So you want to be a Game Developer?

[John Lamprou]

So you want to be a Game Developer?

Starting to Program games

 

In the good old days, back when the Internet had about 10 users and the web was a far off vision, PCs were called Home Computers and anyone could learn to write computer games. Three of us set up in business to write and sell our own games for the ZX Spectrum (Aka Timex/Sinclair) and Commodore 64. We didn't sell many games but we were saved by getting into the game conversion business. A publisher would release a hit on the Commodore 64 and we'd write the Timex, Amstrad, MSX, CBM 16 etc versions. It took about 3 months for one person to produce a game. That was then but...

 

That was 20 years ago and things have changed a lot since then. The games industry is now a massive multi billion dollar business and development teams can number 50 or more. My first game had me as programmer, artist, and beep designer - (well it wasn't proper sound!).

 

I wrote and drew everything. Back then games were written in Assembly Language and you had to learn either 6502 or Z80. Nowadays with a few exceptions games are written in C and C++ and even C# can be used. In fact with the release of Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express for C# only, it's clear they intend to move away from C++.

The days of back room programmers aren't entirely gone- there is the 'retro remake' and 'indie' scene but unless you have an exceptionally brilliant idea, you are not likely to get into the mainstream game business as a one man outfit writing Blockbuster PC games.

It's not all bad news though- if you can program to a good standard and have learnt some of the techniques- eg 3d Maths, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and produce demos then you may be able to get your break as a fullttime developer.

Getting Started

 

There are plenty of books and websites that will guide you through the intricacies of DirectX ,XNA (for .NET and XBox 360) or the Open Source SDL and before long you'll be a guru on Vertex Shaders etc. You will have to be prepared to work long, in some case very long hours especially as deadlines approach. It is quite a tough business - when a game is under development, you'll live breathe and eat it for 18 months to two years. There are however other ways to get into the games business and I don't mean console development- unless you are already in the games business that's a hard one to crack though Microsoft now seem keen to open up XBox 360 to 'amateur' developers with XNA.

Alternative Game Genres

 

    * MUD - Multi-user dungeons: These have been around for 30 years and were the forerunner to the MMORPG (Massive Multi-player Online Role-playing Games) that now exist. These are still popular and you can find the source code to several in C or C++. I don't know if any make money as players are used to playing them for free.

    * Internet/Web based games: There are hundreds of these around. A good starting point is the vast directory at MPOGD. These range from free to monthly subscriptions. Anyone can set up their own website and games using any web technology- e.g. Perl, PHP, Java and C#.

    * Play By Mail: This has now largely but not entirely moved into the Internet/Web Games area. There are still a number of games played postally or by Email. Flagship Magazine is a good source of information. You might spot my name here - a PBM game I wrote won Best New Play-by-Mail Game of 1993 at Origins. Quest is still played today!

    * Flash Games: Flash development is a skill in itself, though programming in ActionScript (which is JavaScript under a different name) is not that hard. There is a definite career path available through programming Flash games and there are plenty of books to teach you to write games in Flash. Flashkit website Flashkit is a good starting point online. Learning to program in C is a good tip as ActionScript is very C like in its syntax.

    * Mobile Phone and PDA games: This has become a big growth area recently and is likely to continue its growth as phones get more powerful. Its also one of the easiest to get into though not all phones are the same. Some mobile phones are programmable in C++ though the majority use J2ME, a dialect of Java. PDAs can be programmed in C#.

 

If you are learning to program games, don't neglect the power of the web. Sourceforge is home to thousands of open source projects including many games. First though to program games you have to learn to program. This took an old Basic game of Star Trek and converted it to C, then C++. A 3rd part conversion to C# has also been done.

Elsewhere on the Web

 

Retro GamingSDL- Media LibraryGameSutra Website

 

 

Suggested Reading

 

Learn CLearn C++Learn C#

[NotAbastard]

Oo!! Great guide man... Always wanted to know bout this :)

[Topa]

me too but it seems hards..

[Blitztrager]

Thanks John Lamprou for sharing your experience. I read somewhere it is the best way to learn how to hack/develop any thing by simply participate in any opensource project where you can try your skills and usually you have very good community which can always help you.

[rnway]

I Think it's hard enough to be  dev

[John Lamprou]

No its not.And it is cool.I am a dev for free in rfactor.If yo now a computer race simulator

[Spoke]

nice story ^^

[BaFoMeT]

IMO it's important to learn basics of programming and the programming language isn't very important. Because the basics in all of them are the same. I spent a lot of hours learning Delphi. And now i'm moving on to c++.

[agent_007]

hmmm

nice topic :)

[olympiacos4]

i need a developer to fix my server make me add at msn alexandros_ak@hotmail.com :)

[rafasilva93]

Dragonhunter ownz in development i think :P

[Ghostaras]

I didnt understand anything... I'll never be a developer! :'(