Anyone here make their own games too?

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I started off as a gamer back in the day, but gradually switched over to wanting to design/create my own games. I'm currently building a 3D RPG that's a mix of elements of games I loved playing, and now I actually prefer working on that to playing them.

I still watch playthroughs of new games that come out. But more for research. I can't help thinking 'oh, I like how they've done that', 'I wonder if I could add something similar', 'how do the mechanics work for that thing', etc.

Does anyone else here have any involvement in developing games (or have an interest in learning)?

I certainly have an interest in learning, and I have loads of great ideas, but I'm only an excellent writer and pretty good composer (composing only, I'm not good at making full fledged songs!). I've tried coding and it's just so hard to wrap my head around. My main interest right now is making a Touhou-style bullet hell shooter but no luck so far.

One day I want to be a narrative writer for video games

Even if a person knows how to code a game, it will probably only be a rudimentary game since mainstream type games that are playable on consoles or PC's tend to have bigger budgets and lots of manpower to make them, relative to a single individual doing it as a hobby.

You have the opposite type of brain to me! I love the coding part and my least favourite thing is writing and music (followed closely by building the level environments, which I can do but find boring as hell as it takes so long deciding where to put things)! I'm using a lot of royalty free music for the game and Chat-GPT for the quests (basically cheating, don't judge me!). But I'd much rather do the logic/mechanics stuff all day long.

What is it about the coding that you find difficult? If you're more visual, have you tried something like Unreal blueprints? You might find that easier to understand. It's a good way to learn the basics of OOP and how things are structured.

This is generally the case, I'd agree. I spent a few years planning the game in detail before I sat down and started working on it. And I've probably spent close to 5000 hours actually developing it so far. That's using mostly pre-made or edited versions of existing models, royalty free music, AI voices, and Chat-GPT for the writing. I'm lucky that I can do the other stuff myself. I'm also very lucky that I had no clue how much work would be involved when I began and in hindsight would never have done this otherwise! But now I'm part way through and can't really stop. I'm obssessed with it!

Other than the combat system and saving (which both need an overhaul, as I'm not happy with them), the main functionality is mostly complete. It's just a case of expanding the level maps, adding more quest content (character models, animation, writing, voices), and then just improving things like the art on button icons, menu backgrounds, the playing cards, etc (which I'll leave until last).

If I can get the funding, then I can hire professionals to spend 6 months polishing everything to AAA standard. But at minimum, it'll be a playable RPG (co-op later on). So it is possible to (mostly) solo-dev a complete game if you have the time/skills/ignorance. But not sensible if you want any sort of a life for 5+ years!

Yes and I am starting with programming tools like Little Big Planet and the Nintendo Labo kits

While I wait to move my love life and everything else forward I have decided to start learning how to make and code video games

Entry-level tools like LBP and Nintendo Labo are the best ways to start developing video games!

Nice! I had to google those, as I hadn't heard of them before. But that looks like a good place to start to learn level design and the logic behind things.

It is impressive in any case, what you have achieved already.

Well done for your time & dedication to this cause.

Little Big Planet is from your home country while Nintendo Labo is Japanese

Do you have a PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Switch?

I designed my own naval war simulation game...pre computer...using hex sheets tables and dice...to simulate naval warfare of the two world wars. Battleships, cruisers, destroyers. Pushing cardboard markers around ...shooting at each other. twenty sided dice and six sided dice. More addicting than smoking crack. Its all still packed in a box. Havent touched it in a while.

I've messed around with making mods for rFactor, but I've never been able to wrap my head around coding.

I'd love to make a clone of the old EA NHL 9x games though.

That sounds fun.

Ever heard of Evil Stevie's Pirate Game?

(salutes)

I don't I'm afraid. I'm an old-skool pc purist!

That sounds insanely complicated! I think I'd develop tourettes trying to build something with only paper and dice. Much respect!

Mods are another good way to learn the ropes of game dev!