Preface
Ever since I was six, I've had an interest for video games.
I loved many different kinds of games, old and new, with many different play
styles and stories. This interest really sparked when I got my first gaming
console, my Nintendo 64. I used to play my Nintendo 64 all the time, playing
the old Mario 64 and Star Wars Pod Racing. I was obsessed with these two games
and played them for hours whenever I could get the chance. My interest in games
grew even more when I got my first Xbox. With this console I was exposed to more
games than I could count. I was exposed to racing games, puzzle games, sports
games and even military shooters. With these games, I began to wonder how
people could produce such incredible forms of entertainment. It wasn't until when
I was around twelve, that I began to add on more questions. What was the
process game makers were using to make the games? How did they make the games?
Where did the ideas for the games come from?
Just last summer, the summer of 2014, I was finally able to get answers to these questions. During the month of June, I went to the Portland Art Institute for a week to take part in one of their summer events. During that week, I was taught how to program and design a game. From there, I began to create a simple arcade game based off of Asteroids and 1943, top down shooters where you have to survive for as long as you can. Even though we didn't exactly finish the games, I now had a pretty good idea of how to make a game. So that is what I set out to do, make a functioning and entertaining game from my previous game while coming up with an idea for another game to make in the future.
I chose this topic for several different reasons. First, I was very interested in video games. Second, I wanted to explore the possibility of making game design a career in the future and what type of education I needed in order to accomplish my goals.
In order to do this, I set out to design a game from start to finish, talk to people who are currently in the industry to see what they have done to be where they are today. I wrote down my progress in a journal to show my accomplishments and setbacks, which were many.
Just last summer, the summer of 2014, I was finally able to get answers to these questions. During the month of June, I went to the Portland Art Institute for a week to take part in one of their summer events. During that week, I was taught how to program and design a game. From there, I began to create a simple arcade game based off of Asteroids and 1943, top down shooters where you have to survive for as long as you can. Even though we didn't exactly finish the games, I now had a pretty good idea of how to make a game. So that is what I set out to do, make a functioning and entertaining game from my previous game while coming up with an idea for another game to make in the future.
I chose this topic for several different reasons. First, I was very interested in video games. Second, I wanted to explore the possibility of making game design a career in the future and what type of education I needed in order to accomplish my goals.
In order to do this, I set out to design a game from start to finish, talk to people who are currently in the industry to see what they have done to be where they are today. I wrote down my progress in a journal to show my accomplishments and setbacks, which were many.