How to make Flash Games

So you want to start making flash games. Let’s get started, here are the bare minimal you will need:

Getting Started

1. Flash plug-in to run flash games. Chances are you already have this.
2. A flash compiler. Flash Professional or Flex or haXe (or another program). I suggest one of the first 2 options, if not both.

And if you are interested in doing decent art, you may need to consider:

3. Photoshop or another visual editing program for the art.

Basics

ActionScript 3 is the current language I would suggest you learn to begin your flash developing. It is very similar to most object oriented programming languages.

Learning

There are various ways people learn programming. Some people find other ways work better for them than for everyone else. I personally learn by doing something very hard and fun. My first flash program was a multi-player Isometric attempt at Civilization. The thing you MUST have, is passion. You can not just decide to make games, without really enjoying it. If you are the type of person who enjoys opening your toys up after they break, then you are probably fit to be a programmer.

Some learning methods:

1. Tutorials, don’t just read them, do them, at least copy them word for word, (It works more than you think).
2. Books, buy them, paperback preferably. E-books are cheap *cough*, but they will not inspire you to read as much as a physical book by your bed will. It also makes good bathroom literature.
3. DO, this is my favorite way. Just open the compiler, and start clicking things, typing things, see what it says, then try to figure out how to fix it.

You know you have learnt a language when you:

1. Know the limits of the current language / build.
2. Know the syntax (how to build the statements), for example in php we use $classThing->function(); to run a function within the specified class. The $,->, () are parts of the syntax that you can’t just pick up after you start a job. You need to know as many of those as you can.
3. The walls appear to be a bunch of green symbols flowing down into more green symbols. errmmm, oh wait… *takes another red pill*

That’s pretty much it. You will never know every part of a language. And you shouldn’t have to, languages get outdated so fast that you will need to learn a new language by the time you get one down firmly.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments, I plan on spending a lot of time on explaining the basics of flash.