Game development is the process of making your own video games all the way from the idea in your head to something people can actually play. GameMaker is a program that makes this easy, and this guide will help you get started. In just a few steps, you’ll download GameMaker, build your first game, share it with others, and join a community of people who love creating games too.
Step 1: Download and Install GameMaker
The first step to making games is getting the right tool. GameMaker is free and easy to set up, so you can start creating in just a few minutes. Click below to download GameMaker and get ready to build your first game.
Step 2: Make Your First Game
You’ll first want to understand how GameMaker works. After that, it’s time to try it for yourself.
Your first game is a big step, but it’s a very fun one! With this tutorial, you’ll learn basic functions of GameMaker and how to use it to make a classic space shooter from start to finish. You don’t need any experience to start; All you need is a learning mindset, a little bit of curiosity, and about 15 minutes.
Step 3: Publish Your Game
Publishing your game lets other people play it. It’s a great way to share your work, get feedback, and feel the excitement of having your game out in the world. You’ll learn how to upload your game, and after that’s done, you’ll have a link to send to your friends so they can play it right in their browsers!
GX Games
GX Games is an online platform is a community for sharing and playing games. It’s owned by Opera, who also just happens to owns GameMaker, so the two work effortlessly together. This guide will show you how to upload your game into GX Games.
- Publish on GX Games
Itch.io
Another popular, online portal is Itch.io. It’s another digital storefront with lots of different media, but it’s a popular choice for game developers to show off their creations. You can let players download your game, or you can upload the HTML version for them to play in their browser. You can even sell your games!
- Publish on itch.io
Step 4: Join the Community
The GameMaker community is full of like-minded developers of all skill levels who can’t wait to meet you! Might as well show them the cool new game you just made.
GameMaker Discord
Discord is like a mix between a chat room and a forum. GameMaker has one where you can talk about the different aspects of GameMaker and has help channels in case you get stuck. Go say hi!
If you want an archive of information or prefer a slower pace, you can check out the GameMaker forums or Reddit.
Step 5: Make More Games
GameMaker has built-in templates that help you understand how games are made. They’re add templates all the time for a variety of different games, so try them all!
- Open GameMaker
- Click New
- Click Game
- Select the Template you want to use
- Click Let’s Go
These games are pre-built, but try to make them your own! Change things around. Create new and exciting levels, powerups, or gameplay challenges. Use the templates as your guard rails as you do some serious experimenting!
Step 6: Learn Something New
Eventually you’ll want to make your own games from scratch, but you aren’t alone! There are lots of resources out there that’ll show you how to do exciting things in GameMaker.
The Manual
GameMaker’s manual is a comprehensive explanation of every corner of GameMaker. It’s not the most exciting thing to use as a learning tool, but it’s certainly the most informative.
Video Tutorials
YouTube is a great place to learn. Some might offer long, multi-part tutorials to make a large-scale game, and some might be bite-sized tutorials for a specific feature that you can use in any game.
Here are some of our favorite GameMaker-centered YouTube channels:
Join a Jam
A Game Jam is a challenge to make a game from scratch, usually within a theme and a tight deadline. Anyone can join, and it’s common for developers to team up to tackle it together!
Game Jams can be hosted a variety of places:
Step 7: Repeat the Process
Look, when you’re first starting out you might be fantasizing about your dream game right off the bat. The reality is that you won’t be making hit games right out of the gate. There’s a lot to learn!
We encourage you to complete the loop many times:
- Play games
- Learn something new
- Make a game
- Publish and share your game
- Repeat
You may go through this process many times before you feel like you feel comfortable as a game developer. Each time you do, you’ll level up. You’ll feel better equipped to handle larger projects. You’ll get more players. You’ll build a following. Keep up the momentum and you’ll be a skilled developer with a rich catalogue of games you’ve made in no time.