Summary
The more you think about it, the more the fact that video games even exist feels like some sort of miracle. So many separate moving pieces have to collaborate in order to deliver a playable final product that sometimes you can’t help but think about what had to happen to bringour favorite gamesto life, and how interesting that experience might have been for the dev teams behind them.
From exploring the nightmares of actual game development to teaching players to design and build their very own video games, these are our favorite games about making video games.
2013
Metascore:
68
Game Dev Tycoon sees you in the unenviable position of starting and attempting to maintain an independent video game company. In other words, this game exists to help explain why you actuallydon’twant to be making video games.
Though its core gameplay is pretty simple, Game Dev Tycoon uses its interesting premise and meta game development humor to its advantage. You’ll really need to give it your allif you want to be a success here, and that lends the whole experience just enough realism to make it worth seeking out if you haven’t already.
2019
88
For as long as Mario has existed, fans have been dreaming of making their own Mario games, and with the birth of Nintendo’s delightfully wacky Super Mario Maker series on the ill-fated Wii U, that dream has finally become a reality.
Super Mario Maker 2 is as much about what it takes to build a great Mario level as it is about celebrating the creativity that we’ve come to love about the Mario franchise. Fans have created some pretty amazing things in the game already, but if for whatever reason you haven’t given Super Mario Maker 2 a go yet, now is a great time to start.
2015
78
Kyle Gabler is one of indie gaming’s greatest minds, and while from a metaphorical perspective, Little Inferno is also most definitely about video games, Human Resource Machine is all about teaching you the coding skills that go into actually making a game function.
The game sees you learning to code in basic C++ to move your titular human resources from point A to point B, and as boring as that might sound on paper, in execution, Human Resource Machine is just as fun to play as anything else we’ve seen from the creator of World of Goo. Plus, if you beat the game, you’ll have effectively taught yourself some actual coding skills.
2020
89
Dreams is a pretty good title for a game that literally allows you to bring your video game dreams to life with remarkable ease. With the sheer power of this software, players have done everything from making basic platformers to evenbringing canceled video games back from the dead.
No, the game didn’t explode overnight like the developers were hoping, but for anyone who’s ever wanted to experience the joy of creating and exploring their very ownvideo game worlds, Dreams is, no pun intended, a dream come true.
76
Coming to us from the same developer behind The Stanley Parable, The Beginner’s Guide is an oft overlooked, remarkably human take on the art of game development. It takes us on a tour of a game developer’s graveyard, filled to the brim with unfinished games, and asks us to think about why they were made as well as why they were abandoned.
The hard hitting story at the center of thishidden indie gemis one which will redefine how you see game development, media analysis, and maybe even human nature itself. If that sounds interesting to you, give this game a try. Just be sure to have a box of tissues on hand when you do.
2014
73
A lot of people dislike Project Spark on principle because it effectively marked the death ofConker the squirreland dashed any hope fans had of getting a sequel. That’s fair, and we also mourn the loss of Rare’s classic IP, but look past that and you’ll find Project Spark isn’t a bad place to start if you’re interested in game development.
Sure, you won’t be able to create anything as elaborate as you could in Dreams, but the basic tools are there, and presented in a way that makes Project Spark more accessible to younger players who want to give making their own video games a try.
2010
82
Yes, not only is Wario lazy enough tosteal assets from other Nintendo games for use in his microgames, but in 2010 he was also lazy enough to sell players the opportunity to make his games for him. We love you, Wario, never change.
In all seriousness, WarioWare: D.I.Y. is a truly fantastic game which teaches its players to think creatively and use the limitations of its format to churn out truly unique and enjoyable bite-sized experiences. Though the game isn’t as easily accessible these days as it used to be, it’s still possible to track down a copy and original DS hardware, which we highly recommend if you’re a fan of the WarioWare series.
2021
77
Game Builder Garageis sort of like what Super Mario Maker would be if it asked you to build everything from scratch, making it a wonderful way to learn how to build your first tech demos and basic games from the ground up. Of course, that classic Nintendo style and creative flair doesn’t hurt, either.
While the tools may seem limited at first, Game Builder Garage has more than its fair share of secrets and tricks, which make the game a blast to mess around with for those willing to learn the mechanics of building game mechanics.
86
If Game Dev Tycoon didn’t quite scratch the itch of creating and operating your very own game studio, Game Dev Story is better in pretty much every way. That’s not to say Game Dev Tycoon is bad, but this is definitely the better overall experience if you ask us.
Game Dev Story’s gameplay seems simple enough at first, but it manages to be compelling and engaging enough that before long you’ll find you’ve spent far longer playing than you originally intended to. That, andthe game’s SNES styleaesthetics are an absolute delight.
79
The Magic Circle is up there with games like The Beginner’s Guide in terms of taking the concept of a video game about game development to fascinating new heights. You play as a quality assurance tester, AKA gaming’s most thankless job, but you’ll soon find there’s much more to this particular job than meets the eye…
Without spoiling anything, let’s just say that The Magic Circle is one of themost interesting and uniquevideo games you’ll ever play, and we can’t recommend it enough.
