Book excerpt: Table of Contents Preface Chapter # 1: Important Tips to Think About Before Making Your Game Have a Concrete Idea Determine Your Audience Consider Your Platform Pick a Genre Have a Great Title Work on Gameplay Be Realistic Chapter # 2: Coming up with Game Ideas Read Books Get Ideas From Movies Use Other Games Mix Different Ideas Day Dream Brainstorm with Your Friends Pay Attention to Your Life Chapter # 3: Choosing an Engine Stencyl GameMaker Unity Unreal Engine RPG Maker VX Chapter # 4: Secrets on How to Make a Game Great Small Learning Curve Continuous Challenges Set Appropriate Rewards Freedom to Make Decisions Don't Just Focus on the Story, But Gameplay as Well Chapter # 5: Testing Your Game Think of What You Want to Know After Testing Test on Every Platform Use Your Friends Ask people Online Your Presence During Testing Chapter # 6: How to Promote a Game Begin Marketing Before the Release Date Have a Website Don't Forget Social Media Join Forums Tell Your Friends Connect with other Developers Chapter # 7: How To Become a Great Game Developer Play many video games Don't Wait for Motivation Learn Programming Take Criticism Work with Other People Work on Deadlines Conclusion About the Author Publisher Preface If you are an avid gamer, you probably have had the will to create your own game. Unfortunately, you had no idea where to start from. In this book, you will discover how you can make a game. Your ideas should not be buried in your head; you just don't know if they could make the next “Grand Theft Auto.” In order to make a simple game, you mainly need a computer and game-making software. Since you play games all the time, then you already have a computer. If not, you can build one easily. As for the softwares, you can download them online. Some are free while some come at a cost. Making your first game will not be an easy task as there are a couple of things you need to learn first. So you should not have high hopes for your first game. But with time and practice, you will definitely get better. In this book, I will show you the best softwares you can use to make your own games. I will also give you things you must think about before you start developing your game. In addition to that, you will also find guidance on testing your game, tips for becoming a great game developer, advice on creating game ideas, and more. If you thought that making games was something only for big companies, this book will show you that you too can do it. I hope you will find this book helpful.