Make Your Own Indie Sports Game - RyantheLou's Blog

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RyantheLou's Blog

Make Your Own Indie Sports Game

Posted on February 25, 2013 at 12:12 AM.

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When I was a kid, I wanted to make NES games. I remember sitting in the library during reading time, drawing levels on graph paper and coming up with level bosses and probably a bunch of really ridiculous stuff. I don't think that I ever completely got it out of my head, but I also didn't end up getting into making games as life took me in other directions. But now, I've been more involved in video games, and it's mostly been sports video games for the past ten years or so. Looking at the video game landscape, it seems like there is less of a barrier to entry to making video games. It seems that way, because it is.

There are several things that go into making even a really simple video game, so I don't think anyone should ever think that they can make Tecmo Super Bowl or even 10 Yard Fight...certainly not a 3D full scale sports game like Madden or FIFA. Indie video games are a lot like indie music (or like how indie music can be) in that they are trying to create something fun and interesting without trying to compete in the same arena as the big publishers. You can make an indie game and it can be successful, but you have to use your strengths and find a good niche. One of the best niches for indie games (especially indie sports games) is in the mobile games space.

If you look at games like New Star Soccer, you can see that even a simple game can have just enough complexity and fun to make it a great experience. New Start Soccer was made by one dude, but thousands of people have sunk hundreds of hours into that game. If you look at a little bigger mobile game like 9 Innings Pro Baseball, you can see where the next level up is as well. I don't know about you, but 9 Innings Pro Baseball has been my favorite baseball game since MVP 05, and I know there are others who feel the same way.

So, what do you need to do to make your own mobile game?

1. A Framework
You most likely know most of the components you'll need, but, for starters, you need something to help you make it. There are tons of frameworks made for beginners to help make video games a less involving process, but the one that I have been using is Corona SDK.

Corona makes things like physics, displaying graphics and publishing your game super easy. I'm not a huge programmer. I'm a web developer/designer and the language that Corona uses (Lua) is very easy to learn. If you have never programmed, there are a TON of great tutorials on how to get started with Corona. Check out this simple basketball game that you can make in like 20 minutes!

2. Graphics
You may not be any kind of an artist, but that shouldn't stop you from either a)partnering with a graphics person OR b)using stock sprite graphics. There are a ton of sites that have free graphics that you can use in your game. If you make a game that is solid enough using stock graphics, it will be a lot easier to convince an artist to partner with you. Or maybe you have a more text-based game. The key is to play to your strengths. Maybe you want to make a Football Manager style game for American Football? Who knows?

3. Time
Like anything you do in life, you have to devote a lot of time to it, if you want to get good at it. It's not like LeBron just practiced a little here in there when he was growing up. He has a ton of natural ability that he has worked his *** off to develop. The same goes for game-making. The barrier to create basic games is getting smaller and smaller, but, you can even make more complex games, if you are willing and dedicated enough.

This might not have been the most insightful article, but I hope it at least begins to show you that making video games isn't just for huge teams of people anymore. If you have an idea for a game, start making it!

I started making Pocket Dynasty Football about a month ago with one of my friends. We're moving along pretty quick and we'll have the game ready to be published on iOS and Android this summer.