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[robberguy189]

I was thinking about making a platformer because I'm kind of into drawing and programming.  I gave pixel art and I came up with this
http://i.imgur.com/z9chvee.png

I think it's decent, but graphics sell games (right?) and honestly this is awful compared to what other people can do.  So should I go ahead and start development or practice pixel art for a year or two then start?  I want to make something actually good.

[s0]

have you ever made a game before?

[robberguy189]

have you ever made a game before?

I mean, for ap computer science.  It was a shit game but a good program.  Not something that I'm proud of or would even imagine other people enjoying.  Otherwise no.

[Moth]

Start making games as soon as you can. You won't be better at making games (or art for them, which is what you seem to be more focused on here) until you make games. You can study theory in advance but you will improve much more quickly once you actually start making games. Your abilities will rapidly increase as you make games and art for them. You will get to where you want to be sooner, that way.

A lack of technical graphical prowess does not necessarily mean you will make a game that looks bad, or one that people won't be interested in. You could play to your limitations and make something that's visually elegant even if all you could make were geometric shapes.

Your pixel art is nice, it's more than a lot of people out there can do. Graphics are important but more important than technical quality is how well they work with the game and how well they communicate what they need to. A game can have gorgeous graphics but be really bad if all the hitboxes and masks are off and the animations don't go well with the physics. Animations are a big part in people interpreting the "feel" of a game. Doing these things the right way and learning to make pixel art that optimally fits the kind of game you have in mind only comes with experience of getting out there and trying to do it.

[Mittens]

get better at pixel art while you make the games, queue mexican girl

[s0]

have you ever made a game before?

I mean, for ap computer science.  It was a shit game but a good program.  Not something that I'm proud of or would even imagine other people enjoying.  Otherwise no.

tbh, you should probably just practice art and game development in tandem like mittens says. i also wouldn't worry about selling games at this point. i hate to burst your bubble, but unless you're really, really talented or lucky your first few games will probably suck.

not that you can't try to sell your games, just don't expect big bux 

[robberguy189]

have you ever made a game before?

I mean, for ap computer science.  It was a shit game but a good program.  Not something that I'm proud of or would even imagine other people enjoying.  Otherwise no.

tbh, you should probably just practice art and game development in tandem like mittens says. i also wouldn't worry about selling games at this point. i hate to burst your bubble, but unless you're really, really talented or lucky your first few games will probably suck.

not that you can't try to sell your games, just don't expect big bux  

Lolyeah I'm definitely going to make the next big call of duty game with next gen graphics and make lots of money.

But I mean, come on.  If I see a game with amazing pixel art I look into it.  If I see a game with decent pixel art, well... I still look into it because I like pixel art.  But my point is, most people won't look into a game unless the pixel art is good.  I'm half-decent/not that good at pixel art at this point.
Edit: It's not that I want to make "big bux" I definitely want it on steam and whatnot, I just want it to be good.  ANd although being good involves things besides graphics I don't really want to slack and rely on other things to carry the game.

[ProgramGamer]

Well, game dev is kind of a slope the way I understand it. First, you make a few freeware games over X years, you gain a certain following and then, if you feel comfortable enough with that, you make your first "big" commercial game which might make some measly amount of profit. Then, depending on how you feel about the success of that game, you can either go back to free or continue to sell games. And if you're persistent in learning the trade and you advertise your games well, you should be reasonably successful.

That's how I understand it at least. And right now, I'm assuming that you're at the stage where you should be making your very first "picking sticks" game.   

[Razz]

just make it, don't overthink it

and take your time. there's no rush

[MeshGearFox]

don't make games, people will just use it as a way to complain about your personal politics.

[Mixer]

I agree with what the other person said, Mittens. Why not make a game with the art you currently have. When you have it working basically, do some art. Add it to the game. Repeat. Fix art. Practise art by making art.

That's what I am doing in my game. It has awful awful art, but I am practising and getting better.

I think.

[robberguy189]

That's how I understand it at least. And right now, I'm assuming that you're at the stage where you should be making your very first "picking sticks" game.   

Pretty much!    

[ProgramGamer]

Well, if you want to get started right away, I recommend using Game Maker: Studio because of it's user friendly interface and relatively robust scripting language (GML, or Game Maker Language). A free version is available on both their website and Steam, and the Pro version is usually 100$, but it is frequently on a 50% discount, so not that expensive. The export modules get pretty costly, but that's something to worry about much later. And in terms of tutorials, many people make a bunch of them in good quality and quantity on YouTube. YoyoGames even provides a documentation for GML, its functions and its variables if you ever get stuck or curious.

Anyways, this might seem like a bit of an info dump/advertisement, but I just really think GM:S is a great tool for beginners. Then again, someone else might recommend Unity or something similar, as I've never used it before.

[sam_suite]

Yeah, nobody's first few games are good. People say that you have to make ten bad games before you start making good ones (although three or four might be more accurate). Just start makin stuff. The sooner you make anything at all, the sooner you make something amazing.

As for engines, yeah, gamemaker is a great place to start. It's where I started. Depending on how much programming experience you've had (at least APCS, it sounds like), you might want to try out unity soon - but honestly, use gamemaker first. It's very easy to get into, and it has a surprising amount of depth. I think almost all of Vlambeer's games were made in gamemaker.

[JWK5]

Keep fucking everything up until you finally don't.

[sam_suite]

^ yes exactly

[gwartney21]

As others had said the best thing you can do is just start it. Im working on a game my self and at first my art sucked and as I started working at it more and more i started to see it improve. It just takes time and the only way it will happen is to just do it.

[MeshGearFox]

Keep fucking

[JWK5]

All the best game ideas manifest after sex.

[surt]

Certainly explains why nerdkind produces so few good new game ideas.