[Extra Credits] 10 practical rules for setting & keeping goals for beginners PART 1
Hi there fellow game designers!
Firstly I should say that I derived these 10 things from the guys over at Extra Credits so go check them out on youtube if you want to learn more about games and game design. They taught me a whole lot so they are definitely worth a check!
https://youtube.com/user/ExtraCreditz
Also if you're a beginner and you'd like to start creating games, may I suggest downloading Game Maker Studio as an engine to start on. It's free to download so there's no excuse. Here's the link yoyogames.com/get
There are many people that want to create games but find it difficult. Perhaps they start crafting a game and upon encountering something that they don't know how to get around they quit. Or perhaps they scope to large and aim to make the next GTA as their first project & end up overwhelmed when they eventually start creating. I think that this is mainly due to a lack of knowledge about some simple game design principles.
There will be two parts to this "series" so look out for part two coming soon. I'll cover the first five things now. These are things that I think can help those who are beginners to game design, those who want to make their first game. So without further ado, lets begin...
1) Don't plan a project that will take more than a month.
For a first game I'd suggest that you plan to create something small that can be made fairly easily & quickly. A text based game or side scrolling runner is usually a good first game. So pick a game type and set your month deadline.
2) If you over shoot your month deadline, don't panic.
If you over shoot the deadline a few days or a week at most, don't panic. This is your first game so you'll probably get stuck at a few places which will take some time to work through. Relax, and learn your way through it. But if you overshoot by a month or to, you probably scoped too large.
3)Don't spend too much time on the planning.
Planning is important, but for beginners I think that it's more important to get your hands dirty and actually try to make something that's playable. Maybe not super fun yet, but playable. A few squares that can move and collide with walls is great! You made that. There was nothing, and you made something. That alone is awesome! So make something small and be proud of the works of your hands.
4) Set milestones.
This is vital. Milestones give you help you to keep you focused and also help you to track your progress. A milestone can be something like implementing a certain function in your game like an inventory system for instance, or animating your character sprite fully.
5) Breakdown your milestones into smaller tasks
Animating a character fully will breakdown into animating each action your character can do (jumping, running, etc.). This can be broken down further by creating the actual sprites for the animations. The animations can be broken down into all its separate frames, and so one. You get the idea. Breakdown your milestones into small, bite-sized tasks. This will not only help you to stay on track with your project, but also give you a greater understanding of the workings of your game. In addition, it will give you a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day when you see a whole lot of tasks crossed of your list.
So that's the first 5 things. I hope that was helpful. Comment if you have any questions or if you'd like to add to these five things.
Stay safe and happy crafting.
Firstly I should say that I derived these 10 things from the guys over at Extra Credits so go check them out on youtube if you want to learn more about games and game design. They taught me a whole lot so they are definitely worth a check!
https://youtube.com/user/ExtraCreditz
Also if you're a beginner and you'd like to start creating games, may I suggest downloading Game Maker Studio as an engine to start on. It's free to download so there's no excuse. Here's the link yoyogames.com/get
There are many people that want to create games but find it difficult. Perhaps they start crafting a game and upon encountering something that they don't know how to get around they quit. Or perhaps they scope to large and aim to make the next GTA as their first project & end up overwhelmed when they eventually start creating. I think that this is mainly due to a lack of knowledge about some simple game design principles.
There will be two parts to this "series" so look out for part two coming soon. I'll cover the first five things now. These are things that I think can help those who are beginners to game design, those who want to make their first game. So without further ado, lets begin...
1) Don't plan a project that will take more than a month.
For a first game I'd suggest that you plan to create something small that can be made fairly easily & quickly. A text based game or side scrolling runner is usually a good first game. So pick a game type and set your month deadline.
2) If you over shoot your month deadline, don't panic.
If you over shoot the deadline a few days or a week at most, don't panic. This is your first game so you'll probably get stuck at a few places which will take some time to work through. Relax, and learn your way through it. But if you overshoot by a month or to, you probably scoped too large.
3)Don't spend too much time on the planning.
Planning is important, but for beginners I think that it's more important to get your hands dirty and actually try to make something that's playable. Maybe not super fun yet, but playable. A few squares that can move and collide with walls is great! You made that. There was nothing, and you made something. That alone is awesome! So make something small and be proud of the works of your hands.
4) Set milestones.
This is vital. Milestones give you help you to keep you focused and also help you to track your progress. A milestone can be something like implementing a certain function in your game like an inventory system for instance, or animating your character sprite fully.
5) Breakdown your milestones into smaller tasks
Animating a character fully will breakdown into animating each action your character can do (jumping, running, etc.). This can be broken down further by creating the actual sprites for the animations. The animations can be broken down into all its separate frames, and so one. You get the idea. Breakdown your milestones into small, bite-sized tasks. This will not only help you to stay on track with your project, but also give you a greater understanding of the workings of your game. In addition, it will give you a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day when you see a whole lot of tasks crossed of your list.
So that's the first 5 things. I hope that was helpful. Comment if you have any questions or if you'd like to add to these five things.
Stay safe and happy crafting.
Comments
I think I see the confusion about my use of the term "game design principles". Game design relates more from the fields of computer science/programmimg, the creative writing and the aesthetic look and feel of the experience being designed. As this thread is about goal setting and accomplishing them in the context of game creation, I see that it may not have been the proper term to use.
I see your point about different beginner types. You're saying that there are people from many different occupations that are total neebies to anything game related or programming related. You say you advise people that ask you about making games by looking at their background, how exactly do you do that? Like if a mathematician (or artist, or whatever occupation you'd like) were to ask you how to make games, how would you advise him?
This thread was mainly supposed to spread some light on staying on track when making games. I think that any beginner who wants to make a game has a certain idea of the game he/ she wants to make, but its often scoped way too high. This was this case with me. I wanted to create a massive metal slug type platformer with whole lot of features as my first game. When you think about your first game you must be realistic. I learned this the hard way. So linking with you said, if a beginners strength is art, then make a game that caters to that. Build something around your strengths. However if really want to make games it'll be good to learn some other skills like programming. But thats what tutorials are for. Youtube is packed with them, and learning to code has never been easier.
I think for any beginner the first three points can be applied when thinking about your first game. If you dont think you'd be able to complete something by the month deadline, think a bit smaller. Your first few games are more experiences than anything else, so beginners shouldnt expect to make the next Game of the year on their attempt. So scope, planning, and goal setting is what I was trying to emphasize.
Thanks for the feedback tho. I really appreciate it. Brutal honesty works best to refine the content.
I've actually only recently started doing obvious things like writing lists and breaking down large tasks into smaller lists. There's plenty of good habits like these that I wish I'd come across earlier in my career (like not planning too far ahead, and not talking about my plans, particularly the plans that aren't achievable in the near future).
You're right. These principles can be applied to other complex projects. With game creation, I myself found them very useful as a beginner.
Its funny tho because even I have a bit of a rough time when it comes to the management of the games I make, so these continue to steer me in the right direction when it comes to game management. I aim still in my own learning phase and am in essence a beginner so I just thought id share the bits of wisdom that has helped me to actually create something.
Thanks for the feedback ;)
Oh & if you have some free time you might want to check out a discussion I start yesterday called "The power of the gaming experience: Can games affect people?"
Its something that im rather passionate about, the power that games have to provide not only fun experiences, but meaningful ones too. So if that interests you makegamessa.com/discussion/4297/the-power-of-the-gaming-experience-can-games-affect-people#laatest, please check it out