Google created a new application for PC called Game Builder and as the name suggests it’s main purpose is to help people build and create games that are fun to play and can be shared with friends. The big draw with game builder, at least according to Google’s Area 120 team that created the app, is that you don’t need any experience to use Game Builder for your own creation.
Essentially what the team is saying here is that literally anyone who has a desire to create a game can do so with Game Builder. There is truth to that, though it does come with some obvious limitations. Since no experience is required and you don’t have to have any coding or programming experience, everything is basically laid out in templates for you to select from.
This means that you’ll be limited to the 3D models and all of the actions that are included with the Game Builder application. That said, there are thousands of 3D models to choose from so there’s no shortage of options when it comes to selecting characters for the game you’re creating. This also means that you might have to spend a significant amount of time browsing through all of the available content to find what you like most and use it.
For those that are interested in trying Game Builder out, the app is available through Steam and it’s completely free, all it will cost you is some time and dedication to put something together, and if you really love games and have had an interest in making one of your own, this might be right up your alley.
If you’re asking yourself how the Area 120 team was able to put this thing together so you wouldn’t need coding experience, that’s a fair question. Everything is using a card-based visual programming system. So there are tons of little cards that correlate to a specific action or a 3D character model and selecting and placing them inside of the creation window will allow those parts of the game to populate and make things work.
If you do have some programming and coding experience, there’s also the ability to build your own cards for things that may not already be there just by using javascript. Users can make any necessary changes that are there and then save them to create a new card, then insert that card into the game.
The unique aspect of game builder is that it was designed to be social and collaborative for those that want it, an it was also designed to be feel like you’re playing a game as you create it. This mix of gameplay-like tasking along with the multiplayer aspect aims to make things fun.
If you’re interested in working on something with friends for example, they can help you build or they can simply play the game as you build it. This “multi-player” feature is always-on too, so anytime you want some help or simply want some testers the capability is there.