by Camden S.
What is a game engine? A game engine is a software that is essentially a framework that can be used to create video games. It can help you create a video game by providing tools that make the process easier. There are many game engines, and a lot of them have a very high learning curve. Here are some recommendations of game engines for beginners:
Scratch is a free 2D game engine designed by MIT, and was created as a nonprofit game engine. It is a very basic game engine, but can be a great introduction to video game development. Scratch uses a block system to code and is better at creating smaller games. Because it is nonprofit, they do not let you sell anything made on Scratch.
GameMaker is primarily a 2D game engine, but can be used for some 3D games. It has a free version, but if you plan to sell your game you will have to purchase the game engine. GameMaker has their own coding language, but they also have an intuitive visual scripting system which does not require coding knowledge. This game engine has a decent sized community, an asset store, and free tutorials for you to use. You can publish your games almost anywhere, including consoles, and there are no royalty fees. With the free version you can still upload your game to GX.games.
Construct 3 is very similar to GameMaker, and is considered a great alternative. Like GameMaker, it is primarily a 2D game engine, but has limited 3D as well. It includes a free trial, but to sell your games you will have to pay for a subscription. Construct 3 uses JavaScript, but it has a very good and intuitive visual scripting system. Construct 3 has a smaller community compared to GameMaker, but it has a great asset store, and the free tutorials are well made. You can publish your games almost anywhere (except consoles), and they do not have royalty fees. Also, you can publish games made on Construct 3 to their arcade for free.
Which one is best? It really comes down to personal preference. You may like one game engine better than another. Since Scratch is so simplistic, if you are planning to make a polished game, it is probably better to find a more advanced game engine. You might even find that as you get better at making games, game engines like GameMaker and Construct 3 do not have the features you might need. There are many other great game engines that have more features and have better 3D capability. Some more advanced game engines are Unity, Unreal and Godot. Keep in mind that some game engines like Unreal are known to have a high learning curve.
Different game engines are better suited for different types of games. Try experimenting with multiple game engines to see which one works best for your project. There is no wrong choice. It just depends on which one you like best.
The Lighthouse 