The following is a summary from the GAME.minder Expo keynote: Shut Up And Make Games! by Ian Schreiber.
The point of the keynote was to convince people who didn’t think they had what it took to make games that they were just plain wrong. Ian gives numerous common excuses given by these types of people, and attacks them all.
– “I don’t know where to start”
Searching for ‘how to make a game’ on Google gives you about 693,000,000 results. Pick any one you like.
– “I don’t have any great ideas”
Everyone has ideas – you just have to find the right constraints. If you’re in dire need of something, you can find an open source game to help with (try Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_open_source_video_games)
– “I don’t know how to code”
You can either use Google to learn how to code, or use special programs that will allow you to ease into the process – Game Maker, Construct 2, GameSalad, or similar. Or, you can get into board games like Settlers Of Catan.
– “I suck at art”
Text-based games don’t NEED art! Tetris, one of the most popular puzzle games ever, is just a bunch of colored blocks. There are free assets that you can find online (tile sets, 3D models, etc.). Also, you can always learn art or team up with someone who knows art.
– “I can’t make audio”
Same concepts as above. Find it, learn it, or team up with someone who can do it.
– “I don’t have a dev team”
Nearly every game created prior to 1985 was made by one person and no budget (like in the Game Creation Club).
– “My idea is too big”
Scale it down, then. One tip that Ian gave was to add ‘…and be able to play it in 5 minutes.’ to the end of your concept. Remember, you can always expand later.
– “It’s too hard”
If you really like making video games, you WILL find a way. Try thinking small at first.
– “What if someone steals my idea?”
If you have an original idea, you will be recognized for it. Indie developers tend to stick up for their own.
– “I’m afraid of making a bad game”
Great devs made bad games too (Zelda II, CivNet, SimEarth). 90% of games do not turn a profit.
– “(The only way to be experienced is to make tons of games) 100 games? Are you crazy?”
No. Simple games can be made in a single weekend (Global Game Jam) or even less. If you can’t find a weekend in the entire year to make a game, you are probably working too much. There are also initiatives like One Game A Month and Screenshot Saturday to help you along.