I've been hard at work on over a dozen new designs!
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I've spent a lifetime telling myself I would be a game designer. I play games and live games and I know how a great game should be made. However, I don't have any checks in the mail for my great games. No wonder--I have not spent the time to learn how to create and then market my games. Nor have I joined a team to concentrate efforts on making one.
What am I waiting for? Initially, college classes held me back-I thought I should finish my Computer Science degree BEFORE making games. College does this in many ways. Aside from the time college takes away, we think we are full of accomplishment (and we are) by going to college and taking classes that further are career. Yet we put off what we really love to do because we feel we haven't prepared quite enough just yet. The idea we are going to college prevents us from pushing ourselves further because we think we are doing enough already. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I want to write a book!" I say. Then the mind replies "Well don't worry about it yet, you have a English essay to write. The topic isn't very interesting-but you need to do well for a good grade." So writing a book is simply put off. This happens with many things while going to college. "Want to make a game on my own! I want to start a game company!" Then the mind chimes in "But first I have to learn programming!" A year or two passes by, and you successfully take a few programming classes. "Well, I've learned a bunch about programming, but now I need to join a good development team that's working on my favorite video game titles." Years pass and a fantastic top game company hires you. However, since the company has many demands and red tape, the creativity you've been longing for is blocked. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So when is a good time to make games? RIGHT NOW! If your dreams have been telling you to make games-START. Just press start and start making games right now! The tools available today are better than ever, and you can start making your dreams into a reality. Just take a look at what I made last night over in the games section of my website. What you see there was made by me last night in a few hours almost from scratch using the free program Unity3D. (The first person controls are pre-made and easily importable). The way to make and publish games are ever-changing. Just start fiddling around with some GUIs (guided-user interface) like Unity3D, AdobeFlash, or RPGMakerXP (absolutely fantasic simple RPG maker) and START making some games! I've been through many endeavors these past few years.
For this post, I would like to share with you many awesome online resources that I have found valuable. I seem to consistently venture into my own pursuit of knowledge in lieu of imminent responsibilities. Only second to the hundreds of great books I've been reading lately, I hope these recommendations will be an asset to you as much as that they have been to me. 1. Here we begin. This European based video-tutorial web site, videojug.com, is a truly simple idea. Their motto is "Get Good at Life." There are so many specific nuances in life that we can't learn it all while we are children. Everyone has holes in certain types of knowledge. Broad topics are given in nice clean videos. They are often accompanied by experts in the fields. This site is really something to check out; believe me--lots of value. I remember I lol'ed when I saw the video on how to give a great handshake in my early high school days. Yet, I still know some people that are lacking in that department and should take a gander. ^ _ ^ It's actually quite an informative video. www.videojug.com 2. Are you a student? Are you taking calculus, or any math for that matter, but find yourself spacing out during lectures or having troubles understanding material? I recommend you owe it to yourself to visit KhanAcademy. Salmann Khan is a tutor of a wide variety of scholarly topics. From arithmetic to engineering, and finance to astrology. Sal originally made his informal teaching videos to tutor a family member at long distance. It really took off, and his simple style certainly works, for Bill Gates honored his material and spoke on his behalf! Sal just loves making all his videos and he offers it as a free gift to all. www.khanacademy.com 3. During my Yoga classes, I went through a great phase. This phase was where I learned a bit too much about holistic remedies. I became so My sproutling is finally beginning to bloom.
8BitGate.com, to me, was an overzealous approach to get my voice and ideas out there. Almost blinded by overconfidence, I planted a small seed of the idea I wanted to share my ideas and my artwork -- regardless that many others have done so before me. I value any individual's opinion and ideas -- including my own -- and encourage everyone to share what they have to say and give to the world. My biggest asset: I start small and start what I enjoy. I don't know where this site will take me, and I don't know where your endeavors will guide you. I know it seems small, but 8BitGate.com brought me much further along independence and freedom than I would have been simply working 9-5 and taking college classes saving for the future. Instead of saving, I just jumped into something and immediately I liked it, started talking about it, and built it one step at a time. I recommend you do the same, just throw your ideas on something. A journal, a web site, a canvas, a human. Just start doing what you like, and start very small. Do so little, so sloppily, that it becomes so easy to begin it simply starts happening. Good luck! Paul
This is a long post, but I put my effort into it. -- Click "Read More" below invite positivity into your life -- IN AN ATTEMPT TO FLOOD THE NET with the great ideas that have been stirring for my whole life, I'm posting many ideas as rapidly as possible. These are not in any particular order and will be later refined. When one wants to start something new, they have to go for it full speed and make it as simple as possible. Otherwise it's hard to start anything! People just get bogged down by the technical side.
I'm always brimming with thousands of ideas, yet I usually over-think them. When I start to formulate my ideas into words or actions, I begin to edit my thoughts internally and then end up stagnating my thinking. I find the best ideas come without blocks or toll roads of the mind. We tend to tell ourselves in order to apply for this job we need this degree first; or instead of talking to this intriguing person we need to be wearing nicer clothes and gel up our hair in order to bring ourselves up to the their level. We don't apply to the job, or we don't start a conversation, we end up stopping entirely and putting ourselves into the void of inaction. Moving past that is a difficult thing to do, but I have found a great technique to at the very least lower the guards of our mind when we want to express our thoughts in writing. WHEN A NON-DREAMER DISCOUNTS YOU and says: it's just a "figment of your imagination", remember that "figments of your imagination" are just the reality that you have put together in your head.
Your imagination and your reality don't have much distance between them. This is especially true when your mind is free to search the labyrinth within one's own mind. The fascinating thing about video games is when events normally invented within the video game realm seeps into reality and alters your interpretation of reality. Today's "What to do in a zombie apocalypse" thoughts seem to bring a misconception of reality. I enjoy these misconceptions because it alters one's reality. I've decided to feature my personal blog-right here at 8bitgate.com. I dub it philosophy & video games. I've always been inspired by the insight of video games. The programmer's philosophy and vision are ingrained into the gaming experience much like an artist and the stroke of his brush on his canvas. I will post my first entry here when it's ready.
Look forward to megaman, metroids, and epic castlevania ambiance. There is much to see in the near future-quite literally.
The foundation for the 8-Bit Gate is underway. Look forward to many great creations soon to come. My vision is to blur the line between reality and our most memorable games. This will happen when these pixelations begin to flood our homes.
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Paul Carroll is building a gateway between our dimension and that of the 8-bit realm. He is an aspiring game designer and hopes to be able to make game design his main job. It is one of his dreams.
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