Create the Next Video Gaming Masterpiece: No Coding Skills Required!
It’s unlikely, given the ever-hectic release schedule and the exciting raft of announcements made at the recent E3 conference, but do you ever find the world of video gaming unsatisfactory?
And by that we mean do you ever feel that there aren’t enough games made that are suited to your unique tastes and preferences?
Well, now you have the chance to right that wrong by creating your own new game. And the best bit is that it is nowhere near as difficult as it sounds…
Google have announced the release of their Game Builder prototype, a free piece of software that lets anyone – coding skilled or otherwise – build their own genre-defining title.
It’s a really interesting release for anyone that has ever thought of an idea for a video game but who lacks the skill, confidence or connections to make it a reality.
You don’t need to able to code or have any experience in programming. Game Builder uses a proprietary ‘card based’ visual programming system, in which you drag various options into the builder that dictate what your characters can do, how they move and how they react to certain situations.
You can build classic moving platforms, driveable cars, explosions, battles and so much more, so there truly is plenty of scope for any would-be game designers with a bright idea and the spare time to get it done.
If you have a bit of programming experience under your sleeve, you can utilize Game Builder as well by leveraging its capabilities. You can create your own cards using Javascript, and with a flexible API you can build pretty much anything you want and see it take shape immediately with the live code feed.
Game Builder is free to download for PC and Mac from Steam.
You, The Creator
We really like one of the taglines used in the official Google press release to support Game Builder: ‘from pugs to rocket ships, there are thousands of options available to craft your characters’.
The opportunities are pretty much endless, particularly when you factor in that 3D characters and shapes can be downloaded from Google Poly and used in your end product.
So, what kind of title would you create? A traditional platform adventure? An intricate intergalactic shoot ’em up? Call of Duty, but with pugs instead of soldiers (editor: make a note of that one)?
If you are a fan of the superhero genre, and the recent release of the Avengers game trailer has got your creative juices flowing, then maybe you will build your own game with a caped crusader or two as the main characters.
If you do, you might seek inspiration from a poll, which asked which superpowers the respondents would most desire.
Intriguingly, time manipulation was the power that most people wanted. It could be the opportunity to go backwards or forwards in time to change the face of history, or perhaps pausing or fast forwarding the current day – there are plenty of occasions where that would come in handy.
Surprisingly, superhuman strength and speed were not all that desired, with psychic abilities and invisibility next in line.
So, if you are plotting the next superhero smash hit to create on Game Builder, perhaps your lead character could be a psychic ghost that can time travel? It would certainly be original, anyway…
