Wanna make games?

So you wanna make your own video games?  Awesome.  When I started making games there weren't very many different programs available for someone like me, a 10 year old with no idea what I was doing.  But nowadays there's such a wide variety of software to choose from it's extremely easy to get lost in the sea of software.  So here's a quick guide on some of the most popular free tools you can use to get started.

-First up is my personal favorite: Gamemaker Studio (www.yoyogames.com)
Gamemaker 6 is the program that I started using when I was 10.  It has since evolved into Gamemaker Studio.  It's not the easiest program on this list to learn, but it's very powerful.  It has a tremendous amount of flexibility after getting over the initial difficulty curve.  This is certainly the program I recommend if you plan on making games for a while.  If making games is just a neat little curiosity you want to try for a bit, I think you'd be better off with some of the other programs on this list.

So in in regards to making games, using this program would be the swimming equivalent to -
"climbing down the ladder into the pool of game development"

-Construct 2 (www.scirra.com)
Construct 2 is a much more visual take on making games than Gamemaker Studio.  I feel like Construct 2 is a program that's in a weird middle ground, it's more complex than some other software, but it's not as powerful as Gamemaker Studio.

Corny swimming pool analogy: Construct 2 would be the equivalent to -
"slowly wading into the pool of making games"

-Game Salad (www.gamesalad.com)
Game Salad is also a program that is very visual in it's approach to making games.  Game Salad may not be as flexible as Construct 2, but it is much more approachable and has a wider range of exports (iOS, android, PC, mac)

Corny swimming pool analogy: Game Salad would be -
"dipping your feet into the water of making games"

-Unity (www.unity3d.com)
Unity is certainly the most complex program on this list.  It's a powerhouse in the independent game developer community.  It easily surpasses Gamemaker Studio when it comes to making 3d games.  And laughs at the other two programs on this list.  It's certainly not for someone that doesn't intend on sticking with game development for awhile. It'll take awhile to learn, but once you do it'll be worth the trouble.

Corny swimming pool analogy: Unity would be -
"diving into the swimming pool head first"


Alright, so there's four programs for you to try out.  They are all four free to try, so I recommend giving each one a try.  If you're really want to put a lot of time into learning, try either Gamemaker Studio or Unity (Unity if you want to make 3d games, Gamemaker Studio if you want to make 2d games)  If you just want to mess around making games and see what it's about try either Construct 2 or Game Salad.

-Misc Free Programs

-GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/)
A free graphic editing program.  It's the closest thing you can get to photoshop without paying the big bucks.  It's not quite as powerful, but it's a great alternative.


There you have it.  A quick beginners guide to the different game making programs.  If you have any questions or need any more info leave a comment below or give me a shout on Facebook or Twitter and I'll be more than happy to help you out!