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What do I do if I have an idea for a game (Characters, weapons, stories, etc.) but I can’t make games?

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12 comments, last by Geri 1 year, 6 months ago

So I have a whole idea for a WWI game that I’m working on with characters and intricate storylines and all the fundamentals (I think) of making a game, but there is only one problem; I’m an idiot. I don’t know how to make a game and I want to make this an FPS game. Is there a way to hire people to do this for me? I can do voice acting with me and my friends, I just need people to make the game and do the animating. Thank yo!

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Chrimbonius_ said:
I’m an idiot. I don’t know how to make a game and I want to make this an FPS game.

You are, but not because you can't code, it is because you spend time on game design although you know you can't make a game. ; )

Ofc., if you can afford, you can start a business and hire people. But at this point i guess you could just burn the money.

Try some off the shelf engines, and see if making a FPS is indeed that difficult. They all have FPS templates nowadays. Tutorials even on YouTube. Asset stores with free stuff.
After some time you will see if gamedev is your thing or not.

Chrimbonius_ said:
Is there a way to hire people to do this for me?

Not really, no. Even if you were independently wealthy, it would be difficult to find a team of professionals willing to work for somebody who has an idea but no business plan.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

@undefined think of it this way, some of us make games, have our own ideas and still can't make the games we want to. You have the job of convincing someone like me to work on your idea. That is a super difficult sell. But all is not lost! It's never been easier to start learning! Unreal has great tutorials and is relatively beginner friendly. Make a good prototype, something someone can play and understand, then ask people to help. You will get further, trust me! ?

None

Chrimbonius_ said:
So I have a whole idea for a WWI game

You should start by making a paper prototype of your game to work out the play mechanic and demo the storyline.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

Tom Sloper said:

Chrimbonius_ said:
Is there a way to hire people to do this for me?

Not really, no. Even if you were independently wealthy, it would be difficult to find a team of professionals willing to work for somebody who has an idea but no business plan.

Really? I would have thought that people would be willing to work, if you pay them enough money.

It seems more likely that, if you hire a bunch of people, but have no viable business plan, you'd be wasting your money. And you might not know how to pick the best candidates either.

Although I admit that I personally don't know that much about setting up a team that way. It is just surprising that it would be hard to hire people.

Warp9 said:
Really? I would have thought that people would be willing to work, if you pay them enough money.

Dr. Disrespect proofs you're actually right! ;D

There are basically three options:

  • Learn to make games. Very difficult, but possible.
  • Become a game designer. This requires more than just “an idea for a game”. It requires being able to create whole game designs that are actually good, reliably, on a regular basis. Right now you are at the “little kid who draws a cool rocket” stage, and you need to get to the “actual rocket scientist” stage. Also very difficult, but possible.
  • You can give up. For most people asking a question like this, this is the best option. Follow your dream if it really is your dream, but first make sure that it really is your dream and not just a whim.

Chrimbonius_ said:

Is there a way to hire people to do this for me?

Money talks, so yeah. However it will likely take a LOT of money so unless you are independently wealthy it's going to be a problem. If you really want to do it and you don't have cash you will at least have to put something together yourself that's impressive enough to get other's interested in the project. Even then it's probably a crap shoot.

The fact is many people (myself included) are in the same boat as you. I've been working on my dream project for a while but at least I'm an experienced programmer. Without lots of cash you will need to have some serious skills if you want to get anywhere, and I'm afraid writing and/or voice acting isn't what you need, at least not up front.

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