Cutting Edge

Make a Killing in Video Games

It’s taken the video gaming industry just 20 years to accomplish what Hollywood took nearly a century to achieve.

Although video gaming is still in its infancy, it has succeeded in becoming one of the largest industries in the world worth in excess of $25 billion dollars each year, and growing. Its growth in that short time has been so staggering that the (non-gambling) video gaming industry is expected to surpass the film industry within the next 10-15 years in terms of revenue generated. But its initial success wasn’t been driven by major studios with enormous budgets, but by small groups of determined individuals who often funded their own, low-budget productions.

One of the biggest success stories to emerge from this hobby is David Jones, who went on to create Rockstar Games and develop the Grand Theft Auto series. One of Jones’ early successes was the simple puzzle game Lemmings. By today’s standards the graphics are crude, but what led to the success of Lemmings was its unique and addictive gameplay.

Nowadays video games are big business, often employing hundreds of people and requiring tens of millions of dollars to produce just one title. But less than 20 years ago, things were very different with many titles being produced by small groups, often teenagers who

were thrilled by the fascinating new technology that was suddenly available.

But while video games have developed and evolved over the last twenty years, there’s still potential for new talent to emerge. It is still a new media and a very young business, so with the right ideas and the skills to make them work, it’s possible to establish yourself as a game developer and earn a fortune in the process.

So if you have an idea for a truly kick-ass game and the determination to put it together, here are some pointers.

Start simple

Don’t go trying to rival the major studios if you’re trying to create a game single-handedly. You might want to start by creating a flash or java game. Even without previous experience, you can create one of these in a week and learn Java in the process.

Devise a plan

Don’t start programming your game until you’ve considered every aspect of it. Focus on making your game fun and engrossing. Interesting gameplay should take priority over cutting-edge graphics, and you should always consider your budget and workforce limitations.

Create something unique

There’s no point beating a dead horse. Some games have been done to death, so come up with something new that will get people’s attention.

Make sure you know what you’re doing

If you’ve never programmed any software before, you’ll need to learn. Fortunately, the best place to do that is sitting at a computer. Start by getting an understanding of the different software you’ll be using, and what it all does. And be prepared to read A LOT, even if you’re already qualified.

Don’t expect overnight success

Depending on how much time you’ve already spent programming or modding games, you will have a lot to learn if you plan to rival the major studios. However, even if your game isn’t a #1 hit, the skills you’ve learned could be helpful in getting a job with one of them. So if you persevere and enjoy what you’re doing, success is guaranteed.

Here are some links you might find useful

Ogre3d - Some graphics engines can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to licence. But because Ogre is open surce, you can use it for free.

Adobe Downloads Here you can download the trial versions of Adobe’s Flash 8 software which helps you to build flash games easily.

Tags: how to make a billion dollars, video game design