No developer skills? No problem. See how we’re getting it done.
Note: We may be compensated through the links in the post below, but the opinions are entirely our own. For more details, please refer to our Affiliate Disclaimer.
Define Your Game Concept
One of the first steps we took to build our mobile game was coming up with a solid game concept. This is more than just a storyline – it should include details of the look and feel of your game, along with a play-by-play of how, at the very least, you envision the game play for the first level to be. This is all captured in your Game Design Document (GDD).
A GDD is a game producer’s bible; it provides the team with guidance on how, when, and what needs to be done. Without it, you’ll most likely miss a key step in your process or leave your team (and yourself) asking a lot of questions along the way.
We used this free resource as a template for our initial game concept. The great thing about a GDD is it forces you to critically think about your game in minute detail from multiple perspectives:
· from a user-level by describing your game and the player’s mindset;
· from a developer’s perspective by defining the mechanics of your game;
· from a graphic artist level by preparing a list of game assets that you’ll need,;
· and from an overall game producer’s perspective by considering the “whole package” – from the UI to your game’s soundtrack.
One thing that relieved some of the burden of getting started was knowing that the GDD starts off as a draft. It’s more like a GDDD. Don’t get overwhelmed and think you have to have all the answers from the get-go. Our first GDD was only half-filled. We were able to complete the initial sections of the document in detail, including screen shots of similar games that helped to solidify the game we were trying to build. Over time and multiple iterations, that extra D drops off and becomes the script to go by.
The second half, the developer-heavy portion of the GDD, required us to do some homework before we could get started.
A GDD is a game producer’s bible; it provides the team with guidance on how, when, and what needs to be done. Without it, you’ll most likely miss a key step in your process or leave your team (and yourself) asking a lot of questions along the way.
We used this free resource as a template for our initial game concept. The great thing about a GDD is it forces you to critically think about your game in minute detail from multiple perspectives:
· from a user-level by describing your game and the player’s mindset;
· from a developer’s perspective by defining the mechanics of your game;
· from a graphic artist level by preparing a list of game assets that you’ll need,;
· and from an overall game producer’s perspective by considering the “whole package” – from the UI to your game’s soundtrack.
One thing that relieved some of the burden of getting started was knowing that the GDD starts off as a draft. It’s more like a GDDD. Don’t get overwhelmed and think you have to have all the answers from the get-go. Our first GDD was only half-filled. We were able to complete the initial sections of the document in detail, including screen shots of similar games that helped to solidify the game we were trying to build. Over time and multiple iterations, that extra D drops off and becomes the script to go by.
The second half, the developer-heavy portion of the GDD, required us to do some homework before we could get started.
Learn the Language
As mentioned in an earlier post, we entered the mobile gaming space with no previous experience. How did we get up to speed? Research, sifting through a variety of articles and tutorials, and taking classes offered through Udemy or Treehouse, two awesome online learning platforms that we’ve used and have had great experiences with. If you’re looking to learn anything from how to get started in mobile gaming to personal finance, you’ll likely find it on Udemy, as they offer tens of thousands of courses at your fingertips. If you’re looking to gain technical skills and training, head to Treehouse.
Though we have experience with agile development practices, it did us no good without having a better understanding of the elements that make up a mobile game. Below are the resources that we’ve found helpful.
· Creating a working prototype of your game
· Designing game assets (elements of your game such as the characters, environments, graphical user interfaces (GUIs) like buttons or icons, music, and sprites (animated images)
· Determining which monetization strategy to use
· Game development with Unity or other tools such as Unreal Engine, Marmalade, or Corona SDK.
· App Store Optimization (ASO) Tactics
In our next post, we’ll talk more about how we found artists and developers to help bring our game concept to reality. Until then, what other resources would you recommend for first-time game developers?
Though we have experience with agile development practices, it did us no good without having a better understanding of the elements that make up a mobile game. Below are the resources that we’ve found helpful.
· Creating a working prototype of your game
· Designing game assets (elements of your game such as the characters, environments, graphical user interfaces (GUIs) like buttons or icons, music, and sprites (animated images)
· Determining which monetization strategy to use
· Game development with Unity or other tools such as Unreal Engine, Marmalade, or Corona SDK.
· App Store Optimization (ASO) Tactics
In our next post, we’ll talk more about how we found artists and developers to help bring our game concept to reality. Until then, what other resources would you recommend for first-time game developers?
RSS Feed
