Build Your Own Games, Become A Programmer
Video games are a blast to play!
Wouldn’t it be great to have a part in creating them? But where do you
start? For a gamer, being able to take part in creating games would be
like a dream come true. Let’s look at a few facts about the gaming industry. In 2012, the gaming industry accounted for $20.77 billion in revenue including hardware, software and accessories. Most of these companies were based in the United States. More detailed information can be found here.
So, we have an enormously large industry and most of it is located right here in the United States. There is no reason why a person with the desire and discipline cannot make their dream job a reality!
The following are some steps to help get you out on the path to your
future in gaming. The best part is that most of these options are free.
But do require some discipline and effort... and practice, practice,
practice!
Be informed, educate yourself
There are some major sources of information online regarding the gaming
industry. Become involved with these websites. join in on discussions
in the forums and even try to contact individuals from the forums that
seem willing to be helpful to newcomers. These sources can be
invaluable in learning what trainings and skills are a must for someone
to become a professional. A few industry online publications are Gameslice and Gamasutra.
Determine what skills and knowledge you now possess
Begin gathering information about the types of games you wish to
program. Having a firm grasp on the games you like to play and
programming languages that were used to make those games will begin to
steer you in the direction you need to go. Programming,
also known as coding, can be difficult in the beginning. Luckily there
are many web sites on the internet that offer free learning tutorials
for beginners in any language you can imagine. It is recommended to
start with some of these free tutorials just to get your feet wet and
get you used to the vocabulary of the industry. Check out below article
to learn programming.
Get to know commercially available game engines
Most games have a game engine. The game engine is kind of like the
foundation that the code works with to create the desired effect within
the game. Most of these are available freely either with a game or can
be downloaded. You may have heard of some of them: Unreal, Crysis,
Source, FrostBite and Creation are just a few of the larger ones.
Discover which game engine your favorite games run on and play with the engine yourself.
Take a Coding Class
This is where it all begins to get real. You need some official coding classes.
As a starter, consider a course in DarkBasic. DarkBasic is one of the
most recommended beginner languages. At this point you should also
consider taking a course in Microsoft Visual Basic. A good knowledge of Visual Basic will provide you with the understanding of how code works with Windows operating systems.
There are numerous schools whose sole focus is coding. Research the
ones who are interested in and to go back to the forums, or individuals
you met there and ask their opinions. Then make your decision and
register for the classes.
Develop a problem-solving attitude
It cannot be stated more strongly how important a problem-solving
attitude can be in game development. You really have to love solving
problems. The larger part of coding is developing the code itself. The
second largest part of coding is solving all of the problems with the
initial code that you developed. You will be spending a large portion
of your time resolving problems in your code... So having a
problem-solving attitude is crucial to your future career.
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