Become a Computer Game Developer: Getting Started








Chapter 2






Getting Started

Even clueless lamers gotta eat...

In the last chapter, we discussed some of the
different jobs available in the game development industry. We we will look
at them again in the next chapter when we talk about putting a team
together. In the meantime, let's assume, for this chapter, that you are a
rank beginner, an absolute newbie, one of those scorned and much-flamed
wanna-be's. Lets assume your prior accomplishments are none, your skills,
such as they are, are untested, and nobody knows for sure whether you have
a future or not. Let's assume, for the sake of this chapter, that nobody
but you really believes you have a chance in the game development field,
and even you are not too sure. In fact, let's consider today to be day
one, and you are embarking on your new career by taking your first
toddling baby-steps, still clinging to the sofa with one hand.
So, what do you do now?
There is really only one thing you can do. And deep down inside, I
think you know it. There is only one way to really get off to a good start
in game development. The thing you need to do, if you have not done so
already, is write a game.
That's right. Put a game in your head, and from there put the game in
your computer. Make it work. It doesn't have to be a great game. It
doesn't even have to be a fun game. It can be tic-tac-toe or hangman. It
can be ugly and hard to play. As long as it is a game, and as long as you
wrote it.
In fact, as I will discuss in Chapter 5, I strongly suggest your first
game is not a very hard game. You should not spend a lot of time on it and
you should not plan on making a lot of money from it. Your first game
should be a learning experience. It should be a lesson you start, and
finish, and move on from. Try to do the best you can, but don't try to
make Doom your first game.
So, what kind of game should you write? That's up to you, of course,
but we can brainstorm together a bit. Let's take a look at some of the
game genres, and see if any of them jump out and bite you.

Some Popular Types of Games





First Person3D
shooting Games
You know, like Doom or Quake. You're
not ready for this yet.

Side Scrollers
A genre that is close to my heart. These are games
like Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Brothers. On the PC, these
are games like Commander Keen and Jazz Jackrabbit. These games are
fun to play, but deceptively difficult to develop. These games
require a huge investment in not only programming, but artwork and
level design. This is not a good choice for a first game, but
perhaps a second or third game. If you are interested in
side-scroller games, you may want to check out my book Action Arcade Adventure
Set.

Adventure Games

These are games like Monkey Island and Myst, which
tend to be graphics intensive, but often do not involve intensive
animation. Unlike twitch games
(games which rely upon hand-eye coordination), adventure games tend
to involve thinking puzzles. Often they have complex story lines and
lead the player through the solution to some kind of mystery. One of
my favorite adventure games is I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream
which features a storyline by well-known science fiction writer (and
potty-mouthed crank) Harlan Ellison. Again, this type of game
requires a huge investment in artwork.

Parlor Games
This a catch-all category, including card games,
board games, word games, and classic games like cribbage and Chinese
checkers. For our purposes, I'm going to include gambling games in
this category too, although most people give them a category by
themselves.
Games in this category are usually a good pick for a first game.
Be careful about trademarks, though. I wouldn't write Monopoly or
Risk, unless you have a good lawyer.


Puzzle Games
Another catch-all category. Jigsaw puzzles and
crossword puzzles go here, along with token-shifting games like
Cargo Bay or Rings of the Magi from MVP Software. Games such as Pipe
Dream and Tetris may fit here, or in Arcade games. This is another
excellent place to start.

Arcade games
Games like Asteroids, Breakout, Centepede,
overhead shooters, or any game relying heavily on hand-eye
coordination. These games can be simple or difficult. If your taste
moves in this direction, it is a good place to start, but I
recommend choosing a simple concept for your first game.
Don't let the concept of intensive animation throw you. Even
beginners can master animation techniques with a good graphics
library like Fastgraph. A
simple arcade game with fast animation will be easier and cheaper to
produce than a graphics-intensive adventure game, for example.


Edutainment
Games that teach you something, or try to teach
something to children. These days, the emphasis is on the 'tainment.
If you want to make sales, the game better be fun. A spelling test
just isn't going to do it.

Choose Carefully
Give your first game some thought. Think about your options
and weigh the costs and benefits. Remember, the goal is not to make your
first game an award winner, or even a money maker. The goal is to prove to
yourself and to the world that you can be a game developer. Once you have
a complete game, finished and ready to show to the world, then you have a
calling card. You have a way to get your foot in the door, so to speak.
You can take your game to trade shows and introduce yourself to
publishers. Depending on your goals, you can find a job or find funding
for your next project. You can attract a higher level of team members to
your team, or you can join another team. And don't forget, the code you
use in your first game will be reuseable in your second game. So let me
repeat, for emphasis, in case you missed it the first time:
Your first step in becoming a game
developer is to write a game.
Are you prepared to work alone on your first game, or do you already
have some buddies who want to work on it with you? If you are thinking of
putting together a team, read on. Tips for teamwork can be found in chapter 3.











Getting started...

C:\QUAKE> dir

Volume in drive C is ID_SOFTWARE
Volume Serial Number is 216F-560F
Directory of C:\QUAKE

. <DIR> 05-24-93 10:52a
.. <DIR> 05-24-93 10:52a
QUAKE C 128 05-24-93 10:53a

1 file(s) 128 bytes
204,928,256 bytes free




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