Ok, so you want to create the next Diablo game, or another Star Craft. Do yourself a favor and take a step back; better, take 10 steps. Each of these games was created by an army of people. We are not talking about five to 10 people. Multiply these figures by 10 or 20 and the result will give you a good estimate of how many people are working on titles like the ones I have mentioned.
The games we have just played were created by individuals. They did the graphics, the sound effects, and the coding, all on their own. So when you start game development, set a small goal. The most important aspect for a game developer is to finish projects. Go for something that you can finish easily and in a short period of time. There are thousands of wannabe game developers out there who have never had something released in their whole career. You will definitely agree that someone who has never finished a game project can't call themselves a game developer.
So instead of the next AAA title, we will first work together on the small projects. Starting with Chapter 2, Getting to Know your Monkey—a Trip to the Zoo, we will work on projects that you will be able to finish in a short period of time. We will look together at some classic games and will recreate them. Along the way, you will learn your tools and techniques that you'll need when you create games on your own.
The rewards and motivation from finishing a project are immense and will make you want more and more. So let's take some small steps first. Learn how to walk before you learn how to run.
Enough with all this game playing and having fun. Game development is also work. Sometimes it is fun work, but also sometimes dry and tough. But Monkey supports you with a great feature set in its arsenal, and you should now have a little study time in addition to this book. So it's not about what you can do for your Monkey, it's now about what your Monkey can do for you. After all, you shelled out quite a bit of cash and you should get something worthwhile back for it!