How to Become a Game Developer
One of the questions I get the most is “how do I make a game?” Well, being a game developer is hard work. It requires several different areas of expertise to get into making Flash or any other sort of game. But just as a brief rundown, I wanted to show everyone what the process looks like for being a game developer and making Flash for everyone to enjoy.
Grab Some Tools
First, you need to make sure you have all of the following:
1) A computer - Your computer must be at least a mid-level machine, meaning it should be running faster than 1.2 GHZ. It also needs to have sufficient memory, a minimum of 1 GB RAM and 10 GB hard drive space. It doesn’t matter if you have a Mac or PC most of the time, at least for Flash development, as the software is cross-platform.
2) Algebra Skills - You need to be able to do simple algebra. It doesn’t take extremely hard math to start out in game development, and you will learn a lot on the way… but for now you just need to know at least Algebra. Any more math will get you much, much further though, especially if you know Trigonometry which is a major cornerstone.
3) A copy of Flash - Flash 9 is available through the Adobe website for a 30 day trial. After that, you are going to have to pay full price for it. Problem with full price is that it is $700.00 USD, which is quite a lot for someone who may not even decide to journey further into Flash! However, they also have student versions for much, much cheaper… only $250.00. Or, you can just pick up an older version of the software (Flash MX, Flash MX 2004, and Flash 8 are all fine choices, all from Macromedia) from sites like Amazon or Ebay where they’ll run under a $100 bucks… you won’t be losing too many features, and you can always upgrade when you decide to be in it for longer.
4) PATIENCE - Flash is not easy. Flash is really hard, and will have you angry at times. But if you stick with it (for almost a YEAR or more!), you’ll find your skills are growing. You are not going to make the best Flash game ever in 2 days. Or in 2 weeks, or even 2 months. You are going to have to devote hours upon hours learning the skills.
Flash using a coding language called Actionscript. Currently there are two versions of Actionscript out there, Actionscript 2 and Actionscript 3. Actionscript 2 is a bit easier to learn, but is not as capable as Actionscript 3… but if I had to recommend a language I would say start on AS3 if you can get a copy of Flash 9. Flash 9 is the only version of Flash right now that handles the AS3, so if you have anything else you’ll be stuck with AS2. It’s a pretty easy language to learn compared to some other ones like C, and using coding logic it’s pretty easy to learn the basics.
Get Something to Help You
When you get all the above ingredients, you should get a book to learn basic Flash. It is near impossible to learn Flash just by “playing around with it,” and you’ll miss a lot if you do not know what it is capable of. These books below are also good to reference once you are experienced. Here are a good choices, available in most bookstores:
Adobe Flash CS3 Bible - This is the most comprehensive title, and is pretty cheap.
Adobe Flash CS3 for Dummies - This book is surprisingly easy to learn with. It’s a lot better then it appears to be, and breaks everything down. Plus it is less than 20 bucks!
A tried and true method way new developers just into the scene is to get the free 30 day trial to learn the software, using a book. After the 30 days are up, they make a decision as to whether Flash is for them or not. This way you do not buy software that you are going to shelve or resell in a few days.
Learn It
Learn the software. Play with it, poke it… do whatever you need to do to get results. The more you learn the software with the help of a book or another Flash developer, the easier it will get. Once you start getting into the rhythm of developing small applications, it will start to become much easier and a lot less frustration. However, I would NOT recommend setting into your first Flash file looking to make a game. Learning how the code works is a much better first step, and setting small goals for yourself definitely helps (for example, trying to make a block move across the stage).
If you can, get into a Community or University college class. Many schools now offer an entry-level Flash class. I was lucky enough to have one even at my high school, which helped a lot through the process!
Seek Help on the Web
The web has SO many tutorials, you can practically learn Flash just from online tutorials. And there is live help if you want it in help forums, like on Newgrounds, Kirupa, and Armor Games.
Once you start to get enough practice for about 6 months to a year, show your work to your friends and family… see what they think. Get some good critiques, and ask them what they think. Having outside critics will really help your work become great. Post your early work into a Flash forum, and ask how you can improve!
Save Everything
Flash is a journey as well as a process. If you save all your work and constantly back it up, you’ll see improvement. It’s really hard to see improvement at first, but you are getting better! You are going to hit many failures and triumphs, but Flash is a constant learning process. It’s not a matter of overnight success… there are several speed bumps along the way. And with that, there will be times you want to quit because you are not doing as well as you would have wanted to. Don’t give up! If you keep at it and want to be good, you’ll be improving your programming skills and your work even by messing up.
Play a Lot of Flash Games
Look at other Flash titles. Why are they popular? What do they do? What effects are created by the author? What do they do that you don’t? Learning from others is a fantastic way to develop your own skill. And not just Flash games; play a lot of console games! Learning gaming logic is truly a blessing for game development. How do lives work? How difficult is too difficult? When does a game jump out at you? When you start to discover these things, you’ll begin to put these concepts into your own work. Not so much to copy and paste other people’s work, but to just learn what concepts are available.
Polishing a Final Product
When you feel like you know enough Actionscript, try putting together a game! You’ll see how everything you learned goes into a final Flash project. And when that game is done and playable, congratulations! You have become a game developer!
Now that you know the very basic process of learning Flash, think about doing it! This is the method I used to get to the point I am at today, and hopefully you’ll want to jump into Flash, or at least try it for a while.
[...] Rebecca: [...]
For someone purely trying out the language, I’d recommend dabbling in AS2 for your 30 day trial, its far more forgiving, and theres tonnes more tutorials online. By the time you do anything which requires the advantages of AS3, you’ll be a competent enough coder to make the switch rather painlessly.
I’m sure you had good intentions, but I really think a lot of what you said in this article
is your opinion, and some is just plain false.
That’s cool though, just I think you should make clear that your way isnt the only way. For
example, I know many great programmers who know nothing about Math. That’s what freely
available API’s are for.
Sorry to barge in and be annoying, but anyone who reads this article should also just note
some other sides to the argument. Now about the stuff which I think wasn’t correct (please
double check and let me know if I am in fact the one who is wrong :P)
1) Actionscript doesnt have 2 versions it has 3. AS1, AS2 and AS3. Hence the names
2) AS2 is actualy a lot harder to learn than AS3. You probably assumed AS3 was harder since
you migrated, but for someone who is fresh to it, AS2 would be breaking a lot more rules
then AS3. AS3 is clean and more like “real programming”
3) I think the specs of their machine should depend on the software they intend to run.
4) Books. Can I just add a couple which are very helpful
- Essential Actionscript (2.0 or 3.0 depending on what you wanna learn, you really
should be learning 3.0)
- If you are going for AS2 (you shouldnt :P) then “Actionscript for Flash MX: The
definitive guide” will be an essential companion to “Essential actionscript 2.0″
5) I think it is actualy a good idea to go into programming trying to make games from day 1.
Not a huge game, but obviously progress as you go. The best way (I find) to learn how to
program a game is by doing it. This is my opinion though, so don’t take my word for it.
6) If you’re in a school or educational institution, you don’t need to be self-teaching.
They should be able to tell you what to do (after all you’re paying them to teach you!)
7) Waiting 6-12 months before you show anyone anything may drive you nuts. I don’t see
anything wrong with showing people your work as it progresses and getting little moral
boosts
Do not post crap on forums, because people will just be mean and get you down. Showing
family/friends is better because they can encourage you rather then shout abuse
I hope I added value to this article
wow thanks i never knew what it took to make a game
I must admit, it is a bit discouraging reading that it may a year and upwards to learn such a program from scratch. However, as a welder by trade, I would never allow someone with only a few months experience to work on a project of mine. They simply would not have enough experience or knowledge of the material.
So even if it’s a daunting task, I’m up to it.
Thank for the tips.
dude i never thaught it could be easy and hard but no matter what it was superb information
i dont know how to make a game STILL
i’m sure you had good intentions,
Hey, thanks a whole bunch for writing this article!
Some of my friends have started making Flash games and I’ve just started learning VB, but you’ve really inspired me to start learning AS.
Only question though, which one should I start with assuming that I’m fluent in the Basic language?
Please reply! I’ll keep checking for an answer
@Matt, I’m just giving my perspective for any John Doe on the street who is going from computer user to developer. Putting a Moock book in front of a beginner is a lot of work, especially when they have little experience in using Flash as a tool. I understand your points, but I didn’t want to tie new people up with information they didn’t really need, especially for just an introductory article. And I still believe learning Actionscript 2 is much easier, as the language have a little give and Actionscript 3 is much less forgiving… granted, people should be learning AS3 if they are beginning, but even then that language is not available in all versions of Flash. I appreciate your input though :).
@Gotcha84, I started out in Basic, and as it sounds, Basic is a pretty basic language. Start in AS3 since you have a bit of programming under your belt, and since you are new. If you have any version of Flash before Flash 9 though, you’ll need to use Actionscript 2.0. Actionscript 3 is very different than VB, but since you have some introduction into coding logic you should catch on relatively quickly. See if you can find a copy of Flash 9.
Well, i’ve had some experience in Flash (emphasis on the “some”), but i used Flash mainly for animation purposes about 2 years back (i’m not sure what version).
I’ve just recently gotten interested in programmin and all, so should i still start with AS3? I mean, i haven’t coded anything in Flash before–just played with the motion tweens and stuff like that.
Well, thanks for the advice! It really did help!
thanx for the tips i was having a hard time, these will definatly help
Actually, this entry might be better titled “How to Learn Flash”. I don’t really see any content about making games. Learning how to use Flash does not equal learning how to make games.
Instead of jumping in headfirst into Flash, it might be good for a blossoming n00b to take a look at their options and see what works best for them. I know that I would rather download a free C# compiler and read a ton of articles online to learn it than tying a what will eventually be a $700 millstone around my neck. Heck, there are great game building apps (Torque makes a few) that are cheaper than Flash and better suited to game development.
But at least I know where to come if I want to be told that I need to learn Flash.
Bah, you don’t need books. I learned it all from poking and tutorials. Flash has a great drag and drop interface that’s just like using triggers in your favorite stategy mapmaker. I migrated to MX from Warcraft really smoothly.
@Matt
1.You do need to develop good math skills to do any serious game programming. You can get by copying someone else’s formulas for only so long. So there aren’t many “great programmers” that don’t have good or excellent math skills, like linear algebra,calculus, and tons of trig.
2.) No college level Flash(labeled multimedia) course will teach anything close to the basics needed for game development. If you want to learn game development you have to teach yourself. Once you learn Actionscript 3.0 basics, then Actionscript 3.0 animation is the next logical step, then a book devoted to flash game development will make sense. I know this from experience!!
As an aside, learning actionscript 3.0 to learn programming in general isn’t a bad way to start. Since AS 3 is a real programming language now, once it is learned the programmer will find it easier to learn C#, Java and even the master game(and everything else) development language C .
On balance the article was not “false”!
I started with Flash 5 and AS 1 in the fall of 2006. I then got a hold of Flash 8 a few months later, and migrated to AS 2.
I bought two books, Flash Professional 8 Unleashed and Flash 8 ActionScript Bible. I have had no Flash or ActionScript schooling, only self taught using the two books above and by consulting forums like Flashkit and Kirupa.
The first thing I did with Flash was to jump into programming an interactive database-driven (using ColdFusion MX7 and MySQL) Flash application (not a game). It took me a total of 4 months, to learn enough AS 2, Coldfusion, MySQL to complete the project!! Total time taken from start to finish of project was 9 months. It was not EASY at all, and was frustrating as HELL at times, but I did it.
My next project has been a game, my first video game ever! I thought Hell would freeze over before I’d ever be able to program a video game lol. I’ve been working on it on and off over the past 10 months. It is an arcade style game, with simple graphics. I hope to have it completed soon..
Math skills are important as I am finding out when trying to program AI for arcade style games. Measuring distances between objects on screen etc., cannot be accomplished if you don’t have at least some Trigonometry skills (I am having to refresh my memory from high school, as I haven’t had to deal with Trig since then, up until now).
I have found one unpleasant problem with Flash. Audio loops ALWAYS end with a click or pop noise when they are stopped DURING playback (before the file has played through to its conclusion). For example, I have a car engine sound that loops while the car is moving. When the program stops the sound from playing, a SINGLE audible click or pop is heard. The sound loops cleanly though while playing. Flash has no way to dynamically throttle the volume down correctly, over the course of a fraction of a second, when a command is issued to stop playing an audio file. Trying to ramp volume down with Flashe’s control in a rapid manner, just creates multiple pops and clicks. I find this disappointing, irritating and highly annoying. I have encountered this behavior in MAME with older games that require sound samples (audio files, like we use in Flash games).
I’ve posted comments about this behavior on Forums and people either don’t seem to know what I am talking about, or they have no idea what can be done about it.
Anyway, that is my input about learning game programming with Flash.
Thks this really sums up what I have to do to become a game creator.
Thank you very much!
I try it too.
hi armor,
Realy it was nice artice but one thing i want to clear from u.basically i am life science background student but i like flash once i working in my college i do simple animation too.i dont have any programming knowledge.plz guide me i want to become flash developer
how much it take to learn flash with cs3, and how much time it takes to make a flash game?
Which flash document properties Armour Games would prefer?
Size: 550×400, 700×500, 700×520 or other?
FPS: 30, 25, 24?
Wow
very nice blog man .. and usefull information on it.
Thanks for the help should be getting Flash in about 5 days now…