Ask me anything about game development

Submitted by Earok on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 21:31

So, apparently I am on one of the discussion panels at Overload (Thanks Stephen!). The topic is game development, and I'll be the token "Indie game" guy. I am certainly very excited about it, but somewhat worried that I won't be that interesting or helpful, especially since the panel also features some very experienced game developers.

In any case, I would like to prepare by opening the floor to questions. Ask me anything at all relating to game development, and I'll answer the best I can. Also feel free to share this post with anyone who may have a question or two.

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Thu, 06/02/2011 - 22:01

Rahul (not verified)

Do you think games could be a bit cheaper? i mean so cos as much as a software does! while in terms of usuability they are not used as often as compared to say word

Thu, 06/02/2011 - 22:05

Matthew Gatland (not verified)

Would you like to work for a big games company or are you 'indie for life'?

Thu, 06/02/2011 - 22:13

Earok

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Hi Rahul, thank you for your question. Yes, absolutely games could be cheaper. And I think games are going to increasingly get cheaper as digital downloads replace physical media, word of mouth replaces marketing expenses, and "free to play" or "ad supported" models become the norm.

Thu, 06/02/2011 - 22:22

Earok

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Cheers Matt, that's a tricky one. Although I certainly would like the job security that would come with working for a corporate, I'd hate to lose the freedom to develop my own ideas. Being an indie game developer means being able to bring your own dreams to life through gaming, not someone else's.

Also, being able to communicate directly with my audience is definitely something I would miss at a big games company!

(Edit - To further clarify, it's generally not possible to both work for a big game development company, and continue to be an indie. Most game development contracts will not allow you to release any of your own games during employment, as you would be in competition with your own employer.)

Fri, 06/03/2011 - 00:04

Joshua Smyth (not verified)

Whats the hardest part of game development? (Clarification: You can only answer with one item)

Fri, 06/03/2011 - 03:54

Earok

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Cheers Josh. For me, the most difficult part of game development is actually staying motivated long enough to get the game finished, especially when there are no hard deadlines involved. Talking about the game constantly and getting feedback seems to be the best way to stay on track. Making regular blog posts helps. Having a game that's fun from as early as possible is also very important.

(Also, this isn't part of the answer, but pity you missed the game developer's meetup. The Grinding Gears guys did a brilliant talk on the algorithms they use for semi-random dungeon generation, and Domino's actually got the cheeseless order right for once).

Wed, 06/08/2011 - 19:19

Earok

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Some questions from Chroelle at Curly's World of Freeware:

>What is the hardest thing to learn, or the hardest thing to find qualified help for?

That really comes down to what you're most experienced at, and what you're most interested in learning. For me, I'm pretty good at programming because I have spent a long time doing it, but I am far less capable at producing Art and Music. Conversely I know people that excel at Art and Music, but have no programming experience. I think the key is to know and develop your strengths, and find collaborators to complement your weaknesses. If you can't afford to pay them and they'd prefer to work on their own projects than yours, try to strike up a deal where you swap time working on each other's projects.

>What kind of tools will I need to start making games?

Assuming you are interested in the programming part of game development, there are a lot of tools you can use to get started, many of them free. GameMaker is an excellent place to start for 2D development, and Unity is a great 3D engine that supports a lot of platforms, including iPhone. If you want to develop for consoles, the free XNA framework will let you develop XBox 360 games.

>What will it cost me, and what kind of educational training/learning curve might I be looking at?

It's entirely possible to be an indie game developer and have no expenses. Apart from some music and a couple of tools I've purchased, I spend very little developing games. Unfortunately game development is not easy to learn. Although there are a lot of free tutorials for different toolkits, practice is what counts, and to get good at game development you need to spend as just as much effort getting good at it as you would anything else.

Also, if you want a game programming job in the industry, you need to be really skilled at C++. Doing a full time course on programming or game development is probably the best way to get the skills required.