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[A Person!]For the Sake of a Dream, Mentor Me~

A topic by Solaic created Dec 08, 2016 Views: 795 Replies: 12
Viewing posts 1 to 3
(1 edit)

Alright. I'm going straight to the explanation,so you know what you're getting into.

I'm looking for a Mentor to guide me and support me on my path to becoming a game developer(or somewhere along the long lines of the field...). It's a dream, really. Video games have given me so much happiness and lifted me through the dark depths that I've reached; that I just want to pass it along. I want to make other happy, and feel that sheer, irrevocable happiness of your hard work bringing joy to others.


The problem is, I'm 17. With a burning passion to learn. Don't see that too often, do you? It all started with an introduction to HTML/CSS. I found that it was an overwhelming sensation to put such hard work into something, and see the fruits of your labor bloom so eloquently before you. Granted, HTML/CSS is webpage language, so I did my research,and finally clicked my love for gaming, with the desire to make them. I know it's hard work. I know it's not for the weak of will; and that's all the more why I'm ready to start. However, it truly seems to be difficult, in the beginning, to break into something like this. Without guidance from someone with experience, I feel as if I'm simply going to meander about,without a truly recognizable goal in site; unable to understand exactly what's next to go. That's not to say I haven't looked up guides, but they're all so... off. So vague, or unexplained.

As for what I *can* do,I have a vivid imagination, a fiery passion to learn and work, a mediocre ability for art(if it should live, I can't draw it), good--or so I like to think--writing skills, and a sense of humor(that's clearly the most important part)! I don't seem to have much trouble learning code, and I like to think that I'm a fast learner in general. Hell, half of my teachers--in high-school,mind you-- seem to just let me fly free; confident in my drive for education.


So... yep. That's all I can think of for right now...I'm probably leaving out a lot.


But, that's that. With sincerest regards, and fingers crossed,

Solaic Umbrae

So what exactly are you looking for in a mentor?

Well, that's kind of a hard question, I suppose. Someone with a decent amount of experience in games &/or the the industry. Someone who can help me with various aspects; help me to learn what I need to. Someone to guide me and support whatever I work on. I just don't want to sit around through my senior year of highschool, and just wait for college to dredge me through what I need to learn. Better to learn now, and simply supplement with college.

Well, I don't think I fit the criteria very well, since I'm still working on my first video game and don't know any of the coding languages that you use, but I think I know a guy. One second.

.3. Oh, alright. I mean, any help is appreciated, really. Working alongside relatively new people can be just as helpful~

Oh, well then I'd like to help you with whatever I can. If you have any questions I'll happily do my best to help you out.

Turns out my friend can't help out much, but I'm still willing to do anything I can.

Ah well, thank you for asking him anyways~ I appreciate your help; I'll be sure to keep you in mind for any problems that I have ^w^ . Likewise, if you need some more manpower for anything, feel free to ask~

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. :)

Hm.. I'm not sure about mentoring perse, but I can offer some advice and answer any questions you may have if that suffices.

As a general rule of thumb, recommendations on where to start will vary wildly depending on who you ask. I typically recommend [Python], as its easy to learn, powerful, versatile, and has lots of documentation and support. [Learn Python The Hard Way] can help familiarize you with the language, after that there are a number of API's you can move towards, such as [Pyglet] for graphics/audio/controllers/etc. among others. A few other places to check out would be [Tigsource] which is a community of independant developers, and [Gamasutra] which focuses more on the business and industry of game development.

^w^ I just used Mentor as a rough term. I couldn't think of anything else to use. That being said, thank you, and I'll be sure to direct any questions I have your way.

I'll definitely look into Python. I've heard about it, but it's just not as big as some of the other engines/frameworks. I've already been using Gamasutra, but I'll take a peek over at Tigsource too!

Thank you a lot for your help!

Out of curiosity, which engines/frameworks are you referring?

I was referring to some others that I've heard of, such as Gamemaker and Unity. Looking into Python,though, there does seem to be an over-abundance of sources for newcomers. I think I will start with that ^w^ .