I figured that since there were so many people who ask this, it makes it worthwhile for me to make this thing. Let's go.
Step 1: Choose your tool There are several different tools that you can use to create games. These are far ranging and varied, and there are a lot out there. Since this topic is about making games for free, I will only be typing about free programs.
Game Maker Standard Possibly the most well known free game creation tool out there. Game Maker has been around for a long time and is very easy to use, with a simple drag-and-drop system and also a more complex but also more powerful coding language. POTENTIAL: *** DIFFICULTY: **
Stencyl Stencyl is a newer program that allows users to create Flash-based games for free. You snap together coloured blocks in order to specify game logic. It also comes with a library of premade art assets. POTENTIAL: **** DIFFICULTY: ***
Flashdevelop Flash Develop is a power user's tool. It's an open source code editor. However, it's not really aimed towards newbies. It's more a tool designed for people who already know AS (ActionScript). As a result, it is near impossible for someone with no knowledge of programming to start with Flashdevelop. POTENTIAL: ***** DIFFICULTY: *****
There are many more tools around as well! I have only listed a few of them. There are a lot more that are good as well. It may pay of well to have a dig around Google for some other alternatives.
Step 2: Learn Just like how you can't fly a helicopter without learning, you can't expect to use any of these tools without knowing stuff about them. Luckily, using Game Maker or Stencyl is a lot easier than flying a helicopter. Game Maker and Stencyl both provide tutorials that can be accessed inside the program. There are also forums for both tools which allows you to get help.
Flashdevelop does not have as many tutorials. Rather, your best bet is to look up tutorials on AS3 (ActionScript 3) or AS2 (ActionScript 2) and adapt them to Flashdevelop. This may be rather difficult, but I've attached a link which may help (Link)
Step 3: Make your game By now, you would have gone through several tutorials. You would have made a few games, probably a spin off of the tutorial, and now you're experienced enough in the software to go alone. From here, the sky is the limit.
So I hope that this little thing helps you with your game development journey. If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask them here. Good luck!
Sorry but, i find in game maker more potencial, I never used stecnyl, but I can tell you that game maker have a lot of potencial in the code. But thats only my opinion, anyway good topic
Mmm... How about XNA Studio. Well here is the information:
XNA Studio (Visual C# required) Actually, is a very powerful set of tools that facilitates the game developing, but is not for begginers and you need to know some C# language. You can make games for windows, xbox 360 and windows phone.
DIFFICULTY: Actually depends of your programming knowledge and what kind programming do you are specialized. If you have experience in game programming maybe it can be 3 starts, but if you never worked in games maybe this can be 5 starts or even more.
One limitation to be aware of with Stencyl, to my understanding, you won't have the ability to create a multi-player game. Of coarse, for a lot of flash games, that's not really an issue anyways.
I used to fool around with "Scratch" which is like a precursor to Stencyl, only the files were not in .swf format. Also I found that Scratch programs of any significant complexity ran extremely slow. Even from those programmers whose code was obviously more efficient than my own. However, that was scratch and not Stencyl, so who knows. Not a bad, free way to dip your toe in game development, but not really programming either. Of coarse, that doesn't matter to everyone.
