GameMaker

GameMaker is the real deal: Its drag-and-drop programming environment allows new game designers to jump right in and create 2D games. With it, they can create professional-level games, but it's still accessible to amateurs and those on a budget. When students want access to more flexible or nuanced behavior for game objects, they can switch over to the built-in GML language, which is based on C. The included image, room, sprite, object, and tileset editors give complete control over the game, all within the workspace. 

GameMaker's user interface for creation is consistent and clear. Making a game is a straightforward process of assembling all the game pieces into a common library, shown through an expandable hierarchy tree, and then setting up various "objects" using those art or sound pieces. This is followed by adding different behaviors to the objects (such as what to do when a player pushes the left arrow key or when one object collides with another), creating a new "room," and placing the objects in the room. Games can be run/played at any point, making for instant feedback on what has already been created.

Depending on the purchased license, students can create games for use in desktop, mobile, console, or web environments, and even sell them in the Marketplace. A huge community is available for getting help and finding ideas. The trial version of GameMaker has limited resources and, with it, you can't create executables. But it gives sufficient functionality to help you figure out if this game development environment is what you need.

Editor's Note: This review was of GameMaker Studio 2, and may not be fully representative of the current version of GameMaker.

Learning how to assemble a basic game in GameMaker is easy when you follow the included step-by-step tutorials, and there are plenty of resources for teachers as well. That said, it's probably best to have some foundational knowledge first. Aspiring game designers can supplement the tutorials by watching a good pool of amazingly well-done third-party YouTube videos, and get help in the active community forums. These resources also introduce students to basic concepts of game design that will work even outside GameMaker. In general, GameMaker orients students to the programming, design, and development environment, but it's only a tool; knowing how to design an in-depth game would generally be learned separately. Already being familiar with game development terminology would also be helpful.

Once students have a game idea, though, GameMaker is an open-ended tool for making it happen, whether they're going for a simple move-and-shoot game, or one with more sophisticated graphics and gameplay, or even a physics engine. It has enough capability to handle students' first games all the way up to professional-level, sellable games. Also, creating a game with the drag-and-drop interface allows students to take a look at the code behind the blocks and learn more about how the programming works.