Overview

GameMaker Studio is an interesting game development tool. If you are not yet into writing code, you can use their drag and drop interface to create a game without having to write any code. However, if you already have experience with coding or want to start coding, you can use the GameMaker Language (GML) to create your game.

This flexibility makes it a great tool to both start with and grow your skills. The trial version of GameMaker Studio is a free download. Once you have an educational license, any game that you build can be deployed on Mobile (iOS and Android), Windows, Mac, Ubuntu, or the Web. If you have greater ambitions and want to publish your game to game consoles such as PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch, GameMaker studio would be a great product to choose.

Getting Started

Start with the YoYo Games YouTube channel where you'll find tutorials (drag and drop as well as coding), examples games, and even examples of add on toolkits.

YoYo Games also provides a Marketplace where you can get more "stuff" for your development. The marketplace has a mix of both free and for purchase items. For free, you'll find more tutorials, and also effects, graphics, animations, sounds, and extensions.

Beyond the YouTube channel, you'll also find help and support via the Yoyo Games Community. The community includes details on their social media accounts, access to a knowledge base (a great place to find details on challenges or issues), and a collection of discussion forums where you can discuss game development with others.

Sample Games

Yoyo Games hosts a Showcase of games that others have built with GameMaker Studio. The Showcase page has filters that you can use to narrow down the type of game (there are many games to see). Some interesting samples to check out are as follows:

• Turmoil: A simulation focused on the North American oil rush in the 19th century.
• Cook, Serve, Delicious: A simulation focused on running a restaurant.
• Bluk: A simple, physics based game with both a visual and audio style.