The process of creating a video game has undergone a radical transformation from the early days of the first computer games to now. The challenges developers faced then and now are extremely different. Let's step into the shoes of the developers of the present and the past.
My First Encounter With Video Games
Ah, I remember playing the first Age of Empires or Quake III Arena on my father's computer on Windows XP, maybe 20 years ago or so. Those games were actually released in the late 1990s, but I played them in the early 2000s. You could say that I was too small to remember much, and that may be true, but I have a few vivid fragments of memories from that time - my father working on the computer and me, a child, not yet even in school, waiting for the moments when I could play. Yep, the addiction to video games began at a young age.
You could entertain yourself, and the games presented a challenge. You could buy LEGOs, books, or whatever, but those eventually end. In computer games, you could always increase the difficulty or face more enemies, and it was an endless challenge. And, God, I loved challenges.
So now, as an adult (leaving aside the fact that I'm still childish) who has created a game or two, I became interested in what it was like back then. What was it like to build something from C or whatever programming language they used back then from scratch? Also, how did you distribute games without the internet? It was very tricky.
Let's research some facts from Google and then see if we can infer: Has the process of creating and deploying games become easier or harder? What can we learn from it?
Game Creation Through The Years
These are basically facts you can search on Google, but here's a summary.
The Dawn of Computers (1970s - 1980s)
Pong and Spacewar are among the most well known early projects. Today, an average PC has around 16GB of RAM, but during those times computers had extremely limited resources and processing power. Developers had to write highly optimized code to make the most of every byte. This meant working in low-level languages like assembly, which let's say to an average python developer nowadays is the worst nightmare.
-Lack of Tools-
There were no game engines to make life easy.
-Hardware Specific Development-
Every game had to be designed around a specific piece of hardware.
-Limited Scope-
Since resources were very limited, games had to be simple. There were no open world, multi-dialogue, multi-level projects.
-Lone Wolves-
Games were often created by lone programmers.
-Marketing-
The video game industry was just starting. Games were a new concept. Seriously, how do you pitch your game to others when no one expects this type of entertainment, and only a select few even own computers at this point?
The Rise of The Industry (Mid 1990s)
Powerful consoles like the PlayStation and the increasing popularity of PC gaming led to a new level of complexity. We could now create more complex, multi-level games.
-Increased Scope and Scale-
People could create more advanced projects with multiple modes, levels, and advanced mechanics.
-Development Teams-
As projects grew more complex, it could now take a team of 10-20 developers years to complete.
-Budget Concerns-
The cost of development began to skyrocket. With larger teams of developers, artists, sound designers and graphics specialists, creating a good game required significant resources.
-Marketing-
Projects were better, and the industry was a bit more saturated. The internet was beginning to be used, and there were some tools to reach others. Competition started to rise.
The Modern Age (2010 - Now)
Smartphones and free to play game models helped the industry a lot. Everyone knows the free Google Play games like Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride. Games like League of Legends began trying out F2P models that helped gather a huge number of players. Powerful connectivity and networks allow for hyper-competitive online gaming, where players can chase high ranks from the comfort of their home. Games are being released with incredibly beautiful and realistic graphics that can leave you in awe.
Today, the video game industry is a global behemoth. There are many tools available to create games, among them game engines, Photoshop, Blender, and sound applications. Recently, we even got an AI that helps to make development even easier! There are established ways to develop and promote games, with plenty of forums and best practices for development and marketing. Anyone can install Unity and get a cube to move in a few minutes!
But of course with every blessing comes a curse. We have enough resources to run any game devs want to create, making a game, marketing it - the entire process became so easy because there are tools available for anything. But if so - how do you stand out?
-Democratization of Tools-
Nowadays, you can develop a full game, together with art, sound and everything for free. There are certainly free tools available for every aspect you need of the development.
-Post Launch Demands-
The development process no longer ends with a game's release. Developers now have to deal with patches, bug fixes, DLCs, and more. Games often require a long term commitment.
How Does It Feel To Make A Game Today?
I made games with C++, OpenGL, Java, so I kind of tasted the 2000s era in terms of game dev. Indeed it was very hard to plan and build big projects from scratch. You had to learn about many low-level concepts that you are now saved from knowing about thanks to the high abstraction of game engines.
Let's talk about how it feels for both AAA titles and indie developers to make games today.
AAA titles
The real behemoths. Huge companies that often create truly outstanding games like Elden Ring and Assassin's Creed. They use the best available tools for development, marketing, drawing, and more.
Such great games require of course specialization. People have their roles - developer, social media manager, designer, composer. They create complex hierarchies that allow them to release such great projects. Of course, building these games requires a substantial budget.
Indie Devs
Small teams and solo developers. We often won't be able to use the best tools since we don't have a huge budget, but most of the time there are free tiers, open source tools and sufficient alternatives that we can use.
Indeed, as we have the tools we can also create games, do some marketing, composing, and so on. But because the teams are small, indie developers must possess a wide range of skills. In games made by a single person they literally compose, develop, market, build a website and grow social media presence... It's a huge amount of work.
And let's suppose you finish a game. Congrats! It's not an easy task. But how do you compete with the AAA titles? How do you stand out among all the other developers who were also able to create their games using the various free tools available?
My Thoughts
Now, with more and more games releasing on Steam, when your game can be flooded by thousands of other apps on the Play Store, and when the industry is the most competitive it has ever been, what do I think? I think we are in the best state possible for both AAA titles and indie developers. Let me explain.
AAA Titles
AAA titles require huge resources and create specialized jobs for professionals in specific fields. Their games are (usually) high quality. But they also usually cost a lot. Additionally, as an AAA company, why should you take a risk by trying to build something different when a mistake could cost you millions of dollars? It's better to stick to the known types of games people like and buy. They use the best tools and are ready to pay for them, which helps push the industry forward as more tools are released to make the development cycle easier.
Indie Devs
Now regarding indie devs. Accept it - you won't make a better game than an AAA company. So what can you do? Use your creativity. Just as there is always some new technology or startup people had never thought of, the same story applies to games. AAA titles won't discover new genres or experience combining genres as they risk losing a lot of money. But an indie studio will. Remember Minecraft, Among Us or Lethal Company. And even if you don't create an entirely new idea, you might make something with a unique story, gameplay, or graphics style that fans of older games may enjoy. You will also set a significantly lower price than AAA titles, which will make players more likely to acquire your games.
As an indie developer, don't expect to make a cube in 10 minutes in Unity and have others love it. But also, don't expect to copy AAA studios and make better games than them in their playground. Focus on uniqueness and creativity. Try combining genres - for example, battle royale, shooter, and horror. Or, like in our game, For The Battle, we have elements of battle royale, fighter, platformer, and unique movement.
Of course as in anything - you won't necessarily succeed. You may learn programming, SEO, marketing and you may make great efforts. But you can still be buried under all the other thousands of games that get released. But, in indie development specifically, it wasn't in vain. You gained a unique perspective. You learned a lot of things - literally the entire flow of publishing a whole product. You can take those skills anywhere, and they will definitely be useful, whether you're creating a startup, managing a company or specializing in any of the things you learned as part of game creation. And of course, add to it that it's fun to create games. If you think about all of it, it is completely worth it even if you don't necessarily succeed.
The Players
Let's talk about the players, shall we? As a player - I have a full market of every possible game, and I can play whatever I want. Whether it's an RTS, a competitive game, a unique art style indie game or a huge blockbuster like Far Cry. We have an entire gaming culture that matches anyone's taste.
The Conclusion
That was a long article, so let's sum up. It's still hard to make a game, but the challenges have shifted from the difficulty of physically creating a game to the difficulty of getting attention - you must stand out. Large companies work on amazing projects with professionals, and indie developers create unique experiences that stand out. All this while providing any player around the world with any game they want to play.
