2D Game Development for Anyone

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to make your own video game? Don't know where to start? If you answered "yes", you're in luck. Today, you are going to hear how to make a video game from a beginner's perspective. How does this help you? I get stuck, confused, and frustrated with the same things you do when trying something new. So let's spark our curiosity and dive right in!

Coding

One of the first concerns people have when starting a video game is that they need to know how to code. Turns out, you don't; however, if you end up wanting to pursue game development professionally, you are going to want to learn.

When starting my very first video game, I had two semesters of coding under my belt - not even a full year. I can assure you I sucked at coding in the 2 languages I knew at the time: python and java. Another semester and a half later, I still suck. Coding is not central to making your game. If it is not your cup of tea, then you can get away with some basic code. Now, we can create games by using engines that can handle the coding and physics for us.

GameMaker Studio 2

One of these fabled engines is GameMaker Studio 2, published by YoYo Games. What I particularly like about GameMaker Studio 2 is how accessible it is to beginners. By using its visual programming language, a creator can drag and drop to create video games without writing any code. Technically, code is being generated when using Drag and Drop (DnD), but it is represented to the user visually. For users who do want to code, they will use GameMaker Language (GML), GameMaker's own scripting language.

Another reason why I am recommending this to beginners is because they have a wealth of resources and a friendly user base. They have a page dedicated to learning how to use the software, filled with both written and video tutorials on how to create different kinds of games. They also have a marketplace where you can find game assets, many of which are free. Game assets include any components that make up a game like characters, objects, icons, code, music, and sound effects.

Even better, when you first make an account with YoYo Games, they send you an email encouraging you to make a game. When I first installed GameMaker, I didn't have enough time to explore the software. For a full week, I let this task get away from me. During the first five days after my account registration, they sent me emails sharing how to get started, video tutorials, tech blogs, and where to find help when I might need it. Due to persistent emails from YoYo Games and linked video tutorials, I sat down and made my first game in GameMaker: Space Rocks.

Getting Started with GameMaker Studio 2

All too often, I will hear people talk about how they've always wanted to make a video game, but I find few people who actually try. So if you're interested in making your own video games, still reading this, and interested in taking my advice, then download GameMaker Studio 2 right now.

Next up, open one of their video tutorials. I started with "Space Rocks!", the first video tutorial that was sent to me in my email. You can access the first video of this series here: Intro to GameMaker. After part 1, they will ask you to choose either their Drag and Drop interface or GML before continuing onwards. After that, I'll have to leave it up to you to finish your first game.

My Advice

Creating anything can be tiring and learning something new is challenging, so take it in small pieces. Don't think up huge, ambitious projects right at the start; pursuing one of these in the beginning will leave you with a lot of questions and might kill your motivation to continue. Instead, write down your idea and save it for later.

When making tutorials, I found it hard to take ownership of my accomplishments. I had just copied someone else exactly, following along with their every step. Following tutorials is a great way to learn and after a few of them, I started to feel like I could do something more. If you start to feel this way, add in a little of your own touch. I started by making my own art. "Space Rocks" wasn't my first video game tutorial, but it was my first time using GameMaker. Due to this, I felt comfortable creating my own game assets to use in the tutorial.

The game art I created using Pixel Art Studio

Keep Going!

There's something to learn from every mistake

If this is something you truly enjoy, then don't just quit on it. If you try it and don't like it at all, then quit. Who am I to tell you to do something you don't like?

But learn this lesson from me: I had stopped working on games for nearly 3 months because I got a part-time job and lost interest in the project I was working on at the time (a game called Fly Flit). If you lose interest in a project, then start a new one! Do something that you look forward to sitting down and working on regularly. If it's something you really enjoy, you will be able to find time to work on it, even if it is only 2 hours a week.

You're going to encounter errors, bugs, feel confused and frustrated. When I completed my first video game tutorial, everything went smoothly. When I attempted a second one, things went sideways. I spent a few hours trying to fix the bug (when I created a timer to spawn enemies at an interval, the game stopped working entirely) and ended up giving up. I don't look back on that as a failure now since I ended up picking up a new project right after, but it is definitely something to go back to… if I feel inclined (remember: don't do anything you aren't actually interested in!). I did learn a valuable lesson from giving up on my second attempt though - keep older backups of your projects. This way, if you mess something up in a later step, you can return to an older, working version of it. You can do this by duplicating a project before making updates or saving your latest version as another project. Another popular way to track changes is by using source control, often through a service called Github. If you are interested in learning more about source control and Github you can check out: HOW TO DO THE GITHUB (The Absolute Basics)

What to do when you get stuck

If you get stuck, the best thing to do is to ask someone for help. GameMaker has an awesome community backing it, full of mentors and people releasing new tutorials. When I get stuck watching a YouTube tutorial, I will scroll down through the comments to check if someone else had the same problem and posted the solution. More often than not, I will be able to find my answer in the comments. When I don't, I'll Google search my error or watch more video tutorials on the subject. Exhaust your resources before throwing in the towel.

When working on Space Rocks, I got stuck at one spot. Rectangles were appearing in places where I didn't want them to. Luckily, when exploring the GameMaker Community Forums, I found a post in the Programming thread that said there was a chat group of mentors who wanted to help others. I joined their chat and posted my question.

The question I posed in the chat full of mentors

Two mentors responded with help and I was able to fix my bug!

Game-making, like coding, can involve lost of twists and turns, but it is so rewarding to be able to visualize an idea and then create it. The great thing about games is that they can be more than a game; besides being fun, they can be used for training (simulations on how to fly planes), teaching new skills (Minecraft Education Edition to teach coding), recreating a game from childhood, sharing a story, or conveying a powerful message. Whatever your reason is to make a game, go out there and give it your best shot!

Additional Resources (Art, Music, Tutorials, etc.)

Software for Making Art

For my Space Rocks tutorial, I made my art with Pixel Art Studio. In order to download my art, I had to purchase the full version for $4.99. I've also used Krita to make game assets in the past; it's a great free program, but it takes some getting used to. Other free, popular art programs include FireAlpaca and GIMP. If you have access to the Adobe Suite, specifically Photoshop, definitely use that. It is an industry standard, but unfortunately it is not free.

Music

For this particular game, I used ChipTone to generate sounds effects. I used the sound effects for each time my ship shot a laser, each time my ship lost any health, and when an asteroid was destroyed. There is a song playing from the background that I downloaded from FreeSound.org. The sound effects and songs found on these sites are under the Creative Commons license, allowing them to be used for any reason, including commercial. If not under the creative commons license, then it's likely that the artists require you to credit them when using any of their assets.

Tutorials

If you would like to continue learning game design, check out some of the YouTube channels below:

Brackeys creates video tutorials for the Unity game engine, which is one of the most popular and powerful game engines out there. His "How to Make a Video Game" series is the first video game tutorial I ever completed.

Blackthornprod also uses the Unity game engine for his games, but also shares how he makes his own games from the early idea to completion.

Unity also releases their own tutorial videos and there's a whole section called "Learn Unity" filled with video tutorials on YouTube.

Shaun Spalding offers a lot video tutorials for GameMaker Studio 2. He used to work at Ubisoft and YoYoGames, but returned to indie game development.

AskGameDev doesn't have full tutorials on game-making, but offers a lot of userful information about the industry. They talk about what it is like to have a career in the game development industry, principles of game design, how to promote and market your game, and much more.