Code, Create, Play

The book

Code, Create, Play: Your 7 Day Guide to Game Development

Build a complete 2D side-scrolling shooter in GameMaker over seven days, learning the programming behind it as you go.

By Tomás Brides

Get the BookGet the Book Assets
Code, Create, Play — Your 7 Day Guide to Game Development, by Tomás Brides

The idea

One project, built from an empty file

Over seven days you build a complete 2D side-scrolling shooter in GameMaker, starting from an empty project and finishing with a game you can play and share.

Each concept is introduced at the point you need it, so the reading and the building stay in step.

What the reader learns

Player

  • Sprites
  • Movement and controls
  • Shooting
  • Collision

Game systems

  • Enemies
  • Health and lives
  • Scoring
  • Enemy waves
  • Power-ups

Finishing the game

  • Sound
  • Boss level
  • Menus
  • Game refinement

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.

  1. DAY 01

    Get Ready to Code Your First Game

  2. DAY 02

    Player Mechanics and Controls

  3. DAY 03

    Enemies, Lives & Sounds

  4. DAY 04

    Scoring & Game Progression

  5. DAY 05

    Enemy Waves and Power-Ups

  6. DAY 06

    Boss Level, End Screen, Home Screen and Menu

  7. DAY 07

    Home Screen, Menu and Game Refinement

Inside the book

Step-by-step pages, fully illustrated

Open book spread showing programming and player movement code
Spread — programming and movement code
Open book spread showing sprites and the GameMaker environment
Spread — sprites and the GameMaker environment
Open book spread showing game systems and the finished game
Spread — game systems and the finished game

Students and educators

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 a useful practical companion for learners studying game design, games development and introductory programming.

Ireland

  • QQI Level 5 Games Analysis Design — 5N1651 · details ↗
  • QQI Level 5 Programming and Design Principles — 5N2927 · details ↗

United Kingdom

  • NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Games Design and Development — 603/7518/8 · details ↗
  • Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Digital Games Design and Development — 601/7473/0 · details ↗

Listed for reference only. Code Create Play is an independent book and is not endorsed by or affiliated with these awarding bodies.

For readers

Already have the book?

Download the sprites, sounds and supporting game assets used throughout the book so you can build the project alongside each chapter.

Get the Book Assets

Start on day one. Play it on day seven.

Get the BookRead the Articles