by Wateen Aliady, Queen Mary University of London
Are you a PUBG or Fortnite addict? Maybe you enjoy playing Minecraft? Have you thought how these games are created? Could you create a game yourself? It is all done using something called a “Game Engine”.
Games and films are similar as they require creativity and effort to make. Every movie is created by a talented cinema director who oversees everything involved in creating the film. Game creators use a special set of tools instead that similarly allow them to make compelling video game worlds, stories, and characters. These tools are called game engines and they bring your creative ideas to life! They are now even used to help make films too. So, whether you’re playing a game or watching a movie, get ready to be amazed as game creators and movie directors, the masterminds behind these incredible works, deliver captivating experiences that will leave us speechless.
Imagine a group of talented people working together to create a great video game. Miracles happen when a team’s mission becomes one. Every member in the team has a certain role, and when they work together, amazing things can happen. A key member in the group is the graphics whiz. They make everything look stunning by creating pretty scenery and characters with lots of details. Then, we have the physics guru who makes sure objects move realistically, like how they would in real life. They make things fall, bounce, and hit each other accurately. For example, they ensure the soccer ball in the game behaves like a real soccer ball when you kick it. Next, the sound expert who adds all the sounds to the game. The game engine takes on all these roles, so the experience and skill of all those people is built into the game engine, so now one person driving it can use it to create a stunning detailed backdrop, with physics that just works, integrated sound and much more.
Game creators use game engines to make all kinds of games. They have been used to create popular games like Minecraft and Fortnite. When you play a game, you enter a completely different world. You can visit epic places with beautiful views and secrets to discover. You can go on big adventures, solve tricky problems, and be immersed in thrilling fights. Game engines allow game developers to make fun and engaging games that people of all ages enjoy playing by looking after all the detail, leaving the developer to focus on the overall experience.
Anyone can learn to use a game engine even powerful industry standard ones like Unity used to create Pokemon Go, Monument Valley and Call of Duty: Mobile. Game engines could help you to create your own novel and creative games. These amazing tools can help you in creating characters, scenes, and adding fun features like animation and music. You can turn your ideas into fun games that you and your friends can play together. You might create a new video game that becomes massively popular, and people love all around the world. All it takes is for you to have the motivation and be willing to put in the time to learn the skills of driving a game engine and to develop your creativity. Interested? Then get started. You can do anything you want in a game world, so use your imagination and let the game engine help you make amazing games!
More on …
- The Unity game engine [EXTERNAL]
- Epic Games Unreal Engine (includes free version) [EXTERNAL]
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EPSRC supports this blog through research grant EP/W033615/1.
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