Flash Games - How To Develop Browser Games

Over the past few years Flash games have really grown in popularity. The number of people playing casual games online has really spiked, and there is a huge demand for Flash game developers right now. Very few Flash developers get into games however since they see game development as complex, time consuming and difficult. If a solid design and development plan is followed however, games can be created in a reasonable time frame and to a high standard, and is well within the capabilities of most Flash developers.

Video games are complex beasts. Even a game as simple as Pacman has quite a number of routines, such as controlling the ghosts, taking user input, checking collisions, keeping score, and generating levels, not to mention non-game screens and functions like pre-loaders and splash screens. For this reason, a methodical approach to game development is essential, otherwise the project becomes chaotic, over budget and a nightmare to work on. The first thing to do is to draw up a solid design, away from Flash, and include complete lists of assets such as graphics and audio. Only then can you begin to develop the game in Flash.

After a design has been drafted, creating a mock-up game in Flash is the next step. At this stage the idea is to write the Actionscript code for the game to be functional, but not worrying too much about how the game looks. I often use place holder graphics at this stage, which will later be swapped out with the proper graphics produced by an artist, and unless it is integral to the game I leave the audio out entirely. Once the mock-up has been developed, and tested, the next stage is to integrate the graphics and audio. If the design phase was completed carefully with consideration to the graphics and audio, the artists (if the developer is not creating the graphics themselves) can be producing the graphical assets while the mock-up is being created. This allows the graphics and audio to be integrated relatively quickly and easily, and the game is now fully tested again.

Finally, after all the hard work designing, developing and testing the game your final creation will be ready to publish. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done, and start planning your next project.

If you're just getting started with Flash game development then I highly recommend modifying an existing game, and perhaps adding new levels or extra features, before tackling your own entire game from scratch. That will build your confidence and give you the experience needed to take on larger project in the future. Learn the skills one step at a time, and before long you'll be building the next blockbuster!

Find flash games tutorials and articles at www.ViralFlashGames.com, and download editable Flash game source files at http://www.viralflashgames.com