The odds of my newly chosen path to be successful?

My advice would be to start small regardless of whether you know what you want to make.

The best way to learn that I've found is by making tiny projects, and iterating rapidly on them. Being able to quickly correct your mistakes and try new things is going to be much more effective than trying to make the perfect game on your first try.

What you should ask yourself is if can you make a game that's fun with only gameplay. There's no point in spending all your time on graphics, environments, sound, writing etc if the core idea isn't fun.

A great way to try this is by making a mod for something - because you have all your assets there already.

I also recommend looking at small indie games like Minecraft for examples of simple concepts that don't need detailed graphics to be fun or engaging. Gunpoint is also a really good example of someone's first game that's not only really fun but well documented.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it!

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Thanks for the advice! After reading this I'm starting to realize I'm not really sure what to learn first or where to start lol

No problem! Making games is horrendously complicated, but learning the basics is a lot more accessible now than it ever has been.

Here's a tutorial series by the guy who designed/programmed Gunpoint. He's a good speaker, and I expect the basic principles can be applied to your tool of choice.

He also has a breakdown on Gunpoint's development and an entire blog full of useful advice and insight. I believe the special editions of the game also give you access to some of his prototypes.

A fun way to start might be to find a game you like, and take one aspect of it that you think is cool. Try and figure out how that was done, then try to replicate it.

It doesn't have to be a mechanic - if you want to be an artist, maybe try reskinning/remodelling a weapon. If you'd like to get into level design, Portal 2 has a really easy to use map editor. If you want to make a mod, Bethesda's open-world RPGs like Skyrim are often great places to start.

Or if you're into RTSes, I started out making mods for Red Alert 2 and Age of Mythology. Are there any that you play that have a modding community you could join?

However you go about it, show the thing you made to others, get feedback, and iterate on it. Being able to take criticism and use it constructively is more important than knowing how to do something in the first place, because that's how you get better.


EDIT: In fact if anyone else has game development resources, here is a good place to post them. Unity and Unreal Engine 4 have a ton of tutorials for example.

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@Dan_GGG I'm taking the time now to watch those tutorials you linked me!

Cool! Keep us posted!