How to make a game on the phone

Almost everyone, sooner or later, comes into contact with the world of video games . Whether you started playing in childhood or later in your life, on consoles or on smartphones, you will surely have wondered, at least once, what happens behind the scenes of a videogame production. We are talking about a complicated job that requires years of experience in the field of design and programming. Yet, with the right precautions and with the due limits, it is even possible to create a game on the phone .

Yes, you read that right! I guarantee you that what may seem like a titanic undertaking could become your next hobby in your free time. You must know, in fact, that within the most important smartphone stores there are some apps that, with a pinch of commitment and study of their functions, allow you to create an amateur game to be played on Android and iOS / iPadOS without having particular skills. in programming. We are clearly talking about basic games, which cannot be distributed on the stores but remain pure delight of those who make them (and any friends / relatives), but it is a great way to approach the developer mentality and launch into this world to understand if it does. actually to your case.

What do you think? Did I get your attention? Yup? Then keep reading this guide and, in no time at all, you’ll be working on your first little game to share with your friends!

Index

• Preliminary information
• How to make a game with Ready
• How to make a game on Scratch
• How to make a game on Roblox
• Other solutions to create a game on the phone

Preliminary information

Before getting to the heart of this guide and explaining how to create a game on the phone , I would like to deepen a part of the speech mentioned at the beginning.

What I am about to list are applications specialized in the creation of small simple video games and without the need for particular experience in the field of programming through code , through visual editors that make the creative process a sort of logical puzzle , where each element must be assembled piece by piece. . Obviously, the use of basic techniques such as this involves major limitations on the possibilities of these programs.

The creation of these games through a graphical interface is an excellent starting point for those who want to start trying their hand at the world of game design, but it is in no way a substitute for the basic principles of programming languages , which have now become a standard all over the world. of video games. There are various types of languages, starting from the very popular Java for Android, up to the Swift language for Apple’s iOS and iPadOS platforms, not to mention programming in C # , essential for development within programs such as Unity and Unreal Engine .

Furthermore, programming a game involves a not entirely negligible monetary expense, not only for the courses to be followed and the purchase of any development software, but also for the purchase of the necessary licenses to be able to publish the games developed within the major digital stores, be it Google Play Store or App Store (to remain in the mobile field).

It goes without saying that the games you are going to create with the applications I will talk about today cannot be published in the aforementioned stores, but remain available for use locally; in some cases (like that of Roblox) it is provided for online sharing, but always remaining within the game platform, not on stores such as those of Google or Apple.

However, don’t let this discourage you! You will always be able to share your creations with your friends and family, making them your first beta testers in all respects, using these games of logic and creativity as a first step to learn the main mechanics of programming, which will then be deepened through I study. And then the beauty of game design is also this: its flexibility, being able to start from smaller projects, and then increase one’s experience and arrive at the design of increasingly complex and interesting games.

If after reading this guide, you intend to deepen the topic even more and maybe look not only how to create a game on Android or how to create a game on iOS , but also try your hand at developing games for platforms such as the classic computer , know that I have already prepared several tips for you on the subject, with resources, books and insights on the subject: you can find all of my guide on how to create a game .

How to make a game with Ready

Built around the Unity3D engine, Ready Maker is a practical tool to create games from your smartphone, through a simple interface and without particular technicalities. The application is free and available on both Android and iOS / iPadOS, but with some limitations compared to its versions for Windows and PC, necessary to export your project. But don’t panic, Ready Maker allows you to save all projects within your personal account, making it a flexible and cross-platform application.

Downloading Ready Maker is very simple. If you are on Android , all you have to do is reach the page dedicated to the application within the Google Play Store (or on an alternative store , if you are using a device without the Play Store) and press the Install button . On the iPhone , instead, you have to reach the application page within the App Store , press the Get button and confirm your credentials with Face ID , Touch ID or Apple ID password , to start the download.

Once you open the application, you will be greeted by a login screen, where you can choose whether to log in using your Google account , the Facebook one or via the classic e-mail address . Once the registration process is complete, you will access the Ready Makers main page, dedicated to project management, but also to view the tutorials of the developers and the various projects created by other users.

The page has three main buttons: tapping on the four lines on your left you can manage your account settings, tapping the central button opens a drop-down menu that allows you to navigate within the four main categories ( My Projects , My Likes , Featured and Learn ) and pressing the + button , on the right, you will create your first project.

Pressing the latter button will turn the screen, passing from Portrait to Landscape mode , taking you inside your Workbench . The first thing to do is select the format of your project, choosing whether to create a game for the aforementioned Portrait and Landscape modes. Press on the mode you prefer and confirm with the Start button . Once this is done, Ready Maker will show you its complete but empty interface, ready to be filled by your imagination.

At the center of everything you will find the Scene , that is the sheet on which you will work. At the top, however, you will find the toolbar, divided into three sections: on the left you will find the Play button , to start and test the game, the button with the globe , which opens a menu dedicated to project settings, and the a button bulb shape , which takes you back to the Ready Maker website for a general smattering of the main functions of the app; in the center, however, you will find the classic tools for quick project modification, allowing you to choose whether to undo or recover a recent change or to enlarge or reduce the view of the sheet; to conclude, on the right there are the tools necessary for the creation of game objects, events and for saving the project.

Obviously, a game cannot be such without interacting elements. No sooner said than done! For this you have at your disposal the tools for creating objects , behaviors and events introduced previously. Let’s start with the creation of the protagonist: press the + button and choose whether to upload an image from your Gallery, using the Upload New Asset button , or whether to use a prefabricated object from Ready Maker. Press and hold on the selected object to make it appear on the worksheet. For this guide I have created a Jump button and a Slider , but you can select any object you prefer.

Pressing on one of the objects, the Inspector menu will open, allowing you to modify the parameters of the latter, whether it is its aesthetics, its behaviors or its physical component. Once you have selected the behavior to give to the object, it is time to create your first Event , by pressing the button in the shape of a Semaphore .

The operation of events is very simple and is generally based on logic . Once the events menu is open, click on Add New Event . Inside the When line, select the object you want to interact with and the action to perform to activate the event; in the Do line , instead, select the object and the behavior that will be performed.

And here it is! You have created your first Game Mechanics . Simple, isn’t it? All you have to do now is test your project with the Play button and experiment with other behaviors and objects. And if even this is not enough, know that there is an official forum where you can compare yourself with other users and get useful advice to improve (in English).

How to make a game on Scratch

How to forget about one of the software related to the creation of video games more suitable for those who want to start programming through a graphical interface? Well yes, although Scratch appears to be a program mainly present on Windows and macOS , there is also a downloadable version on Android and iOS / iPadOS , albeit limited and dedicated to the public of the little ones: ScratchJr .

ScratchJr is available both on Android (also on alternative stores ) and on iOS / iPadOS . When it starts up, it comes up with a main screen that offers two options: view the initial video tutorial or go to the main page . Selecting the latter option, you will have a single blank sheet in front of you which, if you press, will open a new project ready to be edited.

Within the new project, the screen will be divided into two areas: the game screen , where you can view and test your creation, and the work table : the area where the magic of ScratchJr takes place . Next to the project view, you can manage the various sprites that will be part of your game, choosing from different pre-loaded models ; to its right, however, you can decide whether to add or remove scenes from your project; at the top, you will find the settings dedicated to scene management , which allow you to change the background , add text orundo a previously performed operation .

Within ScratchJr the games are mainly based on the animations given to the various sprites and, to do so, they are used – a bit like in a puzzle – various tiles of different colors, which correspond to the functions readable by the application: yellow controls the beginning of the game, blue manages the movements and the distance traveled by the sprites during the animation, purple allows you to resize or hide the characters, green manages the sound component, orange coordinates the speed of the animations and, finally, red indicates the end of animation.

To use these functions, select the sprite of the character you prefer, select the function you want the latter to perform and drag it towards the white space at the bottom. Remember to insert the yellow and red tiles at the beginning and at the end of the animation, to avoid reading errors by the application.

For further information on the general functioning of ScratchJr and its “big brother” Scratch I have prepared everything you need in the guide on how to use Scratch .

How to make a game on Roblox

I don’t think Roblox needs too many presentations: it is a very famous application, available on smartphones, tablets and computers, which allows you to participate in many mini-games made by the users themselves, even in online multiplayer mode.

In order to create a game on Roblox, you need adequate tools which, alas, are not available directly on smartphones, but require the use of a computer. I’m talking about Roblox Studio , the proprietary program developed by the game developers themselves (Roblox Corporation) and which allows you to develop mini-games to be distributed within the platform.

To download Roblox Studio, connect to the official Roblox website from PC and click on the Start Creating and Download Now buttons .

When the download is complete, if you are using Windows , open the downloaded .exe file , press Yes and let the program do its job. Once the installation procedure is complete, Roblox Studio will start automatically. If you are using macOS , on the other hand, open the .dmg file obtained and drag the Roblox Studio icon into the Applications folder . Once this is done, click on the program icon with the right button and press twice on the Open option , in order to bypass Apple’s block on applications from non-certified developers.

Once launched, Roblox Studio will ask you to log into your Roblox account or, in case you don’t have one available, create a new one . You will be redirected to the registration site, where you will be asked to enter your username and date of birth / password . Finally, you will be asked to verify your identity through on-screen instructions to follow and validate with the Done button .

After logging in, Roblox Studio will suggest you start a new project. You can choose from several ready-made templates , which will help you understand the basics of the program. After selecting the model to start with, Roblox Studio will show you its graphical interface.

At the center of it all, you will find the game world you have created and which allows you to see how everything you add to the project works. You can widen or narrow the view using the mouse wheel , while holding down the right mouse button you can rotate the view 360 degrees; on the right is the tab dedicated to the Explorer , where all the objects that you will add to the game world are listed; on the left, however, there is the Toolbox , that is all the tools necessary for changing the game world; and, finally, the classic editing options are located at the top like copying and pasting and moving an object.

If you want to learn even more about the subject, I have already prepared a complete guide for you that will teach you step by step how to create a game on Roblox .

Other solutions to create a game on the phone

If the solutions I listed above didn’t satisfy you, here are some alternatives to experiment with your creativity.

• Draw Your Game( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – free application that allows the creation of small platform levels using a graphic language based on colors, where each color represents a main element of the game.
• GDevelop( Online ) – Web based version of the well known free and open source game engine for Windows, macOS and Linux. If you want to know more, consult the extract dedicated to the program in my guide on how to create a game .
• Construct 3( Online ) – trial version of the Javascript-based program Construct 3, also available on Windows, macOS and Linux. For further information dedicated to the latter, I recommend a quick reading of my guide on programs to create games .