Lesson 4: Sound Engineer  Summary In this video, we’re tuning into the world of sound engineers, the maestros behind all the immersive sounds and epic soundtracks in your favorite games. Join us to discover the art of sound design in gaming! Lesson 4 Transcript So now we’re going to talk about what a sound […]

Lesson 1: Game Designer vs Game Programmer Summary In this video, we’re breaking down the jobs of game designers and game programmers, showing you how sometimes, they wear each other’s hats, especially in small teams. Tune in to get the lowdown on who does what and how the designer and programmer work hand in hand […]

Lesson 11: Game Difficulty Summary In this video, Aaron delves into the nuanced topic of difficulty in video games, emphasizing the role of a game designer in setting the difficulty level to align with the narrative and the intended player experience. Lesson 11 Transcript Let’s talk about the difficulty of video games. This is one […]

Lesson 7: Randomness Summary In this lesson, we explore the role of randomness in games, distinguishing between input and output randomness. The discussion emphasizes balancing randomness to maintain fairness and enhance player satisfaction, sometimes even tweaking probabilities in the player’s favor to foster a sense of achievement and prevent frustration. Lesson 7 Transcript So what […]

Creating New Food Summary In this lesson, we enhance our snake game by introducing a feature where a new piece of food appears at a random location every time the snake consumes the existing food. We delve into the concepts of instances and objects and learn how to use the “instance_create” function with random ranges […]

What Are Functions Summary In this video, we explore the concept of functions in GameMaker Studio, highlighting their role in simplifying complex codes into single lines and facilitating various game actions. Learn how to utilize built-in functions, understand the manual, and get introduced to debugging through the “show message” function. Lesson 5 Transcript So what […]

Lesson 3: Comments Summary We take a break from the coding process to discuss the important yet often overlooked aspect of adding comments to your code. Give your variables descriptive names and discover how to create both single and multi-line comments in GameMaker to make your code more readable and manageable. Lesson 3 Transcript I […]

Lesson 1: Breaking Down Snake Summary In this lesson, we break down the classic Snake game to understand what makes it tick. Learn the key elements that define the game and get ready to create a unique version of it yourself. Lesson 1 Transcript So what we’re going to do in this module is take […]

Adding Difficulty Summary In this tutorial, we enhance the challenge in our snake game by increasing the snake’s speed each time it eats food and introducing blocks that appear where the food was consumed, eventually filling the level. Lesson 10 Transcript So what I would like to do to add challenge to this is one; […]

Lesson 13: Adding A Score Summary In this tutorial, we add a scoring system to our snake game, utilizing GameMaker’s built-in score variable and learning how to manually draw elements on the screen to display the score. Lesson 13 Transcript What I want to do now is add a score to our game, a visualization […]

Lesson 7: The Manual Summary In this video, Aaron highlights the importance of the GameMaker Studio manual, a resource that explains everything from functions to built-in variables. Unlike many technical documents, this manual is comprehensive and user-friendly. Aaron demonstrates how to access relevant sections of the manual, discusses the manual’s structure, and encourages the use […]

GameMaker Variables Summary In this tutorial, Aaron discusses the significance of variables in GameMaker and in programming languages in general. He guides you through the process of creating a variable, navigating potential warnings, and underscores the importance of using descriptive names for variables. Lesson 6 Transcript Variables inside of GameMaker and pretty much across all […]

Event-Based Programming Summary In this video, Aaron explains the basics of GameMaker Studio and the fundamental concepts of 2D game development. He discusses: how the X and Y coordinates work in the GameMaker grid system, how to modify object properties, and the importance of the ‘step’ event that runs every frame of the game. He […]

Easing Into Code Summary In this tutorial, we dive into GameMaker Studio 2 and learn the basics of creating a sprite, an object, and writing our first line of code. This video serves as a practical introduction to GameMaker Studio, demonstrating key features while guiding new programmers through their first steps in game development. Lesson […]

Showcasing GameMaker Studio 2 Summary In this lesson, Aaron introduces you to GameMaker Studio, highlighting its capabilities by showcasing popular games created with it, and walking through its user interface and core components of a 2D game. He also highlights the importance of staying motivated and inspired by customizing the background of GameMaker Studio with […]

What Is A Game Programmer? Summary Discover the intricate role of a game programmer – they are responsible for coding all elements of a game, from player interactions to menu functionality. This video explores the challenges and responsibilities of game programming and the complex roles they undertake beyond coding which includes extensive problem-solving, research, experimentation, […]

What is a Game Designer? Summary Game designer wears many hats. This is especially true in a small indie team. Whether game designers are part of a small or large company, they play an important role in ensuring that all aspects of the game development align with the initial vision of the creators. They are […]

Lesson 3: Make It Your Own Summary In this lesson, we emphasize the importance of making the games your own. Throughout the course, we will be creating three different games – a snake game, a space game, and an action platformer called ‘The Castle of Doom’. We encourage you to customize the games to your […]

Lesson 1: Getting Pumped Summary Welcome to this game design and programming course by Aaron Craig! If you are aspiring to be the best game designer you can be, then this course is perfect for you. We will cover everything from functions, variables, to using GameMaker Studio, by creating three fantastic games. Starting with a […]