Ever since I first picked up Sonic the Hedgehog on the Genesis, I knew I wanted to make video games. That or be a cartoonist. Anyways, I spent most of my spare time imagining video games of extravagant design while educating myself along the way. Last year, I began work on my first independant project. Luckily, I had years of experience behind me. And if you're anything like me you want to make video games too. But maybe you don't know much ado about video games. Well, here are some tips that I have picked up along my strange and mysterious path.


"Develop Your Own Experience Points"
Maing video games is just like any other form of art like movies or literature, so it's good to know the field you're getting. Yes, this does mean play lots of great video games, but also read books, look at lots of animation, and watch many movies. Many games like Earthbound and God of War draw their subject matter from classic literature (Guliver's Travels and greek mythology, respectively). Also get out and do things in real life. Go camping, eat new foods, visit museums, basically anything to stimulate your imagination.

"Learn to Do-It-Yourself"
Unless you go to a specialty school like I do, there's a good chance you won't have many opporotunities to learn about computers. And even if you do, it may take a while. So do your research. Teach yourself a computer language. Visual Basic and HTML are two of the easiest to learn. Find free tools online to help you develop skills and associate yourself with the media. Many video game developers use Maya and there is a free student version availible to the public. Also, if you have the patience to teach yourself, then you will most likely have the patience to spend long hours in front of a moniter working all day.

"Focus on Characters, Plots, and Gameplay"
If history has taught us anything, it's that games that are mearly tossed together never end well. "E.T." anybody? So that does mean that (1) know how to make games and make 'em well. Before you make your first full legnth epic, make a couple of small arcade style games. (2) Your game will either be character driven or plot driven. The upside to character driven games is that it's a good foundation for a franchise. Any story can be written around a well developed character. If you focus more on plot, you may have a game with more story and action, but may be hard for your audience to connect with the major characters. So a good balance between the two is probably healthy. Just don't make a mistake by giving the main character an extensive backstory and everybody else a mere NPC.

"Mind Your Mannerisms"
If you start your gaming career early like me, you will be working on your own, but eventually, you'll need to start working with other people. That's why it's important to be able to deal with both great people and total jerkwads. Believe me, for every unforgettable chum you make, you will meet five jerkwads. When working in groups you need to be able to cater to everybody's needs, keep your cool, take criticism, and be able to change your original ideas on a dime. 'Nuff said.

"Expressionism"
My final tip for now is one of my best. Don't make games that people want to play. Make games that feel right to you. Sure, everybody wants to play the next Halo, but when they get a game that's exactly the same, they're going to complain of unoriginality. Notice that some of the most critically acclaimed games have been the most different; Pikimin, Shadow of the Colossus, Guitar Hero, Ratchet & Clank, these are all prime examples of game that broke the mold. And while other people try to copy the game, preying on the success of the original, they end up with a flop otherwise known as "games based on movies." Okay, that was a low blow, but it's true. GTA perfected the sandbox genre and for about the next three years, there were nothing but ADD addled sandbox titles on the market. Yeah, they were cool but lacked a reason to motivate you to the end. But I digress. Just remember, a good game will sell itself. Word of mouth spreads fast.


That's all the initial advice I have for now. So if you always wanted to make games but never got started, I reccomend you start now. The more experience you have, the better. Plus it looks good on your resume if you can say you've made an entire game. And remember the one important thing about any skill; Practice, practice, PRACTICE!