Build your first game in 7 days.
A practical introduction to game development with GameMaker.
The idea
Learn game development by making a game
Code Create Play teaches game-development and programming concepts as you need them while building a complete 2D game. Across seven days, you progress from setting up GameMaker and creating sprites to enemies, scoring, power-ups, a boss level, menus and final game refinement.
Build a complete 2D side-scrolling shooter
Stage one
Build the player
Sprites, movement, controls and shooting
Stage two
Build the game systems
Enemies, collisions, health, lives, scoring and progression
Stage three
Finish the game
Enemy waves, power-ups, boss level, menus, sound and polish
A complete playable game
Programming foundations
Learn the programming behind the game
Along the way, readers encounter programming fundamentals including variables, operators, functions, conditions, arrays, variable scope, events, debugging and object-oriented concepts such as objects and inheritance.
- variables
- operators
- functions
- conditions
- arrays
- variable scope
- events
- debugging
- objects
- inheritance
The seven days
One sitting a day, start to finish
Each day builds on what came before. Work through the book over seven days, or take it at your own pace.
- DAY 01
Get Ready to Code Your First Game
- DAY 02
Player Mechanics and Controls
- DAY 03
Enemies, Lives & Sounds
- DAY 04
Scoring & Game Progression
- DAY 05
Enemy Waves and Power-Ups
- DAY 06
Boss Level, End Screen, Home Screen and Menu
- DAY 07
Home Screen, Menu and Game Refinement
Inside the book
Who it's for
Complete beginners
Readers taking their first steps in coding and game development.
Independent learners
Anyone working through a practical project at their own pace towards a finished game.
Students and educators
A practical companion for learners studying game design, games development and introductory programming, including QQI Level 5 and UK Level 3 programmes.
Formal study
Useful alongside formal study in game design, games development and programming.
Code Create Play combines practical game-building with programming fundamentals including variables, conditions, functions, arrays, events, debugging, objects and inheritance. This makes it useful alongside formal study in game design, games development and introductory programming.
Ireland
United Kingdom
Listed for reference only. Code Create Play is an independent book and is not endorsed by or affiliated with these awarding bodies.
For readers
Book resources
Download the sprites, sounds and supporting game assets used throughout the book so you can build the project alongside each chapter.
Articles
All articles →
The author
Tomás Brides
Tomás Brides is an educator, instructional designer and author with many years of experience teaching technology and helping beginners understand complex technical subjects through practical, hands-on learning.