Game Design Novice

Hi all,

I've been hearing the siren calls of game design for years, now. But although I really don't lack ideas (*brain invaded by plot bunnies, gameplay bunnies and character bunnies…*), I really don't know where to start in order to create my projects.

I've always loved console RPGs, and that's more or less the direction all of my ideas take. I don't really have the inclination or the inspiration for any other genre, when it come to game design. So I find myself rather stuck: how can I start small? Even the barest skeleton of an RPG would require a lot of work (or so I believe, at least), and I don't want to feel discouraged before I even start.

Keeping in mind that I'd like to focus on full-fledged RPGs later on, do you have any advice for the first games I should make? I don't want to make "serious" games at first: just very little projects that will give me some practice. What length (in terms of playtime) should I aim for? Is one hour too long? Is a quarter of an hour too short? Should I focus on particular gameplay mechanics, like battle systems or character growth?

And most important, what language should I pick? I have some programming experience (mostly C and Java), so I'm not at a loss when it comes to learn a programming language. I don't mind a steep learning curve, I'd just like to avoid going from one language to another. Once I pick a tool, I'd like to stick with it as long as possible, so I can concentrate on my games.

Thanks in advance for your advice! :)

Cheers,

Leen

Pros use C++ (mentioned in the other post), I like PlayBasic. :)¹ The C++ community is very noob friendly so you can start there, or give PB a shot.

What RPG is your favorite?

— hartnell