These objects could represent the player character, monsters, power-ups, terrain, obstacles, menu items, or just about anything else you can imagine.
To make the process of creating games easier for first-time developers, GameMaker uses an object-based system for designing gameplay. Here’s a short list a several popular games made with GameMaker: Studio to show you some of the possibilities. That’s what my small indie team did with our first game, Go To Bed: Survive The Night. You can also create art with other programs or import and animate your own hand-drawn art.
GameMaker Studio has a built-in tool for creating and animating art.īecause GameMaker: Studio has built-in drawing and animation tools, it’s great for creating retro-style pixel-art games. But many users find increasingly creative ways to use GameMaker to concoct unusual and experimental projects too. Side-scrolling shooters, platformers, adventure, puzzle, and role-playing games can all be created with this software. That still leaves a lot of wiggle room to let your creativity run wild. So you might be wondering, “what types of games can you create with GM:S?” While it’s possible to make some very primitive 3D games, GameMaker is primarily designed for 2D game creation. GM:S only runs on PC, though you can use it to create games for a wide range of platforms, including iOS, PS4, Mac, Android, and more. It’s a bit pricey but also more affordable than other similar tools. This version is perfect for tinkering, though you’ll want to spring for the paid Pro version if you want to create more elaborate games.
GameMaker: Studio has a free version available to get started with. There are also lots of built-in tutorials and plenty of YouTube videos available to help ease you into the more complicated aspects of the system. Seeing your ideas come to life is very rewarding. In fact, the GameMaker community has many younger users who are able to create amazing projects with it.Įven if you don’t know anything about game design, it’s surprisingly easy to just dive in and start tinkering.
But using code is entirely optional.) First-time game developers find it’s very user-friendly, thanks to an intuitive object-based system and simple drag-and-drop interface. (GM:S has its own fully-developed coding language for advanced users, called GML. GameMaker: Studio (GM:S) is a game development tool made by YoYo Games that lets you design and create 2D games from scratch without having to code.
Here’s a quick primer on GameMaker: Studio to get you started! In the video above, I’ll show you how I made my own game in GameMaker. Accessible development tools like GameMaker: Studio are lowering the barrier to entry in game development by simplifying things and injecting fun into the process. If you’ve got aspiring game makers in your household, you can turn creating a game a into family project. However, many young gamers have an interest in making games themselves. Creating a video game can seem like a great mystery that’s too complicated to unravel without a college degree.