The beginning is cross-posted from the Microstudio Reddit. The advice is still useful, even if parts of it would take longer than the game jam to learn. Consider parts of it as tools for right now and if you're a beginner, gain study materials and tools to use for your growth as a game developer.
There's a lot of amazing tutorials out there for art, writing-you name it! And you'll at least have foundations before you begin thanks to what you learn in school. For programming, not so much!
So, what are some useful things to have skills in or to know?
The first thing is a decent grasp on mathematics. If you aren't so great on maths, there's some amazing math courses you can find online, many free!
But the most absolute necessary math is in this video here. I recommend at the least give this video a shot, you'll understand a lot of things about video game making that drove me absolutely crazy! And better yet, the video uses very handy examples of how the math is useful in context! If you want to go into greater depth, I recommend this video series, which is like a whole course on the topic!
The other skill that is often underestimated is project management. Some of it will be learning how much you can do in a set amount of time. Once you begin to learn how to program and make assets for your game, you should be always keeping track of how long and how difficult a given task is at first. The only way to find that part out is to simply begin doing.
The other half of it is figuring out what sort of things your game needs. What kind of controls? What kind of movement? What locations or stages and features? What visual and audio assets will it need?
The easiest way to start is with a written pitch. A pitch can help you figure out what, exactly what you want the end project to look like-and figure out the direction you need to take. It is a very handy guide to refer to as you make your game! Here's an example pitch, feel free to read over its information and make use of it!
Once you have this pitch, the best idea is to make what the industry calls a vertical slice. This is a prototype that shows off the most important parts of your game, in a short demo. They are typically not polished and use placeholder graphics. So, how do you make your vertical slice? You plan for it.
One way to track is to come up with tasks. What needs to be done? What things are nice but not required? What is easy? What takes effort or time but isn't too difficult? What's very difficult or time-consuming? You can graph things out by complexity/time and priority. Sometimes smaller things rely on a core mechanic that you need to develop first. Here's an example task sheet that can be used.
With these skills practiced, you have the beginnings of what it takes to make a game. Maybe you'll just have some game jam prototypes. Maybe you'll make some small games and toys. Maybe you'll make the next Undertale.
That's all up to you! Stick with it and keep moving, who knows where the road will take you?
Have fun with RPG Maker!
Further resources:
https://opengameart.org - Keep an eye on licenses but there's a whole lot of options out there for both visual and audio assets!
https://youtube.com - There's a library of creative commons music that you can use for any project. Not just Youtube videos!
https://creativecommons.org - You can search their image database!
https://kenney.nl - Also known as Asset Jesus. These are great, high-quality assets, even if you use them as placeholders, they're really good for "greyboxing" in a level. Incidentally, Kenney sells some non-free tools and has generators for projects that aren't associated with NFTs or the blockchain. Please support this awesome creator!
...and don't forget great assets like plugins on Itch or the Moghunter scripts if you use RPXP!
Please consult any licenses and give proper credit for any assets you use. If you find a non-free asset you like, pay for it.
Don't be stingy with other peoples' labor.
Don't forget, many people give the option to pay for free assets/software and I recommend supporting them if they allow it and like their work!