Individual game development with opensource software - A case study with guidelines for programmers and game designers

Abstract

The focus of this project is individual (i.e., single-person) game development using open-source tools; specifically, the development of a side-scrolling, 2D platform game with a focus on players’ enjoyment, and the creation of this thesis, which is intended to serve as a case study of individual, open-source game development and a limited guide for future developers, especially those working alone. This report describes the development process for the aforementioned game (titled CheckerSphere), which includes both single-person game development and development using strictly open-source tools (aside from low-level proprietary software such as drivers for the graphics card used during development as well as proprietary hardware). Additionally, as a guide, this thesis contains items such as a list of personally recommended study material, mostly consisting of recorded lectures and video essays; a brief analysis of the movement systems of three 2D platformers; information regarding how to legally use existing assets and where to find them; in what ways CheckerSphere is designed for accessibility; and several lists of open-source tools that may be of use for a game developer. Open-source distribution of games may not always be considered feasible, but it brings new possibilities, such as potentially causing volunteers to contribute to the game for free, encouraging players to create problem descriptions when they find apparent bugs, allowing those who are unwilling to install closed-source software on their computers to play the game, increasing the amount of trust and good will towards the developers, and helping future game development projects by contributing to the open-source community. Additionally, using only open-source tools brings benefits such as being able to trust software to not infringe on one’s privacy or be otherwise malicious; being able to suggest, or personally implement, desired changes in a piece of software; being able to remove undesired parts of software; and having access to all software without payment, facilitating lower-budget development. This project has personally strengthened the view that open-source game development is entirely feasible when extreme graphical fidelity is not required, both in terms of using only open-source tools and in terms of distributing the game under an open-source license; the latter does not prevent the developer from releasing the game commercially, since non-code assets may remain proprietary.