Beginners Ambition

So I've come across this term in my research and I thought I would talk about it a little.  Having spent the last few years of my life pursuing a dream that was far too ambitious for a first project, and also meeting many beginners in the game creation process, I have seen a definite pattern that has emerged.  When someone is unfamiliar with what it takes to make a video game they think remaking some large game or creating an MMO is just a matter of using the existing framework and tweaking it a little.  What happens afterward is a realization of what a colossal effort it takes, as every question they look up on Google leads to two or more new questions, which when followed lead to yet more questions.  Soon a beginner is quite overwhelmed, and that grand game they have thought up becomes an unconquerable beast of a task.

So what advice would I give to someone interested in becoming a game developer.  Well one is start small, with learning how to make pong for example.  Think of pong as the monster conquerable by a beginning adventurer.  It's not that exciting, but given you are just starting out it's where you are and it will give you valuable experience needed for the next level challenge and the challenge after that.  Eventually you will be able to recreate games from the 8-bit era like super mario bros.  Unfortunately there are no shortcuts if you wish to create something truly unique.  If you wish to program a 3D game then you will need to learn matrix math and programming challenges that will really stretch your creative and analytic skill sets.  Perhaps one day, hopefully with the help of others going through a similar journey, you will be able to take on that challenge and make your game.

Also I cannot stress enough that making games is a challenge that will require a good education in math, computer science, and depending on what you want to include in your game a wide variety of other subjects.  It is not a challenge for the faint of heart, and unlike playing most games you will fail many times before you succeed.  I have a great respect for game developers now, and I truly hope that many of the rising generation are able to take on the challenge to become great game developers in the future.