Ok, so right now I'm not exactly "of age". But Me and a friend plan on starting our own gaming company. Designing it, programming it, etc. Now, we do have a few problems and I was hoping someone here has some experience with game design and could give us a few pointers. Here are my problems and what kind of information I need:

1. How do you design a PS2 game or a Gamecube game. (I kind of want to know how to make either Nintendo games or games for the PS2 or PS3). We don't want to work for anyone (hence, why we're starting our own company) so thats why we want to learn all of this before we turn 18 (I'm 14 right now. So I hope to get all of this information and skills down before I turn 18). But I don't want to have to learn it while I'm an adult and I'm going to have to work for someone to learn how. If it's unavoidable then oh well, guess I'll have to work with someone else for a bit. But I'd rather learn this all now and make a product before I'm 18 and hopefully make some money off of it.

2. Are there any good programs out there that are reccomended for beginners that are almost at an intermediate level? (I've been using RPG Maker XP. I'm going to start learning how to use Blender 3d soon).

3. Are there any sites that are reccomended for learning visual C++?? (A friend who's a bit more experienced than me told me that thats the game design language used).

4. How do you suggest advertising a product that you made??

Thats about it for now I guess. I'll just edit this post if I have anything to add.

To develop games for a console, you usually need a software development kit from the manufacturer. These can cost many thousands of pounds in licensing and support, and are often only given to the big names. Your best bet here is to approach the companies like Sony, Nintendo, etc. and ask them how you would go about developing games for their platform.


Not that I'm aware of. As far as I know, making games takes a massive leap from GUI programs such as RPG Maker to coding everything manually in a language like C++. I'd get hold of a book from O'Reilly (they're books are excellent for learning loads of things). Take a look through these and you may also want to start learning a programming language like Java or C++.


Personally I wouldn't use a web site, I'd use a book, but that's just me. Pixel2Life have a few, but other than that I don't know, sorry.



The Internet is your best bet. Get your website established now so the search engines have time to index it. Keep it updated regularly and full of information. Depending on your budget you could also advertise in the local press, or even in gaming magazines and the like.

Good luck with your business

some 'game makers' are quite good actually, there's this one *I forgot its name (So sorry)* but you need a nVidia GPU to get it, it can make RPGs, FPS, RTS etc and is quite good, or if you study programming you can get a game engine i.e. Torque Engine then modify it.
As a last resort you can call up Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo/EA/THQ etc and ask them for a tip or something, like a SDK? or something like that.

If I was you, I would not try to make a game for any console at all. If you did so, you'd have to pay money to the particular company, let's say like Sony, or Nintendo, or whatever. Then, your game wouldn't be seen to anybody, but you, third your game most likely will not have good graphics, because many good game manufacturers have very hard times just trying to get their games up to par. Your best be is to just design a game for the computer, as it would be a lot easier, then going for a console. Plus, there are programs out there to make games for the computer, while there aren't any(unless you go to the manufacturer) for the console. But, if you still want to make a game for like a console, then try the PSP. You wouldn't be able to design a UMD, way to difficult, but what you can do is make a game, like homebrew and make is available to people if they download it to their memory card.

Well, being an avid gamer, I look for many things in games. RPG Maker won't cut it, you will need to learn C++ as stated above. You will need to work under someone, learning all the tactics and methods that people use to attract gamers. You want to make advertisements that will catch an eye, like some good graphics. Also you want friends to advertise in forums with you. Saying how good the game is, etc. Its looks like all advertising, but you will see that the gameplay is also important. The gaming industry is hard, only a select few make it. Its good that you are starting now.

Well mostly everything is already said here but I will turn to few questions of yours. Firstly, use internet as advertising medium as you will be able to reach more customers, be cheap and good this is road to success. Also try to make yourself good team of people who are ready to work and who will work up to your's company standards. Also I suggest that it would be kinda cool if you would make some of your games free.

Also try to work it out but you can make game development in many languages depending on platform eventhough most widespread is in fact C++ and the last you will have to use specific API (application programming interface) from the manufacturer.

Good luck with your compan.y

As an avid gamer loosely familiar with the industry, don't expect to develop games of any graphical level aproaching HALO or COD4, Spore, Legend of Zelda, or Final Fantasy from scratch. High-profile games currently require companies of hundreds in varied areas, especially software encoding (so C++ is a very important start) and legions of debuggers and some testers. A company of this type is valued in the millions of of USD or Euro and takes a long while to grow.

Naturally I don't assume you to get to a point like that from nothing but dreams, skill, and startup without due time. I reccomend you definitely begin working on smaller titles for PC, but so many of those are of terrible quaility so you will have to distinguish yourselves by story, gameplay, or, here something only come to fruition and complexity recently and a huge draw on the world: complexity or variety in customization. You could also make a name by starting up an online MMO with more of these feature, though I caution against it.

Well, here is my advice to you: You MUST know mathematics to the point of advanced algebra at least and keep a good work ethic for it, but here is the best shot for game makers today: college. Even though colleges like MIT would be the best you should go for a recognized game design school; two examples of which are Digipen in Seatle, Washington and Full Sail in... Orlando? I think its Orlando, Florida. Both are in the US, but that is no big deal.

Note: It also helps your games if you have an art department for texture/character and a physics group.

From a college like this you likely would want to be hired by a major or minor gaming company, like say, EA, or even one smaller (and less restrictive of unproven designers). Gain experience and work on ideas. If you're good enough you would one day have the experience needed to join a company you admire or gain a group to do your own Director bidding. Even as a non-director in a company you can be an idea guy for story or gameplay. With experience some of your group and others can break away and form a new company or a newly named subcontractor or department of a larger one.

Yes, this takes time. But from this experience you can break off at any point. This is just the safe route and is more likely to get you fed.

With just C++, an artist with 2 and 3d image editing and creation skill, some more language (another important one is slipping my mind because I am not familiar) and some more debugging time you can make a decent, or even exceptional PC game with a small budget and company small to the point of non-existance. You will need talent, but some games began as online products.

Well, if you do this, don't make more "adult" PC games unless it really is important to you, because stuff like that has largely clouded out other PC-Online distributed games of, well, a different calibur.

I sincerly hope you know, or will know what you are doing, there are quite enough bad games in the world, thank you.

Good luck, Sincerely Caius

This post has been edited by Caius: Jan 11 2008, 09:40 PM

im curantly an owner of a game company and we are making games. we have been around for a fewmonths now. we are based in florida and we have been working on some games for orlandos game confrence. we are working on a shooter and an rpg. we ae hoping that we will be developing for the xbox 360 and pc. we aren't one for ps3 i mean its a goodconsol but its not for us. plus we already have a deal with some publishers for the 360 so thats what we are going for anyhows we are hiring and hopefully with this sites help we'll have a website up because we don't have enough money to be buying 3ds max and maya and be able to have a pay for a web site so thanks for this website for being here.