Got a great idea for a video game? You’re not alone! But what can you do to make the idea into a complete game? Can you even make a game if you're starting off without any programming experience? In this presentation, you will get an overview of what it actually takes to make your own games, and what steps you can take immediately after the presentation to get started. Some of the topics we will discuss include: What skills are required to make a game Tips for writing out your game idea Choosing a realistic scope for your idea Suggestions for beginner-friendly game development software Ideas for monetizing games What you can do RIGHT NOW to move forward with your game idea Want to learn more? Check out our ebook and online course: Secrets to Rapid Game Development ebook: http://wp.me/P6x8lb-57 Game Development Online Course: http://bit.ly/2qNP9y9

1. From Concept to Reality
How to Make Your Idea Into a Game

2. About Me
• Owner of Cloudy Heaven Games LLC
• Education and professional experience in
Computer Science and Game Development
• Lifelong passion for video games
• After many failed attempts, founded my
company and released my first game all within
3 months, while working full-time

3. I Have a Game Idea…Now What?
• Write it down and add details!
• Concept document: 1-2 page, high-level overview
of game
– “Elevator Pitch”
– Game title
– Game genre
– Target audience
– Platform
– Game objective
– Unique selling points

4. I Have a Game Idea…Now What?
• Game treatment: 8-10 pages, more for
potential investors
– Competitive analysis
– Development team
– Game story, world and characters
– Pictures/art
– Technology
– Budget
– Schedule

5. I Have a Game Idea…Now What?
• Game design document (GDD): No set length,
serves as the game “bible”
– Gameplay/Mechanics: What can the player “do?”
Game rules? Win/loss conditions?
– Story: Backstory, setting, characters, endings
– Progression, saving
– Game options
– Interface
– Development tools/software
– Artificial intelligence
– Art/sound requirements

6. Is My Idea Any Good?
• Ask people around you about the basic idea
– Is it easy to understand?
– Are people interested in your “pitch?”
– How well do similar games do?
• Build a prototype
– Does not have to be electronic, can be
paper/pencil, built from physical pieces, etc.
– Use a tool like GameMaker Studio or GameSalad

7. Is My Idea Any Good?
• Get feedback throughout development
– Show game at local game dev. events and to
friends/family
– Surveys
– Watch how people play the game without
explaining it to them
• Don’t be afraid to tweak your idea or move on
to another one if it’s not working out

8. I Don’t Know How to Program!
• 1. Learn with free, beginner-friendly tools like
GameMaker Studio, Game Salad and
Construct 2
– Gradually teaches game development principles
– Graphical interface with no need to program for
basic games
– Plenty of tutorials and strong user-communities

9. I Don’t Know How to Program!
• 2. Plenty of resources to learn programming
– Packt (www.packtpub.com): Free programming
ebook everyday
– Sites like www.codeacademy.com,
www.freecodecamp.com,
www.programmingbasics.com, code.org,
gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com
– Computer classes at your school

10. I Don’t Know How to Program!
• 3. Find someone else who can, and form a
team or hire a programmer
– Some other roles other than programmer:
• Game designer
• Artist
• Musician/sound artist
• Game tester
• Marketer

11. How Do I Form a Team?
• Can’t do everything yourself, so look for help with some tasks and
skills
– Clubs/groups and other students at your school
– Local groups such as International Game Developers Association
(IGDA) or on Meetup.com
– If you still need extra team members, post a request for help on a site
like TIGSource forums or GameDev.net
– Agree on price, timeframe, intellectual property rights, etc.
• Decide on a method for communication and delivery of work
– Email
– Skype
– Dropbox
– Source control

12. I Still Can’t Find an Artist/Musician!
• Look for royalty-free game assets
– Game Dev Market
• Sound effects, music, art (2D/3D), etc.
• https://www.gamedevmarket.net?ally=j9WvplAR
• Post job requests on Fiverr.com
– Sellers offer services starting at $5
– Can also post custom requests and wait for offers

13. How Much Money/Time Does It Take
to Make a Game?
• Depends on:
– Genre
– Scope
– Experience
– Team
• Flappy Bird: Developer said 2-3 days
– Some developers made clones in 4 hrs
• With free tools and sites like
Fiverr/GameDevMarket, can make smaller games
for pretty low cost

14. How Much Money Can I Make?
• Most independent developers don’t make a lot at first
– Games are competitive market, especially against big
developers
– Most developers go through many games before making a
success
• Depends on platform
– Anyone can submit mobile games
– Harder to get game on console
• Two big factors: Marketing and game quality
• Some games, like Flappy Bird and Minecraft, bring in
millions of dollars

15. What Is a Typical Day for a Developer?
• Depends on the role and the development stage
• Stages of game development
– Beginning: Design ideas/documents, concept
art/music, prototypes, team building
– Middle: Writing code, fixing bugs and revising, testing,
creating art/music, demo feedback, marketing
– Release: Final cleanup, marketing, working on updates
• Throughout process, each role should be learning
– Industry blogs, conferences/events, tutorials
• Admin tasks

16. How Can People Buy and Play My
Game?
• Mobile app stores: Google Play, Amazon Store,
Apple Store
• PC game marketplaces: Humble Store, itch.io,
GameJolt, Steam
• HTML5 marketplaces/sites
• Personal website

17. Idea to Reality: The Course
• If you’d like to take an online class that goes
into more detail on these topics, sign up for
our class on Teachable.com:
• http://cloudy-heaven-
school.teachable.com/p/idea-to-reality-how-
to-make-your-first-video-game/
• Short version: http://bit.ly/2qNP9y9

18. Ebook on Game Development
• Secrets to Rapid Game Development: How I
Created a Game Business and My First Game
in 3 Months
– http://wp.me/P6x8lb-57

19. Questions/Comments?
• Contact info:
– Email: contact@cloudyheavengames.com
– Twitter: @CloudyHeavenGms
• Slideshare:
http://www.slideshare.net/CloudyHeavenGa
mes/
• Thanks, I hope this was helpful!