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On Game Development

akbiggs.silvrback.com

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Re: On Game Development

#11

Post by andrewb »

voltagex_ wrote: post #5
10098 wrote: post #2

While it's true that games don't necessarily have the same impact on people's lives as other, more "important" work, for me, making a game or studying how a game works is such a fun process that it's worth doing anyway. I spent some time trying to make games in my high school years (NeHe's tutorials helped me a lot)and trying to understand how other games work (I remember the sense of achievement when I managed to sw…

I don't think it's ever too late to start. I've dabbled in some XNA, but next on my list is to make an old school "scene-style" 2D scrolling demo.

I've been playing around with MonoGame and it's not too bad. Considering Microsoft has stopped developing for XNA, it might be time to look into it.

I've been using a component based approach to building my game from scratch and it's been an excellent development experience. Too often I feel like I'm in the deep end and unsure if I'll sink or swim. So I try, sometimes an idea works, sometimes it fails but it's all fun.

It's all very beginner but I've started to blog what I've learned. http://andrewjamesbowen.wordpress.com/

Source code is available on GitHub too https://github.com/abowen/MonoGameOpenGL

Re: On Game Development

#12

Post by GuiA »

DanielRibeiro wrote: post #4

Jonathan Blow (Braid and Indie Fund) recently gave an amazing presentation on the evolution of Television, and he made an interesting parallel to the evolution of games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AxFzf...

Jonathan Blow is one of my favorite game developers of recent times. Not only is he brilliant technically, he's also an amazing game academic (there are plenty of people on either side, but few manage to be both). The whole of his lectures, talks and writings are heavily recommended!

Re: On Game Development

#13

Post by eropple »

andrewb wrote: post #11
voltagex_ wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's ever too late to start. I've dabbled in some XNA, but next on my list is to make an old school "scene-style" 2D scrolling demo.

I've been playing around with MonoGame and it's not too bad. Considering Microsoft has stopped developing for XNA, it might be time to look into it. I've been using a component based approach to building my game from scratch and it's been an excellent development experience. Too often I feel like I'm in the deep end and unsure if I'll sink or swim. So I try, sometimes an idea works, sometimes it fails but it's all fu…

I'd strongly recommend starting at a lower level than MonoGame. OpenGL isn't conceptually difficult (at least through vertex buffer objects) and encourages you to understand the actual process of what you're doing. I find it enlightening and it makes me better able to work in higher-level systems as well.

Re: On Game Development

#14

Post by nsxwolf »

eropple wrote: post #13
andrewb wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been playing around with MonoGame and it's not too bad. Considering Microsoft has stopped developing for XNA, it might be time to look into it. I've been using a component based approach to building my game from scratch and it's been an excellent development experience. Too often I feel like I'm in the deep end and unsure if I'll sink or swim. So I try, sometimes an idea works, sometimes it fails but it's all fu…

I'd strongly recommend starting at a lower level than MonoGame. OpenGL isn't conceptually difficult (at least through vertex buffer objects) and encourages you to understand the actual process of what you're doing. I find it enlightening and it makes me better able to work in higher-level systems as well.

After the 100 millionth time in my life of staring at a black screen and wondering where my triangle is, I switched to higher level frameworks and never looked back.

Re: On Game Development

#15

Post by cgag »

I think I'd put games in the same category as music and painting and novels and all the other pleasures that make us human.

What are we solving all those other problems for if not to make more time for things like games?

Re: On Game Development

#16

Post by Macsenour »

I made games for 30+ years and I had this exact question about year 4. I was sitting at home, writing some 6502 I think, and my cousin called. She had to call to tell me about a Commodore 64 game she bought from FisherPrice. She started to describe it to me, an educational game where you controlled a penguin who dropped letters down a chute to form words. I had to interrupt her to explain, I had written that game.

She had no idea I was the author and designer.

She spent the next 45 minutes telling me how it was the only game she and her daughter played together. She told me that her daughter was motivated to read, and became an avid reader, after playing my game.

I never felt more rewarded, or that I was doing the right thing with my life so mach as during that conversation.

Somehow I think it fair to add that the last game I was the producer for, involved pushing over a port-o-potty, putting wheels on it and then pushing it down a hill and off a cliff to see how far it would go. Don't laugh, Potty Racers went to #1 in the App Store...

Re: On Game Development

#17

Post by saraid216 »

10098 wrote: post #2

While it's true that games don't necessarily have the same impact on people's lives as other, more "important" work, for me, making a game or studying how a game works is such a fun process that it's worth doing anyway. I spent some time trying to make games in my high school years (NeHe's tutorials helped me a lot)and trying to understand how other games work (I remember the sense of achievement when I managed to sw…

> games don't necessarily have the same impact on people's lives as other, more "important" work

This is honestly more for lack of trying than because it just doesn't. Some people are trying, but game development has the disadvantage of coming into its own after the ascent of capitalism and thus most people have been introduced to it as a cash cow rather than as an artistic medium.

Re: On Game Development

#18

Post by doctorpangloss »

Fortunately it's been rare that someone has condescended to me that games are pointless, cruel, evil or mere diversions in general. Games bring joy. Although the same could probably be said of pornography, and yet porno isn't getting any more mainstream of an art form…

Just being entertaining, I think, doesn't legitimize games.

Surely earning lots of money has something to do with gaming as a legitimate full-time culture-making pursuit. A coworker taught a General Assembly class whose attention immediately rose when he pointed out that Clash of Clans earns more than $1 million a day selling virtual goods. But I don't think the creative folks behind that game are necessarily proud of its making money—I know I'm not exactly proud of making a slots game. And I don't think casinos—the highest revenue game in town—are all that respected.

Being a growth industry probably doesn't legitimize games either, it seems.

The challenge though: that's why I make games. I think it's bigger than breadth & depth of computer science. In one scientist's words, a game developer rewires people's brains without reading any scientific literature. Little could be as thrilling. And I know I look at guys like Brian Reynolds and Will Wright as inspiration—smart cultural observers whose technical wizardry turned into real social commentary.

Re: On Game Development

#19

Post by dirkk0 »

I'd like to drop this link, which was posted to HN before without any reaction: http://hitboxteam.com/designing-game-narrative

Especially after the impact that Minecraft has, my impression is that creating games is your best bet to create new ways of story telling and user interactions. My feeling is that we didn't even scratch the surface of what is possible.

Re: On Game Development

#20

Post by unwind »

Macsenour wrote: post #16

I made games for 30+ years and I had this exact question about year 4. I was sitting at home, writing some 6502 I think, and my cousin called. She had to call to tell me about a Commodore 64 game she bought from FisherPrice. She started to describe it to me, an educational game where you controlled a penguin who dropped letters down a chute to form words. I had to interrupt her to explain, I had written that game. Sh…

That sounds like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnhUiYMek2c ("Alpha Build"). I've never played it, but I loved your story so I had to dig a little. Very cool. :)
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