YoYo Games, the company behind GameMaker, announced an update to GameMaker: Studio. For those unfamiliar with GameMaker, it’s a service that allows you to make games; the name pretty much says it all. There are different versions of GameMaker that give you access to multiple features, but there’s a free version of GameMaker on the GameMaker site. It’s a fascinating and accessible way to learn how the various components of game design work together to make a finished, playable game. You can pay extra to get exports to different mobile devices and test games, but the free version allows you try out the necessary features to build the basics of a video game.
My game was very, very ugly, but that’s because I gave up halfway through and ignored most of the tutorial, which I hear is a bad idea. It was supposed to be a shooter, but it ended up being an RPG where people fought by haggling over fruit prices. I don’t know how it happened either.
The update to GameMaker: Studio updated the interface to make it easier to integrate business transactions into gameplay (read: microtransactions), in addition to upgrading the audio editor and the room editor. I get why the industry is really into microtransactions, since they’d prefer to receive money continuously as people play their games versus people paying a lump sum.
I also get that the industry blames piracy for their falling profits, and microtransactions get around that by making most of the gameplay free. I just don’t see how microtransactions add anything to the games I play. They always feel a bit gimmicky, giving games a shady feeling where I’m constantly hit up for cash while I’m trying to enjoy the game. I don’t have anything against people making money by creating something good, but when you’re sacrificing gameplay for add-ons you’re sort of missing the whole reason people play games in the first place. This game illustrates my point.
