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[Joe]

i know its possible, almost anything is possible but is it realistically possible with little to no background in programming?

are there any good sites, books you can recommend?

also what software and languages are involved?

has everything gotten far too complex that schooling is needed?

 

[MoxManiac]

Are we talking Flash based games? Simple 2D games? Complex 3d ones? What level of game are you looking to make?

 

[Joe]

well i'd like to give a shot so im guessing starting with flash and 2d games would be a smart choice. maybe if i really grow a passion for it then the next step is obviously 3d.

 

[Scrow]

I'm no expert on game development, but I'm on the road to learning this stuff myself. What I can gather is that it's probably a good idea to get yourself familiar with OpenGL and the C programming language to begin with. Learn about matrices, projections, transformations, clipping, rasterization, coordinate systems and all that kind of stuff. Once you're fairly confident with the basics of real-time computer graphics using OpenGL and C, you can then move onto DirectX and C++. Learning 2D vs 3D first isn't really an issue. 2D graphics are just a special case of 3D graphics.

 

[cubicle47b]

My suggestion:

1. Learn the language you are going to program your game in. You don't have to be an expert, just know the basics.

2. Start with a simple 2D game. Focus on learning the logic to create the game and not the game itself. Gradually make the game more complex without focusing on graphics.

3. Attempt the jump to 3D. Make a simple game that has lighting and texture mapping along with some camera movement and 3D collision detection. Gradually make it more complex.

4. Create the game you really want to make (if you have that kind of time).

 

[RiZ III]

Well if you want to start with 2d then heres my advice to you.

Get familiar with C/C++. It can be boring at times cause you just want to jump to making stuff move around on screen, but you gotta go one step at a time so learning C/C++ is kinda essential. You could go with VB also, but I'd recommend C/C++ just cause its used so much and you can find a lot of help on it.

With a 2D game you probably want to learn DirectDraw. Its kinda useless now cause even 2d games are done in D3D or OpenGl these days, however, for basics, DirectDraw is a really good start. GameDev.net is a great place for articles, explanations and code. I would recommend Windows Game Programming for Dummies. Its a bit outdated but its a great start. The author explains things really well.

 

[Templar Wizard]

ok, here is how i learned Games Design and got a job:

i was living in ireland and had no access whatsoever to any games companies. but i knew i could better than most of the shit coming out. i have a crappy 28k modem net link and an average computer.
but in my favour i had 20yrs of games playing behind me and i had a huge collection of games consoles and games.
i was just starting a film course, so i knew that my education would stand to me in 'the industry'.

i started off by making very small and simple games. there are several free game 'engines' to mess around with and they offer you the chance to create something from scratch.
modifying existing games is were i cut my teeth. i never released any of my creations but i played everything i made over and over, moulding it.
Script-writing and storytelling, along with training in the visual arts, gave me the neccessary skills needed for 'Visual Storytelling', which plugs in nicely to the games industry. of course, there are practically useless if the games you want to make are in the vein of puzzle-bobble on so on...

sites like this: http://www.gamedev.net/ helped me immensly. the information there showed me 'the box' and how to think outside it.

yadda yadda yadda, made some short films and adverts... yadda yadda yadda living in finland working for a games company and making an animated movie.

the trick is to start small, understand gameplay, being able to communicate your ideas (which is still hard for me as i re-read my post ), and having a skill which allows you to bring something more to the team.