No-Code Video Games (Part 1)

There are all kinds of apps that you can build without knowing how to code, but until fairly recently video games weren't among the options available to you. However, that's no longer true. Now there are a variety of game engines that allow you to create professional-looking games without needing to write any program code.

When you create a video game (2D, 3D, etc.) you're basically doing the same thing you do when you create other types of apps. You're combining small reusable components (buttons, text boxes, lists and containers for example) to create a form or landing page or other user interface. Each of those components actually consist of a bundle of program code that defines their appearance and functionality. In the same way you create an environment for a video game by combining objects (characters, mountains, trees, ships, and so on), each of which includes scripting statements (usually in Python or JavaScript) that determine the object's behavior. 

Game engines like Unity, Unreal, Godot, and Buildbox have all created kits for the person who wants to build a video game but doesn't have any programming background. The kits (like no-code platforms) work by having the user drag and drop pre-built objects onto the game canvas, then setting the properties for each object. Just as a button's properties may include size, shape, color, and the actions to take place when the button is clicked, a character object's properties may include strength, speed, trustworthiness, and actions the character will take in a given situation. 

To see how you can build a video game without coding, there's a good example at: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWDzrRDuetU  "How to Make a Video Game Without Coding for Free (Step by Step)"

There's a website (www.coregames.com) where you can play hundreds of video games for free, but you can also copy a game listed there, modify it, and even market it as your own version of that game. The process is very much the same as using an app template on a no-code platform and customizing it for your own use. 

In Part 2 of this post, I'll go into more detail on actually creating a no-code video game.