Making a custom video game can be daunting! Where do I start? How much does it cost? Can I make one?!
We will answer your questions and hopefully get you started on the journey of making a custom game!
We will look at three possible solutions:
Using a Game Engine!
Hiring a studio!
Hiring freelancers!
If you want to control every aspect of the game and design, develop, host, and publish a game yourself... Go for it! Thats what we do, and its very possible if you have the time!
Step one would be choosing the engine that suits you best!
How do I decide on a game engine?
Well, it depends on what you want to do! Do you want a web game on your website? We recommend Unity. Do you want a game that players download on their computer with stunning graphics? We recommend Unreal Engine. Do you have a simple game to give to clients to play on their phone? We recommend Unity again!
There are plenty of game engines out there, and we plan on writing about them and how they may be best for you!
But after the game engine, how do I actually make the game?
Step one is deciding what your game is going to be!
is it going to be a platformer?
a score-based game?
a text-based adventure?
Why are you making a game? If its to promote your brand, then make sure to make a game that is neutral to people's emotions; you don't want people to lose and feel frustrated at your game and see your logo pop up; that's just going to negatively impact your brand.
If your making an educational game, you need to use mechanics to positively reinforce the students.
Planning the game and deciding what its going to be is really important and requires a lot of design and testing to get it right!
-
Once that's done, you need to get into the engine and start programming! There are many Youtube tutorials that are great out there to make a basic game! and with enough time and effort, you can make your first game!
Don't forget you also have to design and make the art, music, UI, UX, and mechanics for the game. Depending on the size of your game, it can take months to make! Even for a simple game like a score-based ball-throwing game.
Now, after a couple months, your ready to publish!
Uploading your game to the world wide web is a new challenge!
If its an indie game, upload the build to websites like Itch.io.
If your game is for a few people or clients, send the transfer link or email with the files!
If your game is a web game, you can host it on Netify, Firebase or Itch.io
If your game is a mobile app, the process is longer than the rest for sure; you have to make the legal contracts and Terms and Conditions for the Android and Apple platforms, get approved, test the app and versions uploaded, then hit publish!
Choosing the platform is super important; if you miss the mark, then there is a good chance your game won't meet your expectations and flop! But dont let that scare you! With enough time and effort, you can properly make and launch your own custom game!
Alternatively, you can hire a studio (like ours!) to make the game for you! This is by far the easiest option!
A studio will take care of everything we mentioned above! The first step is setting up a meeting, where you and the studio will discuss what you want and how you want it. This step will allow you to gauge whether or not the studio is a good fit for you!
After that, the studio will go back, price it, and maybe build a very basic prototype. From here, there will be regular meetings where you come in and give feedback on the game, making sure it stays within your vision! The studio will also make decisions based on what they think is best for the game, but don't worry, everything will have your approval!
The Studio will take care of everything from A to Z until it's on a file sharing site, on your website, or on the Android and Apple app stores!
You are guaranteed a high-quality product that meets your needs.
If this sounds better and easier than using an engine, that's because it is! With a studio, you get professionals that have experience making games working for you to make your dream game!
This of course comes at a cost. although we can't comment on other companies costs, we can give one based on our costs.
Hiring freelancers on websites such as Fiverr or Freelancer is an attractive option and may be what you need! They tend to be cheaper and can be easy to communicate with!
There are multiple options with freelancers; you can either hire one freelaner at a time, one to do design, another to do art, and another to do sound. Which can quickly ramp up the cost, but at least you control the budget of each section.
Or you can hire one freelancer to do everything.
Freelancers will sometimes do the publishing, but its not guaranteed they do. They will also run into issues when making the terms and conditions for Apple and Android app publishing, as these things take time, and being supported by a studio and business will be easier. But if you want more control over these aspects, it could be better for you!
Freelancers will allow revisions sometimes, but come with the risk that if your not 100% happy with the product, you may need to pay more for more revisions or pay for a new freelancer.
Its higher risk to get a freelancer, but it also allows you to budget, control, and manage the project in chunks. Which may suit your needs and is definitely the middle point between using an engine and hiring a studio!