The Video Game Critic

How many here have programmed their own games? I bring this up because I like the "modifiable" content in recent games! But how many have made their OWN games?

My history goes like so: I started on the Atari 800XL Computer and bought a book of type-in programs. One was a maze game with no joystick control;keyboard only. I figured out how to get it to work with a joystick, then how to change the shape tables of the sprites(characters). Soon I programmed my own ADVENTURE-type maze game (like 2600 Adventure) but it was slow.

Second step up was PINBALL CONSTRUCTION SET. LOVED that!

Then on my C=>64 I discovered the game designers kit that let you build your own games, more easily, drawing the characters, defining paths, drawing backgrounds, etc... it was fun!

The Ultimate though was S.E.U.K for the AMIGA computer. SHOOT EM UP CONSTRUCTION KIT! You basically started with a RAIDEN-like vertical shooter and could alter EVERYTHING, the backgrounds, ships, sound samples, score, everything. Then you could save it on disc and distribute it as Freeware! I made a crude but funny game where a ghost ship shot killer PAC-MEN! But The coolest game I saw made on it, by another guy, was based on the BATMAN movie, you flew the Batplane over Gotham, shooting the jokers balloons, bombing goon cars and so forth.Cool!

Like Models, there is a satisfaction of "rolling your own", even if it's cruder, then buying an off-the shelf one.

Others?

Just played around with Unreal Mods and I dinked around with the MS XNA Beta dev kit back when I had absolutely nothing to do at the office.  Now, with an actual job that requires work I have far less time to play around.

Regardless, for getting a game up quickly XNA works really, really well.  Essentially, it uses C# express (sort of like Java).  There's lots of tutorials available and there's some expanded toolsets out now that speed things up.  For the hobbiest it's probably the only thing that will let you play your games from the comfort of your console without modding your system.  You can share your games with others in the XNA world as well. 

For everyone that hankers on MS, they've done a heck of a job of getting the hobbiest involved. 

Bud