Creation of simple computer games. How computer games are created: briefly about the main thing

If you do not know programming languages, but want to start creating games yourself, you just need to purchase an engine (special program), on the basis of which any game is created and developed.

The cost of such an engine varies widely - from $30 to $100, it is often determined by the popularity and promotion of the brand, and then directly by the capabilities of the program. For a beginner who doesn’t have much starting capital The least expensive one will do just fine. It should not be forgotten that many famous computer games were born from very simple engines.

Programs for creating computer games

An example of the simplest, but quite powerful and productive program is 3D Game Maker. Within fifteen minutes, even an amateur without any programming skills can make a pretty toy on it. The engine allows you to create a game with an original genre, lasting no more than 20 levels, your own storyline, provides a wide selection of hero layouts, opponents and other settings. As a result, we get a complete result of quite satisfactory quality. More powerful system– 3D Game Studio, with which you can create 2D and 3D gameplay, but to work with it you already need basic knowledge of a programming language. The range of customizable functions is much wider than that of the engine described above, and built-in interface elements are also offered. Free program located in free access is Game Maker - a 2D designer with a wide profile of possible genres, game objects and their interactions, accompanying sounds. You can get creative with sketches to create objects - they are drawn in graphic editors and loaded into the system. By the way, beginners are recommended to start with this engine not only because it is free, but also because of its simplicity, logic and clarity. In addition to Game Maker, there is a whole bunch of zero-cost programs, as they say, for every taste and color, every beginner will be able to find a suitable engine for themselves and start creating their own computer masterpieces.

How to create a 2D game in 15 minutes?

Every person dreams of creating something in his life - for this he chooses a profession that will allow him to do what he loves and contribute to the area that is important to him.

However, not everyone can just go and become a game developer, because this profession requires a lot, and in return it may take a long time to start giving back. But what kind of gamer didn’t dream of someday creating his own game? Now this opportunity has become much closer.

Main obstacle

In fact, creating games requires certain skills, but they can be successfully obtained independently, at educational institutions in the specialty and without taking special preparatory courses. Considering the fact that the Internet is now a huge source of a wide variety of information, guidance on creating games can be obtained from there. Only when an ordinary gamer comes up with the idea of ​​​​creating his own game does he begin to look for ways and is faced with the first and main obstacle. For search queries, he is given dozens and hundreds of results with advice and detailed guides, among which you can very quickly get lost, confused and lost. The user starts reading one thing, jumps to another, in the end he can't piece anything together and decides to continue playing those games that have already been developed by professionals rather than try to create his own creation. It follows from this that man is his own main enemy on the path to creating his own creations. And here there is a question of motivation - if you want to create your own game, then you should not be stopped by the abundance of materials.

Try to systematize them, process them in small quantities, do not rush to concoct a finished project as soon as possible - it is better to understand the theory thoroughly, practice in practice, and then get down to business.

Availability of game development

Today there can be no question that game development is the privilege of a select few who have incredible abilities, as it was ten or twenty years ago. Back then, creating a game was a complete miracle, while now it is a banal production process. And now any person who has the proper desire and has certain ideas in his piggy bank can join this process without having a specialized education. You just have to decide what you are willing to give in order to create your game, because this process is time-consuming and requires perseverance and endurance. Therefore, first decide whether you are ready to take on such a project, then outline all your ideas that you intend to implement, and only then can you proceed directly to the game development process.

Main components of the game-building process

To create your game, you will need a clear understanding of what you should be able to do.

The game-building process can be divided into two large parts - technical and creative. They are quite different, but if your plans do not include creating a multi-hour masterpiece with unique capabilities, then you can easily cope on your own. So, the technical part of the computer game development process includes writing code, developing artificial intelligence, drawing graphics, designing three-dimensional models and so on. This half of the process is suitable for those who have a mathematical mind - knowledge of programming, mathematics and other exact sciences will be useful. As for the second half of the process, it is no less necessary if you want to create your own game on a computer and want it to be of high quality and unique. The creative process includes the entire content of the game, that is, the game world, characters, objects, locations, combat systems, development, finances, this also includes the voice acting of characters and the creation of a soundtrack.

The easiest way to create games

There are different approaches to game development, but it is best to highlight three main ones, among which it is worth considering the simplest one first. It is worth using if you are thinking about how to create your own game, but you have absolutely no knowledge of programming. To resort to this method, you will need to download a special game designer - a program that already includes the basic functions of creating games. One of the most famous designers is Game Maker, which is quite easy to learn and has a decent set of functions. As mentioned above, the main advantage of this method of creating games is its simplicity - you only need to bring your ideas to life using the capabilities provided by the program. But the main disadvantage here lies precisely in these very possibilities, or rather, in their limitations. Essentially, with the help of a designer program, you can create a template game by selecting functions for it from general list. If you want to bring a little personality into the game, add a zest, your own special feature, then you will not be able to do this.

Game development on a ready-made engine

You can implement much more impressive functions if you have basic knowledge of programming languages, as well as graphic editors and an understanding of game scripts. If you have a ready-made game engine, you will be able to create not a template, but a full-fledged game with your own individuality - it’s just that its basis will be someone else’s, created by someone else.

But everything you mold around the base is up to you. Naturally, this method of creating games is much more complicated than using a designer program, but the result is much more impressive. There is a possibility that to create similar game you will have to bring in other people to share the responsibilities.

Creating a unique game

But there is also a third method, which is the most difficult, but gives the most impressive result. It differs from the second only in that you do not have a ready-made engine at your disposal, that is, the foundation, the base of the game - you create this engine yourself. This means that everything in your game will happen and look exactly as you programmed it - down to the smallest detail.

You will have to write the game literally from scratch, and in this case you will definitely need a team of specialists so that everyone is responsible for their own area: graphics, physics, programming, plot, and so on.

A new branch of the industry - mobile games

If you want to try yourself with something simpler and less global, then the ideal option for you would be to try to create your own game on Android, since mobile games Recently they have become no less popular than computer ones, but at the same time they require much less time and resources. You just need to know the java language and understand the principles of applications.

Flash games

Another opportunity to create simple games- this is a flush. Such games have long been called “flash drives”, there are a lot of them on the Internet, and distinctive feature is simplicity and unpretentiousness. You can create your own game for girls or boys, and you can try yourself in other genres, of which there are a lot for such games. The main thing is desire. You shouldn’t make “create your character and go into the unknown” games - it’s better to work through the whole game properly so that the gamer is satisfied as a result.

Probably everyone who has played computer games has at least once thought about creating own game and retreated in the face of upcoming difficulties. But a game can be created quite simply if you have a special program in hand and you do not always need knowledge of programming languages ​​to use such programs. On the Internet you can find many game designers for both beginners and professionals.

If you decide to start creating games, then you definitely need to find yourself software for development. We have selected programs for you to create games without programming.

Game Maker is a simple designer program for creating 2D and 3D games, allowing you to create games for a large number of platforms: Windows, iOS, Linux, Android, Xbox One and others. But the game will need to be configured for each OS, since Game Maker does not guarantee the game will work the same everywhere.

The advantage of the constructor is that it has a low entry barrier. This means that if you have never developed games, then you can safely download Game Maker - it does not require any special knowledge in programming.

You can create games using a visual programming system or using the built-in GML programming language. We advise you to study GML, as with its help games come out much more interesting and of higher quality.

The process of creating games here is very simple: creating sprites in the editor (you can upload ready-made drawings), creating objects with different properties and creating levels (rooms) in the editor. The speed of game development on Game Maker is much faster than on other similar engines.

Unity 3D

One of the most powerful and most popular game engines is Unity 3D. With its help, you can create games of any complexity and any genre, using the same visual programming interface. Although initially the creation full games on Unity3D implied knowledge of programming languages ​​such as JavaScript or C#, but they are needed for larger-scale projects.

The engine will provide you with a lot of possibilities, you just need to learn how to use it. To do this, you will find tons of training material on the Internet. And the program itself helps the user in every possible way in his creativity.

Cross-platform, stability, high performance, user-friendly interface - this is just a small list of the advantages of the Unity 3D engine. Here you can create almost anything: from Tetris to GTA 5. But the program is best suited for indie game developers.

If you decide to list your game on the PlayMarket for something other than free, you will have to pay the Unity 3D developers a certain percentage of sales. And for non-commercial use the program is free.

And back to the designers again! Clickteam Fusion is a program for creating 2D games using a drag'n'drop interface. Here you don't need programming, because you will assemble games piece by piece, like a construction set. But you can also create games by writing code for each object.

With this program you can create games of any complexity and any genre, preferably with a static image. Also, the created game can be launched on any device: computer, phone, PDA, etc.

Despite the simplicity of the program, Clickteam Fusion has large number varied and interesting instruments. There is a testing mode in which you can check the game for errors.

Clickteam Fusion is not expensive compared to other programs, and you can also download a free demo version on the official website. Unfortunately, the program is not suitable for large games, but for small arcades it is just right.

Another very good program for creating two-dimensional games is Construct 2. Using visual programming, you can create games for various popular and not so popular platforms.

Thanks to its simple and intuitive interface, the program is suitable even for those users who have never dealt with game development. Also, beginners will find many tutorials and examples of games in the program, with a detailed explanation of all processes.

In addition to standard sets of plugins, behaviors and visual effects, you can replenish them yourself by downloading from the Internet or, if you are an experienced user, write plugins, behaviors and effects in JavaScript.

But where there are pros, there are also cons. The main disadvantage of Construct 2 is that export to additional platforms is carried out only using third-party programs.

CryEngine is one of the most powerful engines for creating 3D games, the graphical capabilities of which surpass all similar programs. It was here that such famous games like Crysis and Far Cry. And all this is possible without programming.

Here you will find a very large set of tools for game development, as well as tools that designers need. You can quickly create sketches of models in the editor, or you can immediately on location.

The physics system in KraiEngin supports inverse kinematics of characters, vehicles, physics of solid and soft bodies, liquids, tissues. So the objects in your game will behave quite realistically.

CryEngine is, of course, very cool, but the price for this software is corresponding. You can check out the trial version of the program on the official website, but only advanced users who can cover the cost of the software should buy it.

Game Editor is another game builder on our list that is similar to a simplified Game Maker. Here you can create simple 2D games without any special programming knowledge.

Here you will only work with actors. These can be both characters and “interior” items. Each actor can have many different properties and functions. You can also write actions in the form of code, or you can simply select a ready-made script.

Also with using Game Editor allows you to create games for both computers and phones. To do this, simply save the game in the correct format.

Unfortunately, you are unlikely to create a large project using Game Editor, as it will take a lot of time and effort. Another disadvantage is that the developers abandoned their project and no updates are expected yet.

And here is a competitor for Unity 3D and CryEngin - Unreal Development Kit. This is another powerful one game engine for developing 3D games for many popular platforms. Games here, too, can be created without using programming languages, but simply by assigning ready-made events to objects.

Despite the difficulty of mastering the program, the Unreal Development Kit gives you great opportunities for creating games. We advise you to learn how to use them all. Fortunately, you will find plenty of materials on the Internet.

For non-commercial use, you can download the program for free. But as soon as you start receiving money for the game, you need to pay interest to the developers, depending on the amount received.

The Unreal Development Kit project does not stand still and the developers regularly post additions and updates. Also, if you have any problems while working with the program, you can contact the support service on the official website and they will definitely help you.

Kodu Game Lab is probably best choice for those who are starting to get acquainted with 3D game development. Thanks to the colorful and clear interface, creating games in this program is interesting and not at all difficult. In general, this project was developed for teaching schoolchildren, but still it will be useful even for adults.

The program is very good at helping you understand how games are created and what they are. By the way, you don’t even need a keyboard to create a game - everything can be done with just a mouse. There is no need to write code here, you just need to click on objects and events.

The special feature of Code Game Lab is that it free program in Russian. And this, mind you, is very rare among serious game development programs. There is also a lot of educational material, done in an interesting form of quests.

But no matter how good the program is, there are also disadvantages. Kodu Game Lab is simple, yes. But it doesn’t have as many tools as we would like. This development environment is also quite demanding on system resources.

3D Rad is a rather interesting program for creating 3D games for your computer. As with all the programs mentioned above, it uses a visual programming interface, which will please novice developers. Over time, you will learn how to create scripts in this program.

This is one of the few programs that is free even for commercial use. Almost all game engines either need to be purchased or a percentage of the income must be deducted. In 3D Rad you can create a game of any genre and make money from it.

Interestingly, in 3D Rad you can create a multiplayer game or a network game and even set up a game chat. This is another one interesting feature this program.

The designer also pleases us with the quality of visualization and physics engine. You can customize the behavior of hard and soft bodies, and also force ready-made 3D models to obey the laws of physics by adding springs, joints, etc. to them.

With the help of another interesting and bright program - Stencyl, you can create bright and colorful games on many popular platforms. The program has no genre restrictions, so here you can bring all your ideas to life.

Stencyl is not just an application development software, but a set of tools that makes the work of creating an application easier, allowing you to focus on what matters most. In this case, there is no need to write the code yourself - all you need is to move the blocks with the code, thus changing the behavior of the main characters of your application.

Of course, the free version of the program is quite limited, but still it is enough to create a small and interesting game. You will also find a lot of educational material, as well as the official wiki encyclopedia - Stencylpedia.

This is just a small part of all existing programs for creating games. Almost all of the programs on this list are paid, but you can always download a trial version and decide if it's worth the money. We hope you find something for yourself here and we can see the games you create soon.

Of course, modern large game projects like WoW or StarCraft - this is the result of many years of work by experienced programmers, which also requires significant financial investments. To take on such a project, you need at least a diploma, certain experience and organizational talents. However, the complexity of a project is not always a measure of its success and does not guarantee the interest of players. And anyone can try their hand at creating games, even if they are less technically complex, but still capable of arousing the interest of both users and, possibly, large game producing companies. To do this, you don’t even need to have knowledge of programming languages.

Firstly, the majority modern games equipped with tools that allow you to change game world before: draw new labyrinths, transform the appearance of characters and game objects, even design new missions and tasks. This allows, based on the same StarCraft or 3D shooter, a computer game of your own design, in which it will be extremely difficult original game. There are game engines specifically designed for creating games.

3D Game Maker is one of the most popular engines that allows you to create your own 3D game. Thanks to the extraordinary simplicity of the interface, a full-fledged 3D game can be created with its help in just 10 minutes. Choosing a genre created game, we determine the number of required levels (the system allows you to design up to 20 different levels), and select the main character from among the ready-made models. The game can already be launched and tested, although work on it, of course, has just begun. After all, the game is still devoid of the most important thing, what holds the user’s attention and interest - the plot. Therefore, it is also necessary to select opponents and think through other necessary details. The cost of this game development is $35 - an amount quite affordable for game creators.

3D Game Studio is a powerful tool for creating both 3D and 2D games, and practically no programming is required. A set of all kinds of template situations, examples and effects gives the game designer a fairly wide palette of tools to realize his fantasies. Natural effects, mirror surfaces, shadows, transparent surfaces - all these attributes can be fully used when developing gaming interiors. Ready-made game interface elements are also provided to the developer, allowing the user to communicate with the game in a stylish and convenient way. The professional version of this engine will cost $900, but the beginner version is much cheaper - only $70.

If 3D worlds don't appeal to you, pay attention to Game Maker - it gives you endless scope for imagination, allowing you to create a computer game in 2D format. We select objects and think through their interaction. Images can be drawn in any graphic editor and imported into the system. The game can be equipped with sound effects and signals. The interface is extremely simple and logical, ideal for beginners.

The program is designed for creating two-dimensional games without using programming languages. Ready-made actions are substituted for lines of code game characters. The user can only create game objects, provide them with two-dimensional sprites or animation, create rules for interaction between objects, and arrange objects on levels. You can draw graphics and animation directly in Game Maker without using third-party programs.

This program excels at top-down games and side-view platformers.

“Game Maker” will also be of interest to advanced programmers; there is also the opportunity to add your own program code.

The free version of the program does not limit ordinary users in any way, compared to the paid version of Game Maker Pro. The paid version provides access to complex software modules that are of interest only to real professional programmers.

A very simple 2D game designer. Knowledge of programming languages ​​is not required.

Unlike Game Maker, Construct 2 can create games for iOS, Android, Facebook, Chrome Web Store, Desktop Windows, Windows 8 Apps, Web (HTML5), Kongregate and many other platforms.

This is a higher quality program, but also more greedy for money. The program is free until you want to sell your game. In this case, you will need to buy a licensed version. Also on the developers website there is special store, where you can buy building resources for your game: sound sets, music, detailed instructions.

We recommend the training course “TDS from A to Z” (creating a game in the “Top-down shooter” genre).

Programs for creating 3D games (Website)

"3D Rad" is the cheapest option among 3D game engines. The program can be used for free, and by paying $5 you get the latest updates on the day they are released (on free version updates appear only after three months). Most often, this engine is used to create racing games.

The program has a simple and clear interface, not burdened with trifles.

"3D Rad" supports the installation of individual plugins, has pre-installed AI models, shadow and texture maps. It is possible to create online games.

NeoAxis Game Engine SDK

An excellent game engine with a simple interface and high-quality graphics. Designed to create games in almost any genre.

Created based on the Ogre3D engine. The programming language used is C# and C++ and the .NET platform, but it is possible to do without programming thanks to special libraries of ready-made actions. The engine has various add-ons and extensions developed by third-party users. It is possible to export for 3dsMax and Maya, Autodesk Softimage and Blender. PSSM (Parallel-Split Shadow Map) shaders, lighting and shadows are supported.

NeoAxis Engine is distributed under 4 license types: Non-commercial – free for non-commercial projects; Indie license – $95/$295 (single/team); Commercial – $395/995 (single/team); Source license - from $9,800.

The main advantage of this game engine is maximum convenience and simplicity. In addition, the engine was developed by domestic programmers, which is why it has Russian as the default language. When you purchase a licensed version, you get high-quality technical support in your native language.

A comprehensive tool containing everything you might need to create a game. The Unity 3D package includes graphics engine, which fully utilizes the capabilities of DirectX and OpenGL, a built-in 3D model editor, separate programs for creating and processing shaders, shadows, landscapes, physics and sounds, as well as rich script libraries. With Unity 3D you can completely forget about third-party programs, or reduce their use to a minimum.

Unity 3D is suitable for creating games of any genre. Standard computers (Windows XP/Vista/7, OSX) are supported as platforms. mobile devices(Android, iOS, Blackberry), game consoles(Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox), Internet browsers (Flash, Web Player).

There is a special collaborative development system - Asset Server, which allows you to develop a game as part of an entire team directly via the Internet.

The only negative is that to use “Unity 3D” you need to know computer programming at least at an average level. Despite the rich library of ready-made practical software solutions and a powerful scripting engine with instant compilation, some of the code will have to be written independently in JavaScript or C#.

Unreal Development Kit (UDK)

One of the most popular game engines in the professional environment game developers. On " Unreal Engine» created such games as: the “Unreal Tournament” series, the “ Mass Effect", "XCOM", "Borderlands 2", "DmC: Devil May Cry" and dozens and hundreds of smaller games.

"UDK" supports the following platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Android.

This engine was originally designed for creating 3D shooters, but it also has the ability to create games of related genres: slashers, adventures, MMO games.

The game engine perfectly creates facial animations, complex building architecture, and processes complex physical objects. UDK contains all the necessary tools for creating animations, textures, sounds, levels, models, and software scripts. There is a built-in library containing more than 1000 structures, other 3D models, standard textures and sounds. It is possible to program in a special language “Unreal Script” (created based on C++).

You can use UDK completely free of charge until you decide to officially publish your game created on this engine. In this case, you will have to fork out for an expensive license.

CryENGINE 3 Free SDK

"CryENGINE 3" is the pinnacle of modern game engines, delivering photorealistic graphics with support for DirectX 11 and third generation shaders. The third version of the engine was created in 2009. The Far Cry and Crysis series of games were created on this engine. online game"Aion", as well as dozens of lesser-known computer games.

The Crytek company decided to distribute this already popular game engine for free. But the free version only lasts until you want to officially release a game created on this engine. Licensed version It costs more than all similar programs, but it is worth the money.

On "CryENGINE 3" you can create games for the platforms: PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

You can import textures from graphics programs “3ds max”, “Maya”, as well as from previous versions of the engine.

The CryENGINE 3 engine turned out to be very popular, it has a whole Russian-speaking community, thanks to this you can easily find all kinds of training materials, as well as answers to specific questions.