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How To Make Your Own Game As a Beginner

Griffin Bateson / January 11, 2022
How To Make Your Own Game As a Beginner

The world of gaming is bigger than ever, with countless new games being released every day. If you're reading this, our guess is that you're here because you want to channel your love for games by learning how to make your own game. It should be simple: you've got the drive. You've got the ideas. You've even got a computer to work on. So what's stopping you?

The coding. Not everybody knows how to code. Well, here's some good news: that's okay. Even though you aren't a programming genius just yet, it doesn't mean you can't start making your own games today. Whether you're a console lover or you're dedicated to free educational games, you can learn to turn your interest into originality. Read on to find out more.

Channel Your Love of Gaming

The first step is much simpler than you might imagine. You need to start making the journey from player to designer. Don't worry - you're not being thrown into the deep end when it comes to the coding side of things. We know you're not quite feeling ready for that yet. Instead, you need to start by learning how to see games from the point of view of a creator rather than a player. Rather than trying to tackle complicated code right away, you can use your current skills to do this. You can start by trying games with creation modes built into the play.

You might already be playing games like this. There are popular ones like Minecraft and Roblox, or even games like Dreams and Game Builder Garage. Whichever you choose, games like these will help you start to understand the more technical side of how games are made a little better. You can see what works and what doesn't by trying different things. This will be the start of your development as a game designer, and the first step towards being able to create your own game. In fact, we have already have a blog written about learning how to code for Minecraft and Roblox.

Get Excited

An important part of this first learning curve is to be as creative as possible. When it comes to games, there's a high chance you want to make something fun or interesting. This is what will make people want to play. So use game builder tools to be creative.

Come up with new ideas, maybe even start a plan for what you want your first custom game to be about. Get excited about the things you'd like to create in the future. This excitement will carry you through the coming steps and take you all the way to creating a custom game. Professional game developers have a special set of skills and tools that enable them to make games: a good imagination is an important one of them. Never underestimate the power of creativity.

By the time you've gotten to grips with game creation in play mode, you'll have made sure you have all of the foundational skills you need. The fact that you'll enjoy playing whilst learning will also mean that your drive to move onto the next step is at an all-time high. So why waste time? As soon as you feel confident, it's time to move onto the next part of your learning and try some coding games for beginners.

Taking the Next Step

Whatever games you usually prefer, there are tools that will use them to start teaching you basic code. You can begin by getting your head around the basics of Minecraft coding, or decipher the meanings of sections of Roblox coding.

By using these tools that teach with the games that you recognize, you can get to grips with the most important building blocks of programming. 

So, Where Are These Tools?

There are endless resources online that will take you through the basics of your favorite game's code. However, the most successful tools are those that people can interact with, learning how different bits of programming fit together in a more hands-on way.

Tools like Code Kingdoms teach you how to program by splitting up strings of code and allowing you to drag and drop them together to see what happens. Eventually, you will be able to make basic games of your own in Minecraft and Roblox.

By learning the uses of smaller sections of code and building up your knowledge base, you can enjoy your time spent exploring the world of programming and avoid being overwhelmed by massive amounts of information. Knowing the basics will unlock more doors for you than you might think.

There's no better way for a gamer to learn than through play. When you're enjoying the process, the information will sink in without you having to try. It will feel more like a hobby than a learning experience. Soon enough you'll be making games in Minecraft that are more advanced than you can currently imagine being able to code from scratch. More importantly, you'll know how and why they work. When you reach this stage, you'll be ready to level up again - and the things that you'll create will start to become more and more your own.

Learn the Language of Programming on How to Make Your Own Game

With all of the practice you'll have had by this stage, you'll be experienced enough that learning more complicated code won't seem anywhere near as difficult as it used to. This is where the real fun can begin.

Once you've mastered the game creation tools that use pre-made bits of programming, you can start designing your own characters and bringing your original ideas to life. You can continue using the learning tools on sites like Code Kingdoms to teach yourself complex and intricate pieces of code. These will allow you to alter the things you're used to making until they become something new. Eventually, you'll be making things from scratch.

The basics that you have learned in the earlier steps will act as building blocks, and all of the new code you learn from this point onwards will be fun and exciting ways to change what you know, as well as bring your own imagined concepts to life. The familiarity offered by online game creation tools is the most helpful thing you can use if you want to learn how to program. It takes away any chance of you being overwhelmed by giving you something that you recognize to work with. That and your own dedication will get you to where you want to be. Do the practice, and soon you'll be ready to make your own custom game.

Design and Make Your Custom Game

Learning how to make your own game is the ultimate goal here. And now you have the coding knowledge to do just that.

The in-depth understanding you can get about how programming works from the gameplay learning method is second to none. You might even find that you're better prepared for game designing than if you'd simply learned to code independent of your hobby. Rather than teaching yourself programming separately, you'll have learned it within the context of the gaming world.

At this point, it's time to cycle back to that key thing you perfected in the first part of your quest to make your own game: creativity. You should ask yourself a few questions: What's your game going to be about? Who are the characters? Is your game easy to learn for beginners? You need to think about what's going to keep players entertained. 

If the project is just for yourself, that's okay too. Consider how you will incorporate all of the elements you want to be in your game. Whether it's a function or a points system, there's a way to make it happen.

When you're looking for inspiration, think about the pieces of programming that you like the best. Use them in your game design. And remember: it's fun to try new things, so don't be afraid to write some new code that will make your game the way you want it to be. 

Start Your Journey to Game Design Today

Now that you've got the ideas, you can put your knowledge on how to make your own game to use. All you need to do is make the process of learning how to code a fun time.  Become a part of the industry you love. Let your imagination run wild. And remember: With the right know-how, there are no limits to what you can create.

You never have to do anything without help. We have a whole program set up to guide you in your coding journey with Code Kingdoms. Go check it out and start coding today!