flash games in your spare time; get to know what it's like to make a few different kinds of games.

2. LEARN TO DO SHIT . I can't stress this enough; everyone has ideas, and nobody want to work with someone who has nothing but ideas. Take some classes in programming, buy some art books, get a friend to teach you how to play an instrument; learn to do something of value that can help make a game. It will also help you learn the limitations of what you can do in games; you don't want to be the executive at a company who orders people to complete impossible goals because they don't know what it's like to work a job other than 'executive'.

After you have built a portfolio of a couple games, go and join Kickstarter. People will see that you are not just a kid who's going to waste their money dicking about, but (hopefully) a company with skills, experience and ideas, who just need a little capital to get things going.

And now I can rest easy, knowing I've just brought about the next generation of game designer. Good luck with your exams, and enjoy yourself.

Ya I am working on a game I plan to have published on steam and apple store myself and everything "Thunderous Cacophony" said. If you plan to make a name for yourself you have to work at it and be dedicated.

 

[Johndo]

Their's various components to making a game. if you can't do certain things than understand what you can do. Saying you got ideas is way too vague.

I'm guessing you want to design a game. Than you're going to need to write documents. Write down your game. What is it? What is the overall story? What's the point of the game? etc. Than build up from there. Understand others are going to read this so make it as readable and understandable as possible. If you can create a document that is clear and exciting, than you got something working. A good game is something that's concrete and tangible. Telling us that you haven't made much finished games (doesn't matter if good or not) doesn't instill confidence with whoever you potentially are working with.

You will need to illustrate your levels. Create informative diagrams and explain what you're looking at.

I would highly suggest NOT to use kickstarter. You're only looking to have a small team. And small teams can do a lot, look at the game Hawkens.

I am very wary of people who say they got tons of ideas. A good game starts with just one. It may be complex but you need to be very concise.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well I wouldn't go quite so negative but kickstarter at this stage is a no no, your first real project will probably be pretty shoddy so use that to learn for future projects, and those you can make money with.

However this will take dedication, if you want to make something proper then blood, sweat and tears are required, it is time to figure shit out for real.
You see we all have ideas but only those that are polished and honed into something useful matter in the end, just start off by writing them all down, some of them will be silly and others will come in handy in some form or another.

And start sketching your game, not just with pictures but put together a coherent description of how it works in your mind, what kind of premise it will stand on, maybe a short story, what platform, what audience, what scale, menus, controls, combat, missions, atmosphere,...
This will take some time and many revisions to work out but it will set things straight for your team and for you(where you will stand in all this).
And let's just get it clear this is no place for playing coy, there will be massive work to be done and you can't just hide behind "well I don't know how this works", no you figure your game out, you need to pitch in and pull the whole talent lot together.

 

[Freechoice]

Ideas without charisma is like a plague without people. This makes sense the more you think about it.

snip

Your avatar looks tasty.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

SNIP

I've found something that you might be interested in:http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/crowdfunding

These guys offer a fairly concise explanation of the traditional ways to make money for a game (publishers and investors) and they talk about Kickstarter and other crowdsourcing ideas. A word of warning, though: They are talking about it as consumers, NOT developers, and for all the praise they heap on direct consumer funding, it's still a difficult path (look at all the failed game fundraisers on Kickstarter).

As well, there's something I forgot to mention in my first post. Learn about money. If you are serious about becoming a developer, you need to learn how to handle finances (or get some people to help you, and even then it's best if you know something about it as well). A few tips:

Company Bank Account: Keep your personal finances and the game-making money separate. Open up another account at a bank specifically for the company, and funnel all your money (donations, revenue from games/advertisements, etc.) into it. This serves a bunch of purposes: it helps build your credibility as a company, it allows for easier tracking of the companies finances, it helps with taxes, and it shows your fellow employees where the money is. This last one is critical: if you make money, the people you work with will want their fair share, and they won't like it if you hoard it in your personal account (it also helps determine how much money they are actually owed).

Ink and Paper are Your Shield: The modern world runs on documents, contracts, and files, and the sooner you understand them, the less likely it is you will be screwed over. Read some business and legal textbooks (or better yet, take classes at university if your major allows it) to get an understanding of how to write a legal document, what you should look for to check that's it's all on the up-and-up, etc. Incorporate your company, and keep track of every piece of paper it generates. Also, MAKE SURE that you and the people you are working with sign contracts with the company. If you want to fool around making games, that's fine and good, but if you want to make money, you need to know how that money is being divided and spent, and what to do in situations like "Bill is leaving, and he's demanding $1000 in back pay". Which leads me to my next point...

Suit Up Lawyers have a bad reputation, but they are invaluable to anyone who wants to do things and make money. Once you guys have decided to incorporate, pony up a few hundred dollars and get a law firm (preferably one that specializes in start-ups and tech companies) to file all your paperwork, help draw up contracts, file patents for IP, and everything else. It's an investment that protects the company (and you) from being mangled by another developer, a vengeful ex-employee, investors, etc. As well, hire an accountant to help explain your books, and consider retaining one for tax season. I can tell you from personal experience that they know the system inside and out, and can help you handle your money and dodge fees that you never knew you were paying.

So that is my second bout of advice. Business is complicated, messy and dangerous, and if you aren't willing to learn about it, you WILL fail. Remember Tesla and Edison: Tesla was arguably the better inventor, and has a rock band and resonant transformer circuit named after him; Edison was undoubtedly the better businessman, and has bridges, companies, and moon craters named after him, more than a thousand patents and retired extremely wealthy. You have the choice, so choose Edison (but don't kill any elephants).