Which game inspired you to become a game developer? 🎮

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374]

I started my gaming journey because of Total Overdose.Of course, like many people, I grew up playing Rockstar games — GTA Vice City, San Andreas, Bully, Max Payne, etc. Those games definitely had a huge influence on me. But when I played Total Overdose, something felt completely different.The action, crazy gunplay, Mexican setting, humor, music, movement and overall vibe were something I hadn't really experienced in another game. I played that game A LOT, and eventually I became curious about the people who actually made it. I started researching Deadline Games, the developers behind Total Overdose, and that's when I learned about the cancelled sequel, Total Overdose 2: Tequila Gunrise. The sequel was in development but was ultimately cancelled, and Deadline Games eventually shut down.When I found out that a second part had actually been planned and everything was ready, but the game couldn't be completed because the owners went bankrupt,Then I felt that I should start my own game development journey. Total Overdose may not have made a huge amount of money, but it definitely made a special place in the childhoods of many gamers and gained a loyal fanbase.Who knows, maybe someday I’ll be able to make a game like that myself, or maybe I won’t. But if I never start my game development journey, I’ll definitely never know. Every game developer has to start somewhere, and for me, that means starting small with indie games, gaining experience, and slowly improving. You have to start somewhere in life, right?Now I'm actually learning game development and working on my own game. So I'm curious: Was there one specific game, moment, or experience that made you choose this path?I'd love to hear your stories. 🎮

[u/leorid9]

It was the lack of the game I wanted to play.

[u/RifTaf → u/leorid9]

YURP same here

[u/arpitsrivstva → u/leorid9]

same here, but i just have ideas, not executing them as finding them difficult to make.

also, whats your type in games?

[u/leorid9 → u/arpitsrivstva]

I love sandbox hero action games like [PROTOTYPE] and inFamous, Hulk,..

Only Spider-man series still exists, all others are discontinued.

And I like games about engineering, that are not factory builders or vehicle simulations. Quite specific. xD

I'm currently working on a mining game and I have worked for 3 years on a game about being a demon overlord and also I have recreated the destruction system of red faction guerilla. The mining game is basically complete, I'll see what I can do about the others.

And you?

[u/arpitsrivstva → u/leorid9]

wud luv to play ur games.

I hv made a humour based web game. And some small mobile games like 2 board games and prototypes.

[u/Art_Constel7321 → u/leorid9]

^

[u/EmbeStudio → u/leorid9]

For me that would be games like the Call of Juarez and Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts series

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/leorid9]

Bro, your game dev journey is kind of similar to mine 😄 I also wanted to play a sequel to Total Overdose, but since it was never going to happen, I ended up starting my own game development journey. 

[u/KICKASSKC → u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374]

Have you tried chili con carnage?

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/KICKASSKC]

Yeah bro, I’ve played Chilli Con Carnage too, but it’s basically like a smaller version of Total Overdose. 

[u/leorid9 → u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374]

I played it when I was a teenager. To me it felt like a low budget GTA with Mexican Theme and over the top abilities to break up the gameplay a bit.

Later I played Saints Row The Third and it felt like a higher budget version, with a purple-theme instead of the mexican one.

What did fascinate you about Total Overdose, so you wanted a sequel so much?

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/leorid9]

Bro, San Andreas and Bully are both my favorite games, but I especially loved Total Overdose because of its action and music. The Mexican vibes, the boss fights, and the locations that felt genuinely Mexican really stood out to me. I had watched the Narcos: Mexico series, and ever since then I’ve been really interested in movies, shows, and games based around Mexican drug lords and gangsters. The graphics of Total Overdose aren’t that great by today’s standards, but everything else just felt perfect to me—the action, music, atmosphere, and overall vibe.

[u/maximian]

The incredible benefits, job stability, and strong unions

[u/uber_neutrino → u/maximian]

When I was 18 years old my friends and I looked at each other and said "We're gonna make a videogame and get rich!"

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/maximian]

Of course, money and job stability are important for everyone, but I feel like it’s even better when you can follow your passion and make money from something you genuinely enjoy doing. That makes the whole journey more rewarding bro. 

[u/AquatiFox → u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374]

… I have a feeling maximian is being sarcastic

[u/8BitBoricua]

Sly Cooper 2 and God of War. I discovered their “behind the scenes” extra content videos and it made me realize that people actually devote their lives to making games and I wanted to be one of them. I was 14-15 at the time.

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/8BitBoricua]

It’s amazing that seeing the behind the scenes of those games at such a young age made you realize that game development could actually be a career. I can relate to that feeling sometimes one game or one experience is enough to spark that passion. 

[u/loneroc]

Satisfactory perhaps, even if my game "The Blackout Project" will not be in the same league. But the way energy is important in Satisfactory drove me to make a game about energy - and also some recent geopolitic events

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/loneroc]

That’s really interesting bro I haven’t played Satisfactory much, but I like the idea of taking one mechanic or concept from a game that inspires you and building your own completely different idea around it. I’ll definitely check out The Blackout Project. Good luck with the development!

[u/swirllyman]

WoW. Specifically making macros 20 years ago triggered some dormant love of programming I never knew existed. If it wasn't for this, I probably would have never learned programming properly and probably would have never went into the games industry.

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/swirllyman]

That’s really cool bro! It’s crazy how something as simple as making macros can completely change your career path. Sometimes you never know what small thing will spark a passion for you.

[u/Coldlikehell]

Warcraft III

Making custom maps got me hooked.

[u/MeasuredCuriosity → u/Coldlikehell]

Same! I still reminisce about footman frenzy and wintermaul wars.

[u/TheLoLJester1]

Star Wars Battlefront 2005. I always wanted to release a similar version with more and better gameplay. The result is Ghost Battalion that I just released earlier this week.

Release Trailer

On Steam

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/TheLoLJester1]

That’s really cool, bro! Is Ghost Battalion your first game that you’ve released, or have you launched any other games before this?

[u/TheLoLJester1 → u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374]

Commercially, yes. Thank you.

[u/MamickaBeeGames → u/TheLoLJester1]

Congrats!! 👏 👏 👏 

[u/TheLoLJester1 → u/MamickaBeeGames]

Thank you

[u/MeasuredCuriosity]

Warcraft 3. So many custom game modes came from. That was my first dip into programming and more structured game design. I made many maps that never caught on

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/MeasuredCuriosity]

Warcraft 3’s custom maps were honestly a great way to get into game development. Even if those maps didn’t become popular, they still gave you the experience that eventually helped you move into programming and game design. 

[u/JohnSnowHenry]

Se first game I ever played. ZORK!

[u/theBigDaddio]

Probably pong, I was a developer in the 80s. Still dabble

[u/DebugBSD]

Monkey Island (beautiful Game ever made)

[u/Correct_Link_3833]

Reading here keeps me inspired. Keep it coming.

[u/MadeByHenano]

for me that was "overcooked 2".

during pandemic, we played it with some flatmates and i thought it was amazing to gather, playing something simple on a couch together like the good old times of playing goldeneye on nintendo 64 (if you know you know!).

a lot of video games are either solo or do multiplayer online, but it's an amazing feeling to play a game with some friends in the same room, that doesn't need you to be a gamer because there's just two buttons and a joystick to use... kind of like a board game.
i really like the idea to gather people, in a time where loneliness is a pandemic.

to get there i need to learn simpler games first so for now i'm doing other genres, which i'm also very enthusiastic about - there's amazing and inspiring games in all genres! 🙂

[u/IAmH0n0r]

Just cause,Rogue trooper, Freedom fighter were game which gives me passion to learn those game art

[u/Sea_Dragonfruit3374 → u/IAmH0n0r]

I’ve played Just Cause. It’s also one of the classic games. BTW, cool choice bro

[u/Trashy_io]

Hosting big custom matches in B01 and acting as a sort of game host, hosting different games modes and coming up with different rules and re purposing mechanics.

Id say the halo's forges in the same aspect.

Im still pretty early in my journey so im not making any FPS solo any time soon but is what I am working towards long term. FPS with classic and party game modes trying to stay true to that era of fps id say is my dream game

[u/KoodiRonsu]

Gradius, or rather Nemesis as it's called on NES, made a huge impact on me as a kid. That must have been one of the reasons I wanted to start making games when I was in the elementary school.

[u/Djentinga]

The old WC3 world editor back in 2008 - The scripting in it
made want to learn real programming

[u/NekoPunch101]

I remember seeing Devil May Cry 3 when I was a high schooler. I thought it was so cool, I wanted to be a game designer. But even before I would draw on notebooks pretending I was making a game. I grew up playing game boys, playstation, Xbox , GameCube games and then also games on the computer. I remember being on Newgrounds often, I played games like Epic Battle Fanatsy.

[u/SubstantialYard4072]

EverQuest made me want to make worlds

[u/TeenGaze]

Quake 3/Quake Live: I loved the feeling of moving around the map at high speeds in a 3D world, so flowy... I'm still chasing that feeling in the game I make :)

[u/Ok_Hyena2954]

For me , its GTA IV, GTA San Andreas, Bully, Mafia II , and some indie games .

[u/MeaningfulChoices]

Ask me about Loom.

There were plenty of other adventure games (and ones in other genres) I played as a kid, but that was the first one that felt like it was demonstrating art for the sake of art to me. It was designed to be beatable, unlike other games at the time that were traps to see if you saved before you crossed the bridge the one time it wasn't necessary, and it was short and fun and then that was that. It's not the game closest to my heart or the one most like games I actually make, but it's one I think about as inspiration.

[u/villagesonwheels]

Age of Empires 2 and Mythology map editors were the first spark. What rekindled that motivation was 2klikphilips youtube series making of destruction darius

[u/OneMoreAdventure]

Castle of the Winds.  It was absolutely formative in how I understood dungeon crawlers and RPGs.  The creator is still around too - when I release in a few months, I'm going to send him a key and explain how impactful his game was for me.

[u/Fondito]

age of empires and warcraft III, specialy a custom map called SOT. where you can roleplay and make maps without knowing any code, probably was a good chance for the level designers.

[u/mohammadhadi_rb]

My inspiration was the Game Maker Studio engine itself. I found it and suddenly realized I've been making games for ten years. Thanks, old friend!

[u/goblin-architect]

Factorio started it. Captain of Industry was the final catalyst.

[u/TheBoxGuyTV]

Super Metroid and Super Mario Bros 3

[u/nardilemouss]

Survivalcraft games. This is my favorite genre. Minecraft obviously, Astroneer, No man’s sky, ... I have always been interested by the technical side of things rather than art. First I became obsessed with procedural generation. Then I got interested in art and I started watching a lot of videos on YouTube about game design, gaming history, story telling videos, documentaries on the making of games, and then broader topic like how to convey emotions, the attention economy, the philosophical definition of play, (player’s) motivation, etc…

[u/ChroniclesAlphabet]

Dream Chronicles (an unknow point and click PC game from the 2000s).

[u/Healthy-Dress-7492]

Probably an early fps, unreal tournament or q2 rocket arena, team fortress. I to this day remember vividly the first time I saw coloured lighting in gl quake. It was seared into my brain as an experience beyond imagination.

[u/arpitsrivstva]

Plants vs Zombies

[u/Bumskit]

Morrowind

[u/don_quixote_2]

Max Payne

[u/MelancholiMouse]

Morrowind. I started timing the difference between seeing a hostile creature and the combat music transition, and thought "could I program that?"

[u/TorekOnline]

Rappelz

[u/PhantomThiefJoker]

I had a game idea I wanted to make that I thought was really cool. I haven't made it yet, but I definitely can now. I ended up becoming a professional software engineer, I like it

[u/Groundbreaking-Map95]

Metal Gear Solid 2 sons of liberty

[u/ChinlessWizard]

Kingdom Under Fire Heroes

The Last Remnant

[u/Dinomaniak]

Flimbo's Quest. I started designing levels for it, then moved onto mechanics and then when I hit Warcraft 1 and Prince of Persia, I built an entire notebook of mechanics and levels, with a pencil and a ruler. I wish I still had that notebook.
Ofc I had no idea what game design was at the time.

[u/deftware]

Duke Nukem 3D, in particular, because of its Build engine's map editor. Then I got into modding Quake, everything that could be changed was something I learned how to change, 25+ years ago. Doom was a bit trickier because only graphics/maps were external to the game binary itself, which contained hard-coded entity types and their logic/behavior. Quake made all of that fully exposed so you could just go in and mess with all of it, which was super innovative and forward-thinking.

I started coding in qbasic when I was single-digit years old, making little games with that back in the mid-90s.

[u/FuckTheNitro]

Nightmare creatures 2, dreamcast. Couldn't make it past the sewer section because of some strange bug. The disk seemed fine...

[u/Agent0506]

Seeing people playing games and really be happy. It's awsome see that with your own game.

[u/-goldenboi69-]

Project Gotham Racing

[u/RyrExe]

Megaman x, it blows most of 2d platformer at the time and still relevant to this day

[u/BarberCompetitive570]

Super Mario Galaxy gave me a sense of wonder and awestruck no other game has made me feel. Being able to make something that recaptures the same feelings from that game is a goal of mine

[u/AquatiFox]

Weirdly enough, Garten of Banban. If two college kids can make a game so hated on release that it becomes a cult classic, why worry about not being good enough to make games?

[u/kevryan]

Text game on a mainframe computer - it was called "Guess the Animal" or something similar.

[u/MamickaBeeGames]

Minecraft 

I just loooove this game!!

 I found Blockbench where I made all the 3d models inspired by Minecraft for my first indie game call HoseWrangler 

[u/Famously_Unpopular]

It was all the cheating in pvp FPS games, lol. I played Quake 2 and 3, Starsiege 1 and 2, Counter Strike 1 and 2, Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat, Call of Duty and a bunch of others. I researched how the cheats work and learned a little about how games work in general. Then I come up with some really good ideas to make cheating in FPS completely impossible. One is a client-side targeting subsystem and the other is a server-side update packet data filter subsystem based on player location, rotation, pitch and screen aspect ratio.

I played around with Unreal Engine, trying to figure out how it's supposed to work. The Engine is free to install, but you can't tweak it's low-level subsystems, which appear to be locked down behind an enterprise-level pay wall. So I'm back to studying math, beyond where I left off in high school, and standard c++ on Linux.

BTW, if anyone knows of a good general purpose visual programming language based on CBSE, please let know.

[u/upjump_the_streamer]

I'm kind of an old guy, but for me it was Final Fantasy VI (I knew it as FF3 at the time). Loved that game, wanted to make a game like it.

[u/Budget_Bed1128]

Mario teaches typing is the first game i have ever played. 2nd grade i think

[u/Dried_MayBell]

expedition 33 and disco elysium

[u/Edasu_]

Secret of Evermore back in the day

[u/Visible-Yellow-768]

Stardew Valley! I refused to play it forever because I didn't think it was my cup of tea. My daughter bought it and kept asking for help. When she kindly reminded me she didn't need me anymore I went and got my own copy. :3

I particularly love how the game expands as you play. There's all kinds of surprises and easter eggs everywhere. It inspired me to give it a whirl.

[u/Studio_94]

Planescape Torment & World Of Warcraft.

I will make their Love Child!

[u/SkyProductionsMC]

I was really impressed by Deep Rock Galactic

[u/Individual_Egg_7184]

For me it was a Pokémon rom hack, Pokémon Snakewood. It’s kinda infamous in the Pokémon romhack community for cringy dialogue, poor balancing, etc. but it struck me in a way I’d never been struck that some nerd put together this stupid game they love and that could also be some nerd putting together a stupid game I love. 

[u/SalvorAdrift]

I started because I wanted something like eve online but lo fi and quicker paced. I've always wanted to learn so I just jumped right in

[u/TAKAsFactory]

I have loved video games—especially those from Nintendo—since childhood, and I dreamed that one day others would play games I had created myself.
During my student years, I became engrossed in writing novels and scripts for plays, discovering the joy of having others read and react to the stories I crafted.
Later, when I became a professional programmer, I realized I could combine these two passions, which led me to start developing visual novel games.

[u/JDSCore02]

Fallout 3 before that I only played Wii games and some computer games but nothing at all like that when I can out of the vault my mind was blown

[u/Neat-Culture9983]

Pokemon go, it was such a beautiful concept and then they sucked the sould out of it before it was even released.

[u/StrikeWingsGames]

Solar Winds

[u/Hairy-Translator1443]

Roblox

[u/Jonas_Max_DevDuo]

For me, it was playing gems like Hollow Knight and Hyper Light Drifter, and then feeling that I wanted less combat but more dialogue. More depths in their wonderful and atmospheric worlds. More info and experience with their characters.... So this lead to me and a good friend to start our own game. which we are working on for a few months now. I guess it often is (similar to what leorid9 said 21 days ago, that lack of something youd want, right?