The gaming industry has hit new highs. We have the PVP/co-op, multiplayer games for pro/competitive players, mobile puzzle games for those looking to pass the time, high-stake, heart-pumping action/adventure games for teens and young adults, and simulation games (The Sims) for players looking to relax and just lose themselves in character creation.
iGaming is Also Growing
Of course, as the gaming industry grows, all the related sub-industries develop as well. For example, iGaming, or the online gambling industry has also hit new strides. Gambling is an entertainment form going back to the Ancient world. Today, it is still incredibly popular. However, the online gambling websites have only garnered popularity very recently. So, nowadays you can play the latest games by some of the top tier software developers. Online slots like the Sisters of Oz Wowpot are by far the stars of the show. However, games like blackjack, roulette, and poker are also incredibly popular.
Game Design is the New “in” Thing
If you are a gamer, deeply entrenched in the industry, the next logical step is to come up with your own game. Game design is not easy. However, it is incredibly fun. Creating puzzles and thinking up of cool ways to solve them is an excellent way to keep yourself entertained. And if your entertainment can also bring some joy to others, all the better right?
It is precisely this drive that many gamers have, that leads to excellent mods of already fantastic games. For any fan of the Elder Scrolls franchise, you will be familiar with the wide variety of excellent mods on the latest iteration, Skyrim. Skyrim mods range from “minor improvements to the game” to “a whole new game set in the same world”. One of the most popular mods when the game first came out was the “Batman” mod, which let gamers play as Bruce Wayne in the world of Skyrim.
However, tools for game design are often pricey. For example, it takes a lot of money to develop Call of Dragons PC version. Meaning that many people may have the idea, but not the funds. Luckily, in the era of Information, you can find anything online for free. So, in this article, we are going to go over a few programs that allow video game software development for absolutely free.
Construct 3
While there seems to be a link between gamers and programmers, not all gamers know how to code. Some of us have never written a single line of code in our entire lives. And some of us might be worried that this means we can never design our own game. After all, how can you design a game without knowing how to code?
Well, Construct 3 is the answer to that question. One of the best free tools for game design, Construct 3 is an HTLM5-based video game engine. The engine was developed by Scirra Ltd., and is one of the most successful free tools for game development.
The engine was initially released in 2007, as a DirectX 9 game engine for Microsoft. During those years, it was written in Python. However, five years after its release, the developers changed over to JavaScript, which makes it even easier to use.
The best part about Construct 3 is that you can export the games you’ve created to tens of different formats and platforms. So, once you’ve finished designing your game, you can export it to PC, Linux, Android iOS, Xbox One, and other similar platforms.
Unity
Construct 3 is simple and effective. Unity is a lot more complex, but the finished product will feature jaw-dropping visuals and fantastic gameplay. Unity is such an excellent service, that even big names in the industry have started using it. In fact, there is pretty big chance that, if you are a gamer, you’ve played a game made using Unity.
Unity uses a component-entity design system, which many claim that it perfected. What this means is, that every object in the game acts as an individual entity, that other objects can be attached to. Popular games created using Unity that you might have heard of include: Cuphead, Pokemon GO, Call of Duty: Mobile, Rust, Ori and the Blind Forest, etc.
The trouble with Unity, however, is that you do need to know how to code before you can use it. Not only that, but to get the best out of Unity you will need to learn to code in C#. Thankfully, there are numerous “How To” videos and tutorials, guiding new programmers and helping them to best utilize the Unity program.
GameMaker Studio 2
Going back to the simpler game development tools, GameMaker Studio was first created in the 1990s, and later developed in 2007. Like Construct, GameMaker is a simple-to-use and understand tool, that relies on drag-and-drop mechanics to help you create and design a game. While a bit more complex than Construct, GameMaker also comes with a major advantage.
You see, GameMaker has its own Game Maker Language. Similar to the C coding language, the Game Maker script gives designers a lot more variety. Like Construct 3, once you’ve finished your game you can export it to quite a large number of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, HTML5, PlayStation and Xbox devices, and a lot more.
It is worth saying that the free version of GameMaker Studio 2 does not allow you to export at all. So, sadly, if you want to publish your game, you will have to fork over the cash. For this reason, we’ve elected to place it last on our list. However, its ranking does not reflect its quality. GameMaker Studio 2 is one of the best tools you can use today, with new features being released regularly.
Final Thoughts
The three aforementioned tools for game design are all free to use and offer an excellent place for any game designer to start. Once you’ve released your game, and gained experience and exposure, who knows where the future can take you? So, if you have any interest in gaming or game design, check out the options we’ve listed in this article. You won’t regret it.