Video games are a hot commodity for quite some time and it looks that the market of video games will only boom in the coming years. The popularity of video games has grown so much that millions of people actively keep video games on their smartphones and computers. And it only makes sense that with millions playing the game daily, some have taken interest in creating their own virtual world through game development. And if you are one of those persons keen on learning about game development then you are at the right post right now. As in this article, you can learn about the basics of the introduction to game development.
What is Game Development?
As the name itself would suggest, the overall process undertaken in the creation of a game is known as game development. Many would think that creating a game is equivalent to mastering a game but this is not true. Yes, while mastering a game does take skill and time, developing a game from a scratch takes a whole lot more than mastering it.
What are Game Components?
In game development, there are important components that you need to consider if you want it to be a successful game. It will primarily have the ultimate say in the overall quality and potential of the game you have created. Now, what are these components and what role do they play in game development? Let’s take a look at the components one by one.
1. Story
Stories are what defines the potential of your game when it comes to engaging people and makes it sell more and more. You can either keep the story linear or non-linear structured to create plots in it that could hook the player's interest in a short time. Linear storytelling is the most conventional form of acceptance that has a defined beginning, a defined middle, and a defined ending. In other words, A linear story is like a straight line. However, non-linear storytelling is mostly about creating a feel or setting up a mood in a story devoid of any conventional pattern in it. The recently concluded series “Dark” on Netflix is an excellent example of non-linear storytelling.
2. Characters
While the story defines the overall potential of your game, it is the characters in it that bring depth to it. Creating interesting and relatable characters with sound background stories is a fundamental method to grabbing a player's attention. And while you are working at developing the gaming characters ensure that you pay attention to their looks, personalities, and mannerisms such as how fast they can be and gestures they can make, etc.
3. Audio
Audio is another important component involved in the process of game development. It works as the backbone of the game you are trying to create. A great background sound can amplify the whole game playing experience irrespective of the quality of the game itself. In fact, a lot of popular games can easily be identified with their background sound or the loading sound itself. You can also use audio to identify the avatars that the players use in the game.
4. Art
Art is like the overall packaging component of the game development process. It works towards building a feel in the game through various responsive visuals such as the texture, 3D modeling of the characters and objects in the game, game lightning and the weather conditions, etc.
5. Lightning
Lightning plays an important role in every aspect of your life and gaming is no different. Lightning can be used in the game to overall create a resemblance with the theme of the game such as horror or suspense, etc. It also can be used to create a tempo amongst the players playing the game. Also, the lightning can be used to further solidify the outlook of the designed characters in the game.
6. Levels
Even if you are a casual gamer, you must have heard about the Candy Crush game. It is one of the most downloaded games worldwide throughout various platforms such as iOS and Android. Now, that game is known to have 1000+ levels signifying the growing difficulty in it. The purpose of levels in any game is similar to it, i.e., increasing the difficulty in it to make it challenging for the players. Now, while selecting the difficulty levels, you need to be careful as not everyone is blessed with an uber gaming skill. And the level's difficulty has a lot of say in the reach of your game.
How to Start Learning Game Development?
Now that you are familiar with the various gaming components involved in game development, it is time to know about the basics of game development. These are essential as only through them you can assemble and merge all the gaming components to come together as an actual gaming feature. And once you start learning these basics of game development it will become less complex for you to create a game on your own.
Learn Computer Programming
The games run on computer-based programming that involves a lot of coding. However, if you want to be a game developer then you should be learning various computer programming languages such as C++, Java, C#, and Python. As they are major programming languages used in the process of game development.
Pick a known Game Engine
In today’s time, becoming a game developer has become a comparatively easier task because of the various gaming engines already available in the market. As with the help of a game engine, you can comfortably add various important functionalities to your game. These functionalities may involve audio support, animation, 2D and 3D rendering, artificial intelligence, and networking, etc.
Create a Basic Game
As many would say, always learn the basics first. Here I’m going to tell you to always create a basic game first. Now, my reason for saying so is that game development is an undeniably complex subject and unless you are an experienced game developer, you are more likely to be challenged to the extreme. This will involve a lot of complications that might turn out to be way too overwhelming if you are looking to create a high end game with excellent features. So, my advice would be to gain your experience to that level rather than simply fail at it. And what better way to improve your game development pieces of knowledge by successfully creating a basic game first, right?
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