Flash Games – From Hobby To Profit

Flash games really have made their presence felt in the last few years, with more websites actively using them. Curiously though, whilst there has been a strong demand for them (which continues to grow) the developers are resistant to change. The end result? Static games which provide a less than optimal result.

Sadly, in order to be able to successfully create Flash games, you need to have a working knowledge of Flash programming; however, if this is the only string to your bow then you are seriously under-resourced. In addition to Flash, the Flash programmer needs to have a mind for coding, an ear for music and appropriate sound effects, as well as the ability to create eye catching graphics. The following is the rough design of the creation of a Flash game.

Games are very complex indeed and even a very simple game can be a time consuming and challenging task indeed with a painstaking amount of work required. This is because with Flash, you not only have to contend with the bones of the program i.e. the code, but also the audio files, movie clips and all the other media items.

Given that there is the notable presence of all these different components, booting up the computer and jotting down some code is not likely to get you a very worthwhile program I am afraid. Whenever I decide to make a Flash program, I begin with my most trusted tool: pen and paper. I will map out what the game will do, how I will achieve the desired results and what I will need to include. This helps me to work out how the game could and will be written.

Once you have successfully developed the draft version the next logical step in the chain is to actually make a dummy version of the Flash game. This stage will identify the best ways to write code which will render the game functional and which will also pinpoint particular areas needed for improvement. Please note that I DO include holder graphics at this particular stage (if only for completion more than anything else) although on the other hand I will keep audio out unless it is critical.

Once I have completed the mock-up stage and I am satisfied with it I will then proceed to try and introduce the graphics and the audio to the program. The design stage is very important indeed for it will directly impact upon how the graphics and audio will “fit in” during this stage. I often get the artist to work on the graphics and audio during the mock-up stage to save on time. When ready, I then integrate their work with my own and when satisfied I make sure the entire product is tested once again.

I only start to add the fancy extras if I am totally satisfied that the remainder of the course has been duly finished. All the little extras which are attractive to the user are great for winning them over, but include them too early on in the process and you will make more work for yourself.

As can be plainly seen, Flash games are very complex, laborious and time consuming projects indeed. However, by using organisation and careful planning it is entirely possible to break a large project into a much more manageable one and it means we can achieve results in a smaller time frame.

If you have never actually written a Flash game entirely from scratch then you may find it a far easier and indeed more productive option to simply alter some existing Flash game code as opposed to trying to create a full scale version of the thing by yourself.

You may feel a little put off by the sheer volume of work required and involved in the process of making a Flash game, however as that charming clich goes, you only ever get out of it what you put in. The money and experience you will acquire is very significant indeed.

Find thousands of great Flash arcade games at Arcade Plazza, or download Flash Games Source Code at Viral Flash Games.