How To Code A Video Game On A Mac

One of the first things a lot of people look for, once they get over the ‘newness’ of unboxing a new MacBook and switching on OS X for the first time, is how they can play their favorite games on Mac. We’ll help you figure out how to do it.

  • Get started making your first video game! Download Unity: Support my videos on Patreon: http://patreon.com/brackeys/.
  • Online shopping for Video Games from a great selection of Accessories, Games & more at everyday low prices. Splash-Proof, Ideal for PC/Mac Game, Black. 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,665. Personal Computers $21.99 $ 21. $2.00 coupon applied at checkout Save $2.00 with coupon. Get it as soon as Sat, Nov 28.

Most video games are made using a specialized engine that allows you to “script” events, characters, and so forth without having to code each one from scratch. Creating a full game engine from scratch can take years, so most independent developers use an existing engine.

Traditionally, Macs were not known for their gaming prowess. It wasn’t uncommon for Mac owners to own a Windows-powered PC explicitly for gaming – you’d use your MacBook (or PowerBook!) for work and relaxation, then boot up your Windows PC when you wanted to sit down and shoot things. For the most part, it worked really well. A few games were ported over, but never very many. That all began to change when Apple switched the processors found inside of Mac computers. Not only could Windows be installed, but major game studios brought some of their titles over. World of Warcraft became a huge seller on the Mac.

The Best Way to Get Games for Mac? Steam.

A few years ago, Valve sent waves through the Mac world when they announced that they were planning to port their Steam video game store / distribution channel / social network to OS X. Valve pushed devs to port titles over to the Apple platform, and now there are hundred or even thousands of games running in the Mac version of Steam (of the 315 games in my Steam account, 176 of them are Mac compatible).

The easiest way to get started with a few games for Mac is to use Steam. If you’re a PC gamer, chances are you’ve bought more than a few Steam titles – and it’s likely some of those support the Mac at the same time; Valve doesn’t charge extra for non-Windows versions of their games.

But for Mac gamers, Steam is more than just a way to find Mac-compatible games. It’s also a way to play any game in your entire library, even if it’s Windows-only. It’s thanks to a newer technology from Valve known as In-Home Streaming.

Here’s the bad news, upfront: you still need a Windows PC for this to work. Preferably a good one, but any recent computer will do. In-Home Streaming works by actually running the game on your Windows PC, then routing the video over the network to your Mac.

Setting it up is actually pretty simple. Make sure your gaming desktop is attached to your network via an Ethernet cable. You want it to be plugged directly in rather than relying on wireless access. Next, download and install Steam on your Windows computer, and make sure the games you want to play are installed, configured, and have been launched at least once. Sometimes running a game for the first time causes issues when you’re trying to stream it elsewhere in the house.

Next, go to your Mac and download and install a copy of Steam there, too, if you haven’t already. Like with the gaming PC, your Mac will stream games better if it’s hardwired into your network. If that’s not possible, you can use your wireless network – but you should be running an 802.11ac network, and you should make sure you have a strong signal (even then, you might find some issues with playing really fast twitch shooters).

Log in with your Steam account credentials on both computers, and you should be good to go – if you don’t see all of your Windows games (at least, the ones that are installed on your gaming PC) available on your Mac, check the Steam settings on both computers and make sure that the ‘Enable streaming’ box is checked.

Steam’s implementation of game streaming works extremely well on most titles. First person shooters, especially if you’re into multiplayer, may prove problematic thanks to increases in latency.

Not every Mac game is available on Steam.

A number of high-profile publishers have gotten uncomfortable with the amount of power Steam was building up and decided to roll with their own game distribution services. Fortunately, many of them have their own Mac ports.

Games you won’t find on Steam, but can run on your Mac include Blizzard titles like World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, and Diablo III. Games you won’t find on Steam and are also Windows-only include most of the EA stable, with Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect: Andromeda (likely), Mirror’s Edge, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and more.

How To Code A Video Game On A Macbook Air

For this latter category, Steam may yet be able to help you out. For any games distributed via EA’s Origin service, you’ll need to download and have the Origin client installed and running – but you can still add them to your Steam library. Steam lets gamers add these non-Steam titles to their library for a couple of reasons: it gives them access to the Steam overlay and web browser in full-screen mode, and it lets your friends see what games you’re playing.

In-Home Streaming isn’t officially supported on non-Steam titles that you add to your library, but some games will work fine; you’ll need to experiment and see. To add some of these non-Steam, non-Mac titles, go up to the ‘Games’ menu on your gaming PC, and select ‘Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library’. A window will pop up listing a bunch of programs from your computer; scroll through to find the one you want, click on it to highlight, then click OK.

Depending on which Apple computer you’re using, you might wish to add non-Steam games to your Steam library and try to stream them even if they have native Mac clients; your gaming PC is likely going to play them at a much higher quality.

Don’t forget: Your Mac is an excellent Windows PC.

A common refrain you’ll find among tech sites is that an Apple MacBook or iMac will often be one of the best Windows computers you can buy. Thanks to Apple’s Boot Camp assistant, it’s actually pretty easy to install Windows on your Mac, and use either Windows or OS X, depending on what it is you want to do.

It’s a great way to run software that is Windows-only and can’t be virtualized, which is an apt way to describe many modern games. It might be a good idea to try even if you want to play an app that has a Mac client: some tests have shown a substantial frame rate increase by running the Windows version of a game over the Mac version – even on the exact same computer.

The company has a great support page (here) detailing how to go about installing Windows 10 on your MacBook or iMac. It boils down to updating your Mac software, installing Windows, and then updating drivers – pretty simple, in all.

Mac

Related Posts

  • While most people can access their email via the web these days, having a dedicated…

  • What is the Mac swapfile? Is it important? Can you delete it? We'll walk you through this…

  • Here is a guide on how to create a bootable external Mac hard drive to run…

22Jan2014

For the aspiring indie developer that wants to make games but doesn’t know the first thing about programming, this is certainly unfortunate. While common sense would tell you that you should learn how to program in order to make your first game, what if you just want to make your first game to see if you can actually do it? You know, to prove something to yourself. Good news aspiring indie developer, because it is certainly possible to make games without programming a single line of code. Consider the software below to develop your own games, and prove to yourself that you can indeed create your own, awesome game.

Buildbox

How To Code A Video Game On A Macbook Pro

Game Academy’s flagship game making software, Buildbox is designed to be so simple to use, that anyone can figure out how to make a game of their very own without any need for a manual. Featuring an asset wheel that allows users to drag objects and designate their purpose in-game and a host of gameplay options for tweaking your games in every way imaginable, Buildbox makes it a cinch to create any game you desire. Complete with advanced monetization options and the ability to publish games on over a dozen platforms simultaneously, Buildbox makes it simple to create top-quality games in record time, all the while building your app empire from the ground up.

Construct 2

Scirra LTD’s Construct 2 is a Windows-based editor that allows anyone to create 2D games via an easy-to-use editor and a visual “event’ system. Allowing anyone to create HTML5-based games that can run in a web browser, Construct 2 also provides an exporter for allowing one’s game to be played via desktop executables and Facebook, as well as on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackbery devices. Additionally, the software also supports various visual effects such as realistic physics that can be implemented easily into one’s game, the ability to preview the build instantly on mobile and tablet devices via Wi-Fi, and so much more. One of the most powerful game development tools ‘sans the programming requirement,’ Construct 2 is worthy of a consideration.

RPG Maker

We’ve all heard of Avangate’s RPG Maker – heck, it was the go-to software for every teenager when I was growing up that wanted to try their hand at developing RPGs. It has been around since 1988, yet that doesn’t mean RPG Maker is an outdated dinosaur by any means. The latest versions of RPG Maker are arguably the most impressive the product line has ever seen, sporting a vast array of graphics and audio that will allow you to get started with developing your RPG quickly and easily. In addition, the official website of RPG Maker also features a ton of quality assets, tutorials, and more, making this one of the best choices if you want to specifically design an RPG.

To The Moon was designed using RPG Maker if that tells you anything about how flexible and powerful RPG Maker actually is. A dinosaur? In terms of software, absolutely – but it’s a dinosaur that has grown smarter and better with age.

FPS Creator

How To Code A Video Game On A Macbook

Alternatively, maybe you want to create your own FPS. If this is the case, consider TGC’s FPS Creator. You will need to know fairly basic scripting for advanced customizations of your FPS, but if you want to make a standard FPS and nothing more, you can begin to make games without programming using only the editor alone. They also have a variety of assets on their site as well, allowing you to make a fun FPS that will be a delight to play.

Game Maker: Studio

How To Code A Video Game On A Mac Os

There are many programs that allow non-technical people to make games.

Remember when I mentioned that RPG Maker was the go-to software for many a teenager as I was growing up? Here’s the other go-to game development tool that everyone clamored to: YoYo Games’ Game Maker: Studio. I remember when it first hit the scene in 1999 too: it took non-coding game development by storm, and everyone wanted to learn how to use it so they could make some sick games. While it’s certainly been around a long time, this is another instance of a dinosaur growing ‘smarter and better’ with age.

Game Maker: Studio is a lot like Construct 2 in that it offers a visual editor to allow you to create your own game, yet allows advanced users to customize their game further via its own Game Maker Language (GML). Truthfully, if you are interested in learning how to program, Game Maker: Studio is a great starting point as GML will allow you to ‘get your feet wet’ when you decide to learn future languages.

If you are uninterested in learning how to program? No problem. Game Maker: Studio contains an awesome editor that allows you to create quality games for the desktop (including Mac and Linux), multiple mobile platforms such as iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, HTML5, and beyond. It’s a powerful tool that can introduce you to the world of programming or can be used by itself via its powerful editor, so give it a shot.

I’ll turn the article over to you guys. Do you prefer different game development software that doesn’t require programming? Let us know in the comments below!