So, you’ve just read an article about how the latest “Live Casino Games” app is raking in Scrooge McDuck money, and you’re wondering how you go about getting some of that sweet app cash for yourself.
Good news! It’s never been easier to get started, and I’ll do my best to give you a breakdown of some of your options.
1. Take a class
Online or off, a class in app development can really get you started with all the tools you need to publish your own games. Although you won’t be creating the next Angry Birds right out of the gate, you’ll have a solid foundation for every other resource available to you. Late night infomercials are full of different programs, but a great place to start would be with your favorite app. Find some details about how it was made, and start looking for classes that match that toolset. In recent years there has been an incredible push for asynchronous online courses that can fit into any schedule or budget, and the only thing holding you back is you.
2. Grab a Game Engine and Start Tinkering
A game engine is the program that drives all the functionality you see in videogames. Like Photoshop for Halo. Many major online casino games companies still create proprietary engines for their games, but there has been a serious push in the industry to collect a suite of engine options that anyone can utilize. Unity, CryEngine, Unreal, and Source are just a few of the big name, established tools for developing games. Each has their own particular quirks and associated costs, but they all feature free options and examples to help get you started. Unity in particular has made great strides in creating an engine that can be adapted to most any device, with strong support for extended tools and assets.
With these engines has come an expanding treasure trove of tips, tricks, and tutorials for getting exactly what you want out of them. You choice may in fact come down to the nature of the community surrounding it. For example, CryEngine has built a reputation for prestige, high-graphical-fidelity gaming, and its community skews in that direction. Whereas Unity, with a strong variety of game types on all manner of app stores, has generated a more generalized encyclopedia of educational tools to get you up and running.
Now, if you’d like to know what building apps and games is like, I’d recommend watching “Indie Game: The movie.” It’s a virtual crash-course in the sort of commitment and care that is required of all but the most basic of game ideas, and if you need a reality check, it’s a good place to start. The dollar signs in your eyes might fade, but at the very least, you’ll gain a great appreciation for that 99-cent app you just gave 1-star to.
Photo: Alper
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