During our exclusive serialisation of the ebook, So... You Want to Make Video Games?, game designer Nick Pendriis has given us the lowdown on a variety of topics to help experienced creatives and newcomers alike to get started on a brand new game.
In this chapter we're taking a look the individual items that make up the building blocks of a game, its assets. This includes graphics, sounds and any story or text you might need to bring your concept to life.
Check out the earlier sections if you haven't already, and the list below shows you what's left to come in our exclusive serialisatoni of So... You Want to Make Video Games?:
- CONCEPT: Find a strong idea.
- DESIGN: Make test versions and create a blueprint.
- PLAN: Organise the project carefully.
- BUILD: Create the computer code.
- ASSETS: Create visuals, audio and words.
- TEST, FIX & PUBLISH: Look for problems, resolve them, release the game to the public.
- PROMOTE and SUPPORT: Announce the game and respond to feedback.
Here's Nick Pendriis to give you a bit more about what's in phase five.
Of course, there’s more to a game than just lines of code. There are visuals, sound effects, music and text. The other stuff. These additional contents are called “assets”.
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
- Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist.
A player doesn’t see the program code, or even know what it’s doing. It’s invisible. The player only interacts with the assets. That’s how a player experiences the game world, through their real senses. To players, assets make up the entire game and directly allow their imaginations to roam within it. Assets are just as important as the hidden code that controls them.
We can boil the assets down into three broad categories: visuals, audio and words. They are created in tandem with the code.
Click here to view the list »