I have read many books about creating games, but I need more practice actually creating them. Following are my most recent attempts to apply technology to my game ideas. I have more ideas than I have the time to implement them, but these games are relatively easy to implement. They at least demonstrate that I have an understanding of the game programming loop and that I can implement it in a variety of environments.
I like tower defense games. I also wanted to practice using Python. So, I created Color Wars using pygame.
To develop it further, I would:
I enjoyed playing Combat on the Atari 2600. Tank is my attempt to create something like Combat. I created it using GODOT. It has some multi-player capabilities, although, this is not evident in the video.
To develop it further, I would:
I created Survival Island as part of my master's degree. I learned the basics of using Unity to create an interactive 3D game. Adventure-exploration-puzzle-story games are my favorite type of game.
To develop it further, I would:
Games can be used for good or evil, just like other mediums (art, movies, or books). However, games are different because they provide feedback to players through an interactive experience of ideas. People play to learn and games, if designed well, have the potential to teach about the meaning of life.
This book contains many different "lenses" which a designer can use to craft better games. "A game is a problem-solving activity that allows learning without real-world consequences."
This is a comprehenisve textbook. "A game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome."
This book is on my to read list.
All of these games are simplistic in what they teach. Color Wars teaches resource management. Tank teaches about navigating space. Survial Island teaches exploration to solve puzzles. They teach what typical games already do. When people approach games for their entertainment value alone, they will be unlikely to ask, "What does this game teach?" But, as I am learning, this is an essential questions to ask, no matter what someone is creating.
Games I develop in the future will focus on teaching meaningful, life-changing ideas such as how to better communicate. I plan to evaluate Minetest to determine if it would be more suitable than Unity to create an interactive communicate game.
In 3 to 5 years I want to develop a sophisticated adventure game that teaches counseling principles like how to heal emotionally. I want to use Natural Language Processing to allow the game to be immersive and emergent.