I would say that I've decided to try to make a game, but that would imply that I'm not determined enough to succeed. Good or bad, I'd like to make something.

After watching this year's coverage of PAX East and the Molyjam, and after playing a lot more indie games than I usually do ( Fez, especially), I've been thinking a lot more about what really goes in to making even the most rudimentary game. I was really inspired by the story behind Dust: An Elysian Tale to see if I would be able to make anything playable let alone fun.

I have no programming experience, very few computer skills, and even less time, however, I'm prepared to invest whatever is needed to get some kind of program, no matter how small, running. The one skill I do possess is that I've been working as a professional tattoo artist for the last ten years, so coming up with some basic art might be a little easier.

I've done a little bit of research in how to get started, and downloaded a free copy of Game Maker 8.1 as sort of a warm-up. I finished up the first tutorial last night, and hope to get in to the second one soon. From there, I'd like to make something original with it to prove to myself that it's possible.

I'm keeping a record of my experience with all of this more as a way to prevent myself from giving up halfway than a way to get advice or feedback, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. I'll ( try) to report my progress every Monday, along with whatever other interesting stuff I find along the way.

See you next week! -Blair.

Format that wall!

Game Maker is ok, however if you really want to make games your best bet is to learn an actual programming language. I would recommend learning a language from the ground up without the purpose of creating games initially, if you dive straight into producing games you will hit brick walls when your code goes wrong and you won't understand the fundamentals of how to fix it. I started programming in Java and then branched out. If you want to learn Java I would recommend following all of the tutorials here: http://thenewboston.org/tutorials.php. There is also a section on producing games using Java after you have completed beginner and intermediate sections. This book is also great for absolute beginners: http://www.amazon.com/Java-Software-Solutions-Foundations-Program/dp/0321532058.

While it may be for web development http://www.codecademy.com/ is extremely good at teaching the fundamentals of programming. It teaches Javascript which is in many ways similar to Java.

Flash with actionscript is similar to game maker but has a more comprehensive programming language behind it. I'm sure you have played a flash game at some point.

Another path to go down is C# with XNA, this can produce results very quickly however you need to understand how C# is programmed first.

I wouldn't recommend programming anything 3D until you are experienced. If you really want to go down that path brush up on your vector math and learn C++.

I would recommend starting off with Javascript. Basically all you need is a web browser and you can whip up some cool demos to get your feet wet.

Here is an awesome video to try: http://vimeo.com/36278748

Cool! Thank you for the help! I have a friend who works as a web designer that recommended starting with C++ as a first real language as well. That kind of seemed to be the next logical step for me. Game Maker reminds me of RPG Maker for the PSX. It's more of a game itself than an actual tool. Still, I see some value in finishing it's tutorial on side scrolling shooters if for no other reason than to give my brain some exercise. I'm worried C++ would break my mind otherwise.

@SpaceJamLunchbox: Something that initially daunting to get into, but ends up being overall easy to use would be Unreal Development Kit. It's for making 3d games, but they offer a bunch of tutorials, and you can easily test run your creation.

In terms of coding, the most you'll have to use is a bit of Unreal's Kismet, which is actually not that bad at all.

@SpaceJamLunchbox: Wait... there is a free RPG maker? WHERE!? I have been trying to find a free version everywhere!

@Jay444111: Well, not exactly. It's not going to have a bunch of pre-made sprites like RPG Maker, or the same framework, but I'd imagine you could get similar results with Game Maker 8.1. Like these guys are saying, it's not great, but you could conceivably have some fun with it.