Remembering GameMaker

[Q-Nova]

I found this a while ago, and then just now decided to share it here:

Remembering Game Maker

It's pretty neat to read about someone's retrospection on such a popular and beloved game-making program, one that even I used for a very long time. Also, this article made me realize that Pac-Man is in the GM8 logo, within the G!

Do you have any memories and thoughts on GameMaker that you'd like to share? I remember when I first got the program (version 8.1), I tried to make a game featuring a robot. I made the sprites, and then the backgrounds. When I started making a room, I noticed that I couldn't place any sprites in. I felt a little frustrated, since at that time I didn't want to read the tutorials to learn how GameMaker works. After a while, I decided to pick up the project file for the "first game" tutorial (the one with the fruits and bombs), and then edited it into my very first game. Instead of clicking on fruits, you click on moving white squares, and instead of avoiding bombs, you avoid white squares that don't move. It's basically a reskin of the tutorial game. I remember having a lot of fun with GameMaker, even if there were some frustrations.

[VinnyVideo]

I discovered GM around the time GM 7 first came out. I thought it was pretty amazing that a tool enabled mere mortals to make their own video games! I tried both GM 7 and TGF 2, and I found GM to be easier to wrap my head around.

Over the next several years, I spent a lot of time learning about GM and becoming significantly better at it. I probably would've ended up in a very different career path if not for GM. (Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you!)

While GM Studio 1.x added a lot of features compared to GM 8, I agree that GM's overlords lost their way for a while. I think GM Studio 2.x is on better footing, though I still miss the minimalist UI and lightning-quick compile times that GM 7/8 offered.

Course clear! You got a card.

[littlelum]

I discovered GM(8) through MFGG, as that's what others on the site recommended to beginners. Although I remember finding around with BASIC in elementary school, GM8 was the first time I actually finished something. (Mainly because the minigame comp had a deadline, but technically it was finished).

I haven't touched it in years, but I have fond memories of reading the documentation. (As a kid I loved reading through documentation stuff for some reason).

[Q-Nova]

I discovered GM around the time GM 7 first came out. I thought it was pretty amazing that a tool enabled mere mortals to make their own video games! I tried both GM 7 and TGF 2, and I found GM to be easier to wrap my head around.

Over the next several years, I spent a lot of time learning about GM and becoming significantly better at it. I probably would've ended up in a very different career path if not for GM. (Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you!)

While GM Studio 1.x added a lot of features compared to GM 8, I agree that GM's overlords lost their way for a while. I think GM Studio 2.x is on better footing, though I still miss the minimalist UI and lightning-quick compile times that GM 7/8 offered.

I remember trying out The Games Factory 2 before GameMaker. I read through the first game tutorial (the breakout game with the chocolate bars), but could hardly understand how it works. A few years ago, though, I figured out my way around the original Games Factory very well, so maybe I won't have too much trouble with TGF2 (or CF2.5) nowadays!

I can also say that I spent a lot of time learning about GameMaker and getting immensely better at it! The How-Tos on MFGG and example projects/tutorials on the YoYoGames Sandbox (remember that?) were really helpful in my early years. Even up to my latest project, I was learning new things. In Go! Go! Gooble!! I finally learned how to use for/while loops and the return function, which were extremely useful!

Yeah, GameMaker Studio 1.x was questionable in some areas, especially in the beginning. I remember it being so unstable, that I could've sworn it even uninstalled itself at one point, however that managed to happen! It got better later on, and I don't remember having any issues with it since I joined MFGG, although I'm not a fan of how .OGG files greatly inflate the file size even when compressed, unless there's another way I'm not aware of (FMOD?).

I discovered GM(8) through MFGG, as that's what others on the site recommended to beginners. Although I remember finding around with BASIC in elementary school, GM8 was the first time I actually finished something. (Mainly because the minigame comp had a deadline, but technically it was finished).

I haven't touched it in years, but I have fond memories of reading the documentation. (As a kid I loved reading through documentation stuff for some reason).

Hey, I haven't really done anything substantial with GameMaker in years either; all I've done with it lately is check out example projects and How-Tos. I also love reading the documentation, even to this day. I have a couple GameMaker books that I like to read through on occasion just for fun!

Quillax Ship - Where you can download all of my cool, keen mods and super-marvelous fangames!

[DJ Coco]

Ah, Game Maker. It's nostalgic for sure.

I became kind of resentful towards it when I started moving on to Unity and seeing how much better it was compared to Studio 1.x, but I think my hate was overblown.
I didn't really give the engine enough credit. While it taught me many bad coding habits, it also taught me coding in the first place, and back when I first discovered it during the GM7 era, it was quite an advanced tool for the time. Unity also has way more staff so I guess it is somewhat unfair to compare the two engines, and GM has apparently become a much better engine in recent times, which is nice to hear.

I've been using Game Maker from 2008 until as late as 2018, so a whopping 10 years from when I was 13 until I was 23. That was quite a defining time of my life (I can't believe my 10 year anniversary with Unity is coming up too next year!). I made lots of projects I was passionate about, and that still mean a lot to me. Not everything I made has aged gracefully but I'm still proud of what I made, and there are some ideas and games that I still want to follow up on at some point.

At first I wasn't even interested in programming; I just wanted to make games. My first project was a little jump'n'run made with the help of a YouTube tutorial and pictures stolen from Google. My first released game was Space Case, which you can still download from the YoYoGames sandbox if you're curious. A friend at the time helped me out from there, by programming stuff I couldn't do, until I learnt to pick it up myself. I ended up really enjoying coding, to the point of where it became my profession. In a way, I have to thank Game Maker for that.

Will I ever return to Game Maker in the future?
Unlikely. I'm mostly interested in 3D game development these days, and while it is impressive to make 3D games in Game Maker and as much as I'd like to show off, Unity is simply the better choice. When it comes to 2D Game Maker might be a competent alternative to Unity these days, but I will still stick with Unity. I simply prefer C# to GML, and publishing to Nintendo Switch with Unity is free unlike Game Maker. Since Game Maker is free for mobile games though, I might end up using it for that purpose though.

[Vert]

Since Game Maker is free for mobile games though, I might end up using it for that purpose though.

Remember the last time you did that and transparency rendering broke in the PC version so I had to rerecord all the footage for the trailer? Let's not do that again tbh.

I don't want to go back to Game Maker Studio anymore, the room editor is awful. Someone please tell me they improved it in 2.

I make games with my friend DJ Coco sometimes. Check them out here: https://cliax-games.com/
Or check out my blog: https://vertette.github.io/

[sipesaidan]

I would also like to share some thoughts and memories I have regarding GameMaker. Around 2010, when I was a high school student, I began using GameMaker. The thought of creating my own games and showcasing my creativity captivated me. In order to learn the fundamentals of GameMaker 8.0 and the GML language, I downloaded the program and followed some online tutorials and books. I created a few easy games, including a shooter, a platformer, and a puzzle game. In addition, I played around with some more sophisticated features like 3D graphics, shaders, and particles. The features and adaptability of GameMaker astounded me.

A three-dimensional racing game is one of my favorite games that I created using GameMaker. I loaded some 3D textures and models that I had found online into GameMaker. To implement the physics, camera, and AI, I also used some scripts and extensions that I discovered on the GameMaker Community forum. I put a lot of effort into fine-tuning and polishing the game, including the menus, music, and sound effects. To create and edit the tracks, I even created a custom level editor. After I uploaded the game to the YoYo Games website, I got some favorable reviews and ratings. I was ecstatic and proud of myself.


I had a lot of fun learning and practicing game development with GameMaker. It gave me a lot of knowledge and abilities that I still apply today, like debugging, game design, and logic programming. It was really enjoyable and satisfying for me as well. I owe a debt of gratitude to GameMaker and the community for this amazing experience.