Game Development for Beginners

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

While programming and design skills are essential for creating a fun and engaging gaming experience, mathematical concepts play a crucial role in building the underlying mechanics that drive a game. From basic geometry to advanced algorithms, mathematical concepts. Read more

Concepts 72

Concepts Mechanics Games Game Developer 72

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Within days, the concept was pitched to Meta and greenlit enthusiastically. Elements of Steampunk Another highlight is the airplane control mechanism. “We Agemans soon landed on the idea of open wall spaces as the perfect canvas for a miniature town. Eighteen months later, the game is here,” he says.

Games 118

Games Mechanics Prototyping Build 118

PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

I can really implement my vision, and I have the flexibility to add in content and mechanics that Creo’s fanbase and others would like to see. It would be great to bounce ideas and concepts off of fellow colleagues when building my games. And the biggest pitfalls? What’s your creative process?

Simulation 118

Simulation Dev Mechanics Development 118

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Reflecting on the game’s core concept, Khoroshavin shares, “The very first idea was that I want to make a game about an old protagonist that can traverse via boat. The control mechanics are integral to the gameplay, allowing players to operate Kazimir and his staff both together and independently.

Prototyping 104

Prototyping Indy Games Concepts 104

PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 7, 2024

However, as development progressed, the concept evolved into something much more narrative-driven. This separation allowed Inverge to refine and manage Ava’s concept more efficiently, leading to a final product that the team is rightfully proud of. Save the whales “At its core, Creatures of Ava is all about nature preservation.

Studios 177

Studios Mechanics Indy Concepts 177

PreMortem.Games

DECEMBER 6, 2024

The concept evolved from there, eventually centering on an inn caught between two rival guilds of adventurers. From mechanics to level design and even the story and visuals, the team has worked to align everything with this focus. What if there was an inn where monsters and adventurers could stay together?

Balance 129

Balance UX Studios Art 129

PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 30, 2025

Something I want to feel in a game rather than a structured concept. I sketch things out by hand, hang up the drafts all over my wall using tape and sit on the ideas, prototype mechanics, and just see what clicks. It usually starts with a mix of loose ideas floating around in my head.

Development 138

Development Playtesting Prototyping Point and Click 138

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

We have really worked hard on making each mission a different and fun experience that introduces a unique mechanic.” Some of the initial concept and atmosphere from that school project still resides within the game,” explains Olsson. Beyond the joy of destruction, Deliver At All Cost offers players a wide variety of missions.

Open World 104

Open World Games Studios Development 104

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 6, 2017

This communication happens on five levels: the core engine of the game, mechanics, rules, the internal narrative or “theme”, and the external narrative or “community and marketing.” The core engine is the bare minimum set of mechanics and concepts you need to have a functioning (but not necessarily fun) game.

Engine 130

Engine Engineering Mechanics Games 130

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 11, 2017

Game rules are how we regulate the mechanics of our games so that they are consistent with the messages we want to send to players. Short-term mechanic testing. Brandon: At the short-term mechanic testing stages, you’re really just using rules to help underlying mechanics manifest themselves! Private testing.

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Writing Concepts Games 130

PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

According to Carlos Casals , 3D Artist and Co-founder of Ticking Clock Games, “We were throwing around all sorts of mechanics and game genres, but we kept coming back to one image; a flying ship.” The seed for Void Sails was planted during one of the team’s early brainstorming sessions.

Point and Click 104

Point and Click Games Feature Balance 104

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 12, 2016

Much like theme vs. mechanics , separating people into gateway gamers and hardcore gamers is another persistent dichotomy in the board game community. Unlike theme and mechanics, though, I think this distinction is much more useful. You can make complex games based on simple mechanics like Patchwork.

Build 130

Build Mechanics Art Concepts 130

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 18, 2024

We absolutely love coming up with new ideas and experimenting with crazy concepts.” The key idea was to use the gameplay mechanics from Vampire Survivors in a different genre. “We However, after testing this concept, we thought, ‘Why not add another hand?’ We believed that an old-school FPS would be a perfect fit.

Concepts 104

Concepts Mechanics FPS Studios 104

Game Refinery

OCTOBER 26, 2023

The ever-changing nature of the mobile market means that new monetization mechanics are constantly emerging and evolving. One of the most popular monetization mechanics is the subscription-based battle pass , which was introduced via Valve’s DOTA 2 in 2013 but popularized by the worldwide phenomenon, Fortnite.

Mobile Gaming 220

Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Co-op 220

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 6, 2023

The game is still in early development, but Co-founder and Creative Director Victor Breum firmly believes in the concept: “It’s a delicious detective loop!” “We are six people from six different educational backgrounds who founded Indoor Sunglasses in 2022 after graduating”, Breum explains. 2 hours of engaging puzzles and story.

Puzzle 245

Puzzle Games Asset Educational 245

Brand Game Development

JULY 17, 2017

The following excerpt is from Games Speak through Mechanics, Not Rules (Dev Diary: 04/28/17). If you strip out all the mechanics that put obstacles in your players’ path, what’s left? The core engine is the bare minimum set of mechanics you need to have a functioning game. That’s a mechanic. Chess tells a story.

Communications 130

Communications Game Developer Game Development Development 130

Big Games

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

A lot of brainstorming and analysis goes into developing the concept that sets it apart from the crowd. A sure proof of the concept or idea has to be generated to see how viable and feasible it will be for the gaming studio to develop the game. Developers work closely with the engineers to decide the game mechanics.

Concepts 52

Concepts Game Developer Game Development Development 52

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

TikTok brought them back into fashion and in splendid style when the concept of fidget trading emerged as a new trend in 2021, with users filming the process of trading their fidget toys with each other. A large part of Fidget Trading’s massive success was due to the popularity of the game concept and familiarity among TikTok users.

Build 130

Build Mechanics Mobile Gaming Puzzle 130

PreMortem.Games

JUNE 27, 2023

We absolutely love coming up with new ideas and experimenting with crazy concepts.” The key idea was to use the gameplay mechanics from Vampire Survivors in a different genre. “We However, after testing this concept, we thought, ‘Why not add another hand?’ We believed that an old-school FPS would be a perfect fit.

Concepts 104

Concepts Mechanics FPS Studios 104

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

Only after your game is functional and has a few mechanics and rules do I recommend bringing in play-testers. “Fun” is a nebulous and weird concept for game developers. At this point, I don’t even chase “fun” because it’s a vague, poorly defined concept. Early play-testing photo.

Point and Click 130

Point and Click Mechanics Games Art 130

Brand Game Development

OCTOBER 28, 2019

Worker placement is a very simple concept with really profound implications. There is a reason this mechanic is present in many BGG Top 100 Games such as Viticulture , Caverna , A Feast for Odin , and Agricola. Sometime around 2018, I did a major poll asking people what their favorite themes and mechanics were.

Game Designer 130

Game Designer Game Design Fantasy Mechanics 130

PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 24, 2024

I thought that the core mechanic in this 2D game was extraordinary, so I contacted the developers. I told them I had already created some early concept art and design work for my next game and that it would fit perfectly into it. The Swap The initial idea that ignited the project was the core mechanic: The Swap.

Pixel 145

Pixel Art Mechanics Demo 145

iXie gaming

MARCH 2, 2025

A simple texture change or model update can impact gameplay mechanics, UI design, and monetization strategies. Manual handoffs between concept artists, modelers, and animators. (ii). AI-Assisted Art Creation Generative AI accelerates concept art, texturing, and asset variations. Common issues include: (i).

Art 52

Art Asset Texture AI 52

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 4, 2024

The small team of six to seven professionals is tasked with wading through roughly 150 new concepts per month, determining which few might have the potential to become the next big title. Kepler Interactive’s selection process hinges on more than just a game’s polish—it’s about the ‘vibe’ and the unique potential of the concept.

Prototyping 151

Prototyping Concepts Build Development 151

Brand Game Development

APRIL 10, 2017

For the purpose of this breakdown’s coherence, I won’t go into details of the shooting and marshal mechanics, nor will I cover the end-game shooting bonus. I’m going to focus on the programmable movement, because this mechanic alone has a lot of subtle implications which I will proceed to break down.

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Concepts Fantasy Film 130

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 25, 2024

It’s a brutal journey of persistence, frustration, and constant restarts, where the stakes are as emotional as they are mechanical. Internal debate The development of Ascending Inferno wasn’t just about embracing punishing mechanics though. Left: the original concept art for the logo, right: the final logo. experience.

Studios 118

Studios Indy Mechanics Games 118

Logic Simplified

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

Core Mechanics of an Endless Runner Game Game mechanics make a video game engaging and challenging for players. The core mechanics involved in an Endless Runner Game include - Player Actions The player interacts in an endless runner game by jumping, sliding, or shifting sideways to avoid obstacles.

Mechanics 40

Mechanics Games Concepts Feature 40

PreMortem.Games

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

The game immerses players in a captivating odyssey across worlds within worlds, beckoning them to master the art of world-leaping mechanics to uncover a cosmic mystery. Carlsen’s vision for Cocoon sprang from a fascination with game mechanics. years of development. One day the idea simply popped up”, explains Carlsen.

Puzzle 104

Puzzle Prototyping Art Communications 104

PreMortem.Games

MAY 1, 2023

Mechanical Hand The studio’s upcoming game, Atomic Picnic, is the brainchild of the company’s CEO, Camilla Slotfeldt. She drew a lot of the first concept art for the main characters. Like a mechanical hand and survival aspects inspired by the ‘ Roadside Picnic ’ novel.”

Studios 104

Studios Build Playtesting Concepts 104

Brand Game Development

JUNE 3, 2019

The concept is simple: through gamification, you take the elements we associate with games – point scoring, competition, rules – and apply them to something else. Businesses have fallen in love with this concept because they’ve found that gamification works wonders for motivating people.

UX 130

UX Playtesting Game Designer Game Design 130

Logic Simplified

AUGUST 8, 2023

Video game artists specialize in a wide range of digital art forms, such as 2D modeling, animation, concept art and texturing. The Role of Game Artists Concept artist The game concept artist creates the initial visual concepts of the game (characters, environments, props, vehicles and other visual elements) in accordance with GDD.

Game Designer 88

Game Designer Game Design Art Prop 88

PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 17, 2024

What caught my attention wasn’t just her confidence on the panel but the fact that she was not only a student pursuing three majors at Wits University she was also the Lead Concept artist at Chroma Pixel Games , a game studio based in Zambia. I draw concepts, and the 3D Modelers bring them to life.

Pixel 160

Pixel Art Animation Animation 160

Logic Simplified

APRIL 1, 2024

Game concepts: In this phase, some of the questions asked are - What will be the genre of the game? Concept Art: Concept art shows how the characters, objects, buildings, and areas will look. Concept Art: Concept art shows how the characters, objects, buildings, and areas will look. What is the time frame?

Game Developer 102

Game Developer Game Development Development Engine 102

Brand Game Development

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

All these games together will teach you a wide variety of mechanics. This is a neat way to introduce brand new board game devs to odd concepts like modular boards – that is, boards that do not have the same form every time you play. Don’t study the mechanics of this game. They’re cheap.

Dev 130

Dev Games Mechanics Concepts 130

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 4, 2016

The objective of Patchwork is to score the most points, but that’s kind of an abstract concept. It has depth on repeated plays, but the depth comes from simple mechanics. The mechanics may be simple, but the relationships between them give the game life and longevity. Photo by Eric Yurko of “What’s Eric Playing?”

Games 130

Games Mechanics Concepts Dev 130

Brand Game Development

MAY 14, 2018

Operational failures come from a problem in your plan’s implementation, but not necessarily the core concepts of your plan. Concept Design: The creation of initial ideas based on what hobby board gamers are currently interested in. Concept Design & Market Validation: Did the core concept of the game resonate with customers?

Game Developer 130

Game Developer Game Development Development Concepts 130

Logic Simplified

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

The Numbers Dont Lie Endless runner games have captivated mobile gamers worldwide, seamlessly blending simple mechanics with engaging gameplay. Kids: Bright colors and simple mechanics? The concept of being chased (or chasing something) taps into our primal instincts. But why do people go bonkers for them? Happy running!

Games 53

Games Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile 53