After I couple of months of learning fundamentals of game programming, design & development via YouTube Tutorials, GameMaker: Studio For Dummies, and trial and error, I began the process of taking my sketches/ideas and programming them into GameMaker Studio with the possibility of completing them. Here’s a list of now abandoned game ideas:
Game Objective: Avoid the mobile spikes! Survive each level by avoiding getting popped!
Game Objective: Vampire platformer.
These are some of the beginning game sketches that I started:
In the summer of 2016, I obtained an internship position at the ESPN 980 in Rockville, MD as a Marketing & Promotions Intern (Fulfilling my major, Sports Administration, credit hours requirements; Must obtain and complete an internship within the sports field). For a three month span, three times per week, I would drive on I-495 up to Rockville, MD from Alexandria to the ESPN 980 office at the Red Zebra Broadcasting building. In most cases, for the duration of my shift I would be busy working with the Marketing & Promotions department on various activities and upcoming promotions for fans of the Washington Football Team (Previously the Washington Redskins, peep the discontinued helmet design on the desktop’s home screen). At times we did have our slow days and I took full advantage of using my down time to watch shows; First Take, Highly Questionable, Sportscenter, etc. I then began doodling on notebook/computer paper to out of pure boredom during those breaks and allowing my imagination to kill time.
I remember vividly watching both movies, Grandma’s Boy & Indie Game: The Movie the night before my shift the next day at ESPN 980 and thinking to myself that, “How cool would it be to design a video game myself? I grew up playing different types of games from different eras, I might as well try and see where my idea goes”. So during my down time I began researching different game development engines and YouTube tutorial videos. I ended up choosing Game Maker Studio because it seemed the easiest for beginners because of GML (Game Maker Language = D&D + programming code).
