How to Design, Develop and Sell Video Games

To design, develop, implement, and sell a video game is the most exciting, and challenging computer software pursuit.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Desire to design a video game
• IDE to develop, and test a game, e.g., Dark Basic, First Person Shooter by The Game Creators, Java, C++, C# compiler
• Pencil and paper to draw the scenerios, and concept of your game.
• Select your type of game: FPS, RPG,Third Person, Adventure, or Strategy

1. This is an example of Black Ops First Person Shooter available at www.games-database.com Before you start coding with some platform you must write on paper what the concept of the game will be. Will the game be a Strategy Game, like Dungeons and Dragons, a First Person Shooter like Call of Duty, an RPG game as Mass Effect?
2. From an original painting by the author for 2d Java Game Given you selected your type of game, decide if you want to present the game in two dimensions, or three dimensions. Two dimensions may be developed for example with Java, a free downloadable platform from Sun Microsystems. Java3d is also available from the Sun website.
3. From the authors game WWII to WWIII online: http://www.games-database.com/3d_game_database.html Given you decided on an a 3d Game you may download a free version from The Game Creators website, and if you like it you may purchase at a cost under $100. This provides you with a complete drag, and drop capability, and game engine with a rendering compiler that runs the game in test mode. If you like your level you may then build multiple levels and create your game.
4. Alien Attack in Java2d demo: http://www.stanmorgan.com/JavaGames/Alien3.html For 2d-games the author has developed a Five Column Black Jack Card Game with strategy module, and virtual play with the dealer and five players. This involved designing the play environment: dealer's cards, and player's cards with the choice to stand pat,or hit the player with another card. Alien Attack was developed by the author in 2d with sound, mouse control, and animation.
5. Dungeons and Dragons type VRML language game demo: http://www.stanmorgan.com/Virtual3d/Jonah/HidingDemomJonah.wrl If you selected Virtual Reality Modeling Language(VRML) first download the Parallel Graphics browser to provide online play. Virtex website provides a design, and development platform for about $100 to create virtual reality games. Parallel graphics website: http://www.cortona3d.com/
6. Black Ops: Single and Multiplayer Game Storyboard your game with simple drawings, of the game graphics, and game play. Will your game be a single-player scenario, or will multiplayer capability be included. Given multiplayer games you provide the capability for other players to join the game. Given online Internet Protocol address to a server, or network location players may join or establish the initial game. For examples check out ID website for Quake, or Doom multiplayer games.
7. Marketing your game requires you have website, or upload to an existing website. Games-database.com will provide you with free demos of your games, and credit card processing for your games with a 50:50 split to cover the cost of the website, and processing fee for the credit card purchase by a customer. Alternatively, you design your own website with New Millennium Software Webcenter: http://www.newmillenniumweb.com.
8. Black Ops FPS Game To market your game you must have a website to demo your game with screenshots, or videos. To create your own website access New Millennium Webcenter: http://www.newmillenniumweb.com/ . Alternatively, you may send your game to http://www.games-database.com to sell for free, with a 50:50 split to cover the cost of the website, and credit card processing of customers. Alternatively, you create a free website, however advertisements would detract from your website, and selling of your game.

Tips & Warnings

• Decide on the concept for the game.
• Decide on 2d, or 3d.
• Check out games-database.com to view 2d, 3d, and VRML games
• Careful of any book you buy, which usually provides pseudocode that may not work.
• You need to be patient, and proceed step by step in games development
• Start with an easy game, e.g., Java2d, or Virtual Reality
• Check out http://www.nvo.com/stanmorgan/
• Check out online resources for the concept you want to create: Java, VMRL, FPS, RPG, 3d, and 2d games.
• Books on computer games may contain CDs with demos of software to produce a game that may have a time period of use, or incomplete capability
• 3d game development will be challenging and rewarding
• This article presents the tip of the iceburg, which provides the first steps in learning how to design, develop, and produce a game.