Video game designing and development


Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
I really hope this is in the right forum cause I don't want nasty comments telling me off :(

I'm also going to post in the gaming forum too but it seemed better suited here :)

Basically my other half has recently decided he wants to look into trying to get into games designing and development, including games programming and etc but with other commitments at the moment he wouldn't be able to do a university course and so i've taken to the internet scouring for books and on-line courses etc for him as a big christmas surprise.

one course I found that sounded really good for all aspects that he wanted to look at was on Train2game but after researching in to it many people found it a rip off and completely disgusted in the course so that's become a no-no and I was just wondering if there was anyone that's taken similar paths or are interested in games designing or development/programming that can give me advice on any on-line courses/ books/ dvds/blogs/articles etc etc etc that I could buy/ look in to or any advice that I can compile for my other half?
i've looked in to it quite a lot but its always better for some advice :)

thankyou ^__^
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Latin-Geek's avatar
Extra Credits and Egoraptor's Sequelitis are videos about game theory. Real good sources.

For the actual development bit, look into C++ and XNA programming. I'd advise you to stay away from "make your own game" type programs, since they're often gimped and it shows when you try to popularize or monetize your game.
Sinister6664life's avatar
OH YEAH!!! Mr "It takes a long Goddamed time."
HECK YEAH NICE TO RUN INTO YOU HERE!!!
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
i have to admit in my research so far I haven't come across XNA so will have to do more research in to that as I have no idea what it is :P
thankyou for the tips ^-^
fawfulmk-II's avatar
There is this great webseries called Extra Credits that explains some fundamentals of game design(and Gaming in general), which could help him out in the projects he works on.
also there is a forum for the series full of peeps who could ya out as well.

you can find it here:[link]
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
ChemNo9's avatar
I'll offer him some advice and thoughts on how to get into game design and production if he wants to reach out to me.

He can check out my blog and indie game at Mercurial Forge. He can also find my contact info there too.
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
I'll definitely pass the link on to him :D thankyou ^-^
Hai-Etlik's avatar
If he wants to develop his own games, he needs to learn to develop software in general. That's enough of a task to worry about for quite a while so I'd suggest just focusing on that. Avoid any "game specific" programming lessons, books, tutorials, whatever. Just learn to write good, solid, software. He should remember that there is a lot more to programming than just knowing a language, and a lot more to software development than just programming.

Once that's out of the way, he'll be in a position where he can learn the specifics of game programming, which are important and do need to be covered, but shouldn't really be approached without a platform of programming and development ability to build on. Learning to use OpenGL isn't going to be much use if you don't know how to design the overall architecture of the game, or how to use basic development tools like a debugger.
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
from the research i've done it certainly does seem like a lot of work and dedication so I completely understand he needs to start with basics. thank you for the advice :D
shininginthedarkness's avatar
It kind of depends on the scope of what he wants to do. I taught myself how to make any number of relatively simple 2D games with a 10 dollar book and the internet. Obviously fancier and/or more specialized stuff is more expensive.

I would put it out there that I think, with the number of internet resources out there, most people can learn the basics of a programming language with a book or two and a whole bunch of hard work.
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
yeah I think the best thing for me to focus on is starting out simple and getting the basics learnt first but i'd also like to treat him to some sort of subscription or games program to try light a fire under him - games wise. so-to-speak :P
shininginthedarkness's avatar
This doesn't fit into a Christmas present motif but, if you live in or near a largish city, go to Meetup.com and see if there's a game development related meetup group.
I sort of live in the Middle of Nowhere, but there's an amazing monthly meetup not half an hour from my house. It has done better than literally anything else to spur me to get things done.

The trouble with buying something, is that a lot of development kits are free for amateurs :D. C#/XNA, Java, C++, GameMaker... basically everything I can think of. I think even the iOS development kit has a free version now. Maybe a book is a good way to go. Those things are EXPENSIVE!
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
ooh i'll be going on that site right after sending this comment then :)
and haha i've noticed the books are quite expensive.. I even found myself looking into the 'for dummies' collection to try and find something cheap but no... ;P
shininginthedarkness's avatar
I found my book used on Amazon, maybe try that or a local used bookstore. A book that's a few years old is usually fine for a beginner.

[link] (this is the book I love :heart:)
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
oooh thanks for the link :)
serbus's avatar
I'm currently working on my BS in Game Design and my school offers free access to Gnomon and DigitalTutors. They are excellent resources and sometimes I'd have to say that I learn more from them from class (don't get me wrong, I learn a lot from class; I get a lot out of my schooling). So I would definitely suggest a subscription to Gnomon or Digital Tutors.
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
thankyou ^-^

I know what you mean - sometimes hands-on approaches in your own time at home and etc can really help you learn alot :)
KWhipkey's avatar
Honestly, the best thing you could give him is a trip to the Game Developer's Conference. It's pretty spendy, but the information you learn there, as well as the networking opportunities are invaluable. It's actually run by industry professionals, so the information you get is usually more relevant that what you could find in a book or tutorial. It gives you a great look inside the industry and would let him decide if it really is something he wants to pursue.

I have a degree in Game Art and Design from Westwood Online, but everything I learned paled in comparison to what I got from the GDC. They also have archives of previous conference sessions that you can purchase if you can't afford the pass itself. Or you could have him apply to be a volunteer (which is what I did and it was an amazing experience). Everything you need to learn about it is here: [link]. I highly recommend anything they offer. :)
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
that sounds like an amazing experience and from what I've looked at on the site so far it definitely sounds like something to look in to - unfortunately i'm in the UK and haven't yet come across anything on the site that's in the uk ( although I may be wrong as I haven't done a thorough check yet) so it'd be quite a hefty price indeed to get to one of them :P

I'll definitely look more in to it though :)
KWhipkey's avatar
They have a Europe version. It's smaller, but same idea. Looks like next year is in Germany. Still not your backyard, but maybe a bit closer at least. :)

GDC Europe site: [link]
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
haha maybe in a couple years I'll be able to afford the flight tickets to one of these things :P
TheWalkingGhost's avatar
A monthly subscription to ImagineFX magazine would be a sweet gift idea too.
[link]
Xmiaww-im-a-muffinX's avatar
ooh this is actually a magazine i've got a couple times in teh past and had completely forgotten about it - thankyou :D
TheWalkingGhost's avatar
Check out:

Gnomon workshop stuff, they have a lot of stuff on game development (mostly 3d modelling in Maya, 3DS Max ect along with concept art)

Check out conceptart.org, a fantastic forum, similar to DA but IMO it is a lot more professional.
None of this "OMG UR PIC IZ SO KOOL!!!1 <3" bullshit... Serious critique and they will lead you to the right path for any form of artistic work.

Also, digitaltutors.com have tutorials on game design in an array of software. It costs ~$300 a year I think... We have a subscription via my uni.

Also check out the UDK (Unreal Development Kit) and Unity forums. You can download/buy the software to practice and use. UDK is free I believe, until you try and make money from the games.
You can also download the full version of CryEngine 3 for non-commercial use (same engine used for the Crysis games).

What exactly does he want to do in game design?
Characters, environments, assets, sound production, programming, concept art, script writing, story boarding... ect?

What software does he currently have?

Seriously though, this would be the best bet to start learning and be one hell of a gift! [link]

Also note, YouTube has a heap of tutorials!

There's also these too:
[link]
[link]

Enjoy.