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@cattsmall@cattsmall
From Consumerto Creator:
Making Games
@cattsmall
I’m Catt Small.I like video games A LOT!
@cattsmall@cattsmall
● Game developer (solo, Brooklyn Gamery, Buttered Toast Studios)
● Teacher & event organizer (The Code Liberation Foundation)
● Product Designer (SoundCloud)
● Illustrator, student, etc.
About me:
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Played games as a kid
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Made dress up dolls
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Collaborated with friends
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Made game jam games
@cattsmall@cattsmall
At the beginning,game dev was
a mystery
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Is this it???
Game Dev Story, Kairosoft
@cattsmall
My first #GGJ(2012)
@cattsmall@cattsmall
I knew nothing aboutmaking games
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Kirby, © Nintendo
I was the artist
@cattsmall@cattsmall
We had huge aspirations
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Our game was pretty bad...
@cattsmall@cattsmall
But we made SOMETHING,
& that ROCKED.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
What I learned:YOLO, just do it.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
The next year,I took a break from GGJ
to improve my skills.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Went to more jams & hackathons
Prism Shell
Hexapong Teledoor
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Joined Code Liberation
@cattsmall@cattsmall
What I learned:Polished games come from a lot of practice.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
What I learned:It’s okay to fail if you
learn from that failure.
@cattsmall
My second #GGJ(2014)
@cattsmall@cattsmall
I knew more aboutmaking games
@cattsmall@cattsmall
We made a finished game!
@cattsmall@cattsmall
It didn’t winany awards.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
But it got a lot of positive responses.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Yay!
@cattsmall@cattsmall
It was shown!
@cattsmall@cattsmall
It was memorable.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
What I learned:Jamming is about self-
improvement,not winning.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
What I learned:Keep working on your
game if you thinkit has potential.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
What I learned:Advocate for yourself and you’ll get heard.
@cattsmall
Other tips for you!
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Games are madeof several things...most of the time.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
● Characters: beings with which player(s) interact
● Mechanics/Rules: systems that determine how player(s) interact with the game
● Goal: what the player(s) must do to finish the game
● Story: narrative driving the game’s goal & rules
What makes up most games:
@cattsmall@cattsmall
You don’t need all (or any) of these.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Not a programmer?You can do other
important things.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
● Sound design (SFX, music)
● Art (characters, level, menus)
● Game design (levels, systems, logic)
● Writing (story, menus, instructions)
Some other roles:
@cattsmall@cattsmall
There is something for everyone.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
● Game art: www.opengameart.org
● Sound effects: www.grsites.com/archive/sounds
● Sound effects and music: www.freesound.org
Free resources:
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Remember tomake a plan.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Try not to jump right into code.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Sketching
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Paper prototyping
http://mondaybeginsonsaturday.com/2012/02/29/paper-prototyping/
@cattsmall@cattsmall
This will help you stay on track.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
We are now living inthe era of accessiblegame development.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
GameMaker Studio
GameMaker Studio, Yoyo Games. image credit: gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Construct 2
Construct 2, Scirra
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Unity
Unity Engine, Unity Technologies
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Construct 2
@cattsmall@cattsmall
And more!Twine, Scratch,
Stencyl, RPGMaker, openFrameworks,
Processing...
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Pick whatever gets the job done.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Dream big, butstart small.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Make the important parts work
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Evaluate nice-to-have features later
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Put the fancy stuff in when you can.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
If something isn’t working,pivot ASAP.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Don’t waste 3/4 of the jam getting a feature to work.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Confused about something?That’s normal.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
No one should judge you for needing help.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Everyone does this!
Google is your best friend.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
saintpetersblog.com
Rubber duck method
@cattsmall@cattsmall
If you can,playtest your game.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Watch people play
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Solve frustrating problems
@cattsmall@cattsmall
You only needFIVE PEOPLE.
- "A mathematical model of the finding of usability problems"
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Work hard.Sleep well.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Take naps.
Dorkly
@cattsmall@cattsmall
If you stay awakefor too long,
your code will suck.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Remember thatgames don’t have
to be “fun”.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Fear
Amnesia, © Frictional Games
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Joy
Rayman Legends, © Frictional Games
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Sadness
Contrast, © Compulsion Games
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Excitement
Prism Shell, © Brooklyn Gamery
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Games are about MEMORABLE
EXPERIENCES.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Most importantly...がんばれ！(do your best!)
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Don’t leave if your game doesn’t get
100% finished.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Stay and learn from what others make.
@cattsmall@cattsmall
In summary:● Put the polish in later.
● You don’t have to be a programmer!
● Ask for help and test your game.
● Listen to your body and sleep as needed.
● Games don’t need to be fun, but should convey memorable experiences.
● Don’t give up – push through & learn!
@cattsmall@cattsmall
Questions?Comments?
Tweet @cattsmall
