Getting Started

This guide showcases some examples of video game related content at Lane Library, as well as resources to get started creating your own Independent Video Games.

When making video games think about the project creatively and then follow up with thinking about it in terms of feasibility.

Talk to other game devs in your area about ideas and common pitfalls: https://www.wisconsingamesalliance.com/events

Two computers in the Franzen Center have Adobe Creative Suite which can be used to make art assets.

Pen Tablets are available to be checked out for making digital art.

Questions to ask

• What genre do I want to make?
• How many people are apart of my team?
• What are the core gameplay loops?
• Do I have the time / money to dedicate to this project?
• What previous experience do I have?
• What skills do I need to learn?

Online Resources

When creating video games, it is important to find a variety of sources online to learn more and troubleshoot your current project.

• Youtube is great for tutorials on engine specific how-tos
• Discord channels with other indie devs
• Free courses online: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-game-design
• Reddit community: https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/
• Specific Game Developers Conference presentations

Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting certain aspects of game design it is helpful to find other game developers that have had similar problems.

• GameMaker Forums: https://forum.gamemaker.io/index.php
• Unity Forums: https://forum.unity.com/
• Unreal Engine Forums: https://forums.unrealengine.com/categories?tag=unreal-engine
• Youtube: any devblogs of a similar genre

Game Engines

Game Engines are the backbone of any indie game development project. Here are some examples of Game Engines you can use:

• Unreal Engine: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US
• GameMaker: https://gamemaker.io/en
• Unity: https://unity.com/
• RPGMaker: https://www.rpgmakerweb.com/
• Open Source 3D engine: https://www.o3de.org/download/
• Godot Engine: https://godotengine.org/

Books from Lane Library

All books in this list are available online and can help you learn video game development.

• Unreal Engine 4 game development / e-book
• Extending Unity with Editor Scripting / e-book
• Procedural Content Generation for Unity Game Development / e-book
• Game Development Using Python / e-book
• Game Physics Cookbook / e-book
• Mastering Android Game Development with Unity / e-book