Tom Hall's secret to quickly becoming a game developer

Tom Hall, one of the founders of the ion storm Development Company, posted an interesting article on the internet, revealing the "secret to success" that quickly became a game developer ". Alas, what's so cheap in the world? But Tom Hall is serious. You can't believe it. In addition, I was born to be curious about "opportunistic", "" one-stop "and other things. (first, I declare that the path of my life is solid, one step at a time, this kind of "misdemeanor" is rare, just curious), then secretly read. If you don't look at it, you can see that Tom Hall is a big slide in the world. When you are disappointed, you can't help but smile, and suddenly understand Mr. Hall's painstaking efforts.
It turns out that he did not tease the reader, but he was actually using it for a few minutes. Tom Hall, a well-known game developer, is developing a game (he is currently busy developing a future-based game: time and space variant). I often receive some emails. The writer's table shows the ambition of the game industry. There are three kinds of questions:

1. "I have novel thoughts in my mind. Are you willing to hire me ?"

For the first letter, Hall answered only two sentences: "All new things are new" and "no ". "Today's gaming industry is not lacking in novelty, and thousands of new ideas are emerging and dying every day," Hall explains. Although novelty is crucial to the success or failure of a game, it is more important to act and put it into practice. What did Edison say: 'the invention is a mixture of 1% inspiration and 99% sweat. 'The nobody will listen to you unless you come up with something. It takes some dedication to prepare a game. You may laugh at the game developers who are not doing well, or do not do well, but they have actually completed a piece of work, this makes them different. Because 99% of people want to ensure that they will be rewarded before they make the effort ."

2. "Can you take a look at the game design I just completed? A great idea !"

For such a letter, Hall refused faster, almost without thinking about "No ". The reason is also somewhat surprising: "the ideas they sent may be superficial exercises or brilliant future masterpieces, but I did not dare to see them at a glance. The reason is very simple. I am also engaged in game planning. His ideas may coincide with my existing ideas. He will think that I have plagiarized his thoughts. Second, the things I have seen will be lost in my perception. In my future game planning, it will come out without knowing it, in this way, I still cannot get rid of the danger of being accused of plagiarism. Third, once I have read an idea, I must comment on it and use my own ideas to guide it. For selfish reasons, I don't want my 'cool 'thoughts to be used by others. I still need them in the future. Also, I am afraid that I will not be able to comment on game planning published in magazines, even though people who have posted opinions may say, 'This is what I think is a good game, let's just do it. 'If this idea is adopted by a game developer and has earned millions of dollars, 98% of the people will go to court for patent fees. In addition, 2% of people will take you to court under the custody of their spouse. ."

3. "I think making a game is an exciting thing. How did you embark on this path? What tools have you used ?"

Mr. Hall looks pleasing to the eye, probably only the third problem. As such a letter only raises a question, and there is no hidden danger, Mr Hall's answer will be very refreshing. Here, he not only answers questions, but also expresses his own unique opinions on the game development industry.

"If you really like computer games, and no one around you will develop games, and you have not learned how to develop games through books and tools, unless someone teaches you how to develop a game, you don't know how to get started. If this is the case, you can get rid of the idea of developing a game early.

"If you have just played a great game, you will feel that you can do the same thing. In fact, you have no idea about game development. What you hold is just a desire for success and fame, then you should not play game developers.

"If you are unretrievably addicted to computer games, read game magazines and use Quick BASIC to write your own simple games from time to time, so that you are not afraid to open the kernel of some good games, comparing them back and forth is not suitable for game development."

Tom Hall repeatedly fired the above people, because in his opinion, the game industry is not just capable of enthusiasm and obsession. A gaming company is a profitable company, not a place where game research is conducted. The competition rules here are harsh, just like the Hollywood film industry. You have to think twice before heading for this new world, and be prepared to go to the restaurant and serve dishes at the beginning-maybe for the rest of your life.

"If you still cannot get rid of the idea of game development, I will give you a detailed description of the difficult road you will face, this is a treasure road to success." It seems that Mr. Hall finally cannot bear to reject so many obsessed young people and start preaching and teaching. "After you fully understand its difficulties, I will point out another path to you, and I will tell you the super secret of quick success without any effort. But after you read the following content ."

Open your computer and input QBASIC in DOS state. You will find a program running. QBASIC is a programming program that comes with DOS. Nothing in your operating system is written with it-It runs too slowly-but you can use it to write some game programs. According to Mr. Hall, you should start by learning other people's programs first. Buy some game programming manuals on the street, and then you can do it. You will make one mistake or another, but no one cares. In "watching and learning", you should pay attention to the following questions: how do they make the game interesting and make operations simple? What will I do if I change it? How are they improved? What makes you still bored with it after playing for 50 hours?

Tom Hall's assignment is not easy. About 100 mini games need to be developed. The first 10 should be unsightly beginners. Starting from 11th, you should have a little improvement. From 50th games, you start to have your own voice. As a musician grows, after you develop 100 games, the game development program becomes an instrument that allows you to control at will and use it to express your thoughts as you like.

There should be no limits on the types of games you want to develop. In the beginning, you may wish to start with one of the oldest games in the Game Industry: pac-man. You will find that it is not actually as simple as it looks. You can also let a villain go from point A to point B to avoid a small ball falling from point C. The key is to start making a game and complete it. As your work grows, you will feel proud and addicted. One day, your friends asked to copy a game you made and go home to play it. Then you were almost out of the box. Create a brand new game, a new product that has never been done before, refine it as much as possible, and then get luck from the gaming industry.

There are more than one road to success, but Tom Hall's path to success is a real precedent. People who want to be game developers naturally want to know. We roughly drew a rough outline of his path:

I used to play arcade games since I was a child. Later I bought a game machine, bought a computer in high school, and developed 50 games. Then I went to college to study programming and made 30 games in my spare time. Other Games were used in my spare time. While reading books and magazines, I started to write for the magazine, compile games for students with mental disabilities, earn a computer degree at graduation, and earn a career in a small company, it has programs released every month. While engaging in applications, I made several more games and started to snoop on other game production departments. I met several talented players in the game, and make their work appreciated by them. When the peak is full, you will be able to stand on your own and create your own gaming company. Working 16 hours a day, working 7 days a week, earning only enough money to make a living. Making a variety of games is gradually becoming a success. This is a tough and long journey. However, to become a game developer, you must do the same thing.

"Isn't there another way ?" Readers are unwilling to ask.

Yes, there is still a way. Taking this path, you don't have to spend time and energy learning programming. you can achieve your dreams overnight. Tom Hall knew this path and called it the "super secret to success" and generously presented it to everyone. The tips are arranged in three steps:

Step 1: millions of dollars of idle money can be used.

Step 2: purchase a ready-made game development company.

Step 3: Do not forget to add your name to the contract. Your name must be added before all the games developed by the company.

Success. In this way, you (at least in the eyes of the public) become a game developer. Is it concise and fast? Looking at the game cover, your hot name, are you intoxicated? The only drawback is that you don't expect others to respect you. If you really want to be a real game developer, there seems to be no other way to go, except for the first tough road that is full of thorns.