…especially without structured training.  As you probably guess, there is much to learn.  My day job as an administrator is often referred to as being an IT generalist.  I am good at many things, but the not the best at anything other than, hopefully, being able to learn quickly.  I’m counting on this to help me with my new venture into game development.

What I already know

I’ll always be a gamer

I’m hoping my past as a gamer will help me answer these questions:

• Is this Fun?
• Has it been done before?
• What’s new and exciting in gaming that I can borrow?
• What’s my target audience?

Graphic design

I do this for work regularly.  I’m not a great designer, but I know enough of Photoshop, Illustrator, and other graphics creation tools to get what I need done.  I may need to enlist the help of my designer friends to nourish my design ideas.

Programming fundamentals

I have some background in Java programming.  It’s not much, but with some help and online research, I have enough knowledge to breadcrumb my way to an end result.

The Spark

I have an idea and the motivation to see it through.  Without the spark, you’re just another gamer who says, “wouldn’t it be cool if there was a game where you …”

Yes, it will be cool.

What I need to learn

C# programming

I’ve chosen the XNA development platform, which means I will be creating my game in the C# language.  Fortunately, it’s similar enough to Java that I will be able to pick it up.  I’ve gone through tutorials and more tutorials, skimmed through example code sets, and done base level research.

I still have yet to scratch the surface, but I will persist.

Animation

I have not done any animation, but I’m counting on good old trial and error to get me through this.

Publishing

Microsoft does a great job of giving indie developers a platform that is easy to publish on.  All we have to do is create screenshots, trailers, and generate interest for our game.  I have never done any of these, but I’m confident they will not be too difficult.  They may be time consuming, but I’m ok with that.

In the end

While the task may seem daunting to me and perhaps anyone reading this, it’s all about making a cool game.  Making money, getting recognition for my work, or even just getting the thing published are all things that I would like to see, but not things that I need.

What I need is to have fun with the process, and I hope the end result doesn’t like totally suck.

Gaming has always been a part of my life, starting with Pong as a child, continuing through the dark Nintendo fanboy period of my late twenties, to now as I explore game development.  My tendency to explore new hobbies and skills, coupled with my love for games, has sparked this project.

I have been shaping the game and researching the platform for a few months.  Now, I feel confident and solid enough with the direction I’m headed to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

I will keep a log here of my progress.  Feel free to tag along!

First Steps in Design