How to Start Making Games Part 2: From Idea to Playable Prototype

19th December 2025 By Rob from the Shack

If you have ever opened a game engine, followed a tutorial, and then stared at a blank project wondering what to do next, you are not alone.

Getting started is the easy part. Turning an idea into something playable is where most people stall.

In How to Start Making Games Part 1: Finding Your Path, we covered the foundations. Choosing an engine, learning the basics, and keeping your scope realistic are what help new developers stay motivated long enough to actually make progress.

Part 2 is where things become real.

This guide focuses on turning a simple idea into a playable prototype. Not a finished game. Not something ready to sell. A prototype that proves your idea works and gives you momentum.

Start With a Simple, Clear Game Idea

Before opening your engine, take a moment to define what you are making.

In the industry, developers often describe their game in a single sentence. This is sometimes called a high concept, and it forces clarity.

A top down action game where the player fights waves of enemies using physics based weapons.
A short horror experience set inside an abandoned multiplayer server.
A cozy farming game focused on relationships rather than optimisation.

If you cannot explain your game clearly, it is probably too big for a first prototype.

This idea should build directly on the advice in How to Start Making Games Part 1: Finding Your Path, where starting small is the difference between learning and quitting.

Understand Your Core Game Loop

One of the most important concepts in game development is the Core Game Loop.

This refers to the actions the player repeats throughout the game. Move, interact, fight, collect, upgrade, repeat. Almost every successful game can be reduced to a loop like this.

When building a prototype, your job is to test whether this loop is engaging.

If the Core Game Loop is not fun, no amount of content, visuals, or story will fix it later.

Think Like a Designer, Not Just a Developer

Even if you are working alone, you are still making design decisions constantly.

Game designers often talk about player fantasy. This is the role the player feels they are stepping into. A survivor, a hero, a strategist, an explorer.

You do not need a full Game Design Document, often shortened to GDD, but writing down your core ideas helps keep the project focused. A few bullet points are enough.

This mindset builds directly on the foundation laid out in How to Start Making Games Part 1: Finding Your Path, where learning tools is only half the journey.

Build the Core Mechanic First

Prototyping is about speed and focus.

The core mechanic is the main action that supports your Core Game Loop. In a shooter, that might be aiming and firing. In a platformer, movement and jumping. In a puzzle game, interaction and logic.

Start by building that mechanic in isolation.

Use simple shapes, default assets, or temporary visuals. In development, these are known as placeholders or greybox assets.

A prototype should answer one clear question. Does this feel good to play.

Use Placeholders Without Guilt

Using placeholders is standard practice across the industry.

Many studios use greyboxing, which means building mechanics and levels using simple geometry before adding final art. This helps designers focus on pacing, scale, and flow.

As a beginner, this approach is even more important. Polished visuals can hide weak gameplay. Simple shapes cannot.

Introduce Assets Gradually

Once your prototype works, you can begin layering in real assets.

Sprites, models, sound effects, and UI elements should be added with intention. Each one should improve clarity, feedback, or atmosphere.

This stage is sometimes described as creating a vertical slice. You are not building the entire game, just enough to demonstrate how the final experience could feel.

Playtesting and Iteration

Testing does not happen at the end.

Playtesting means watching real people interact with your game, even if that person is just a friend. Their confusion, mistakes, and reactions are valuable signals.

Iteration is the cycle of build, test, adjust, and repeat. This loop sits at the heart of game development.

Removing features is normal. Simplifying mechanics is progress, not failure.

Add Light Polish and Game Feel

Once the Core Game Loop works, small improvements can dramatically change how the game feels.

Game feel is an industry term that covers responsiveness, feedback, sound, animation, and satisfaction when interacting with the game.

Sound effects on actions, visual feedback on hits, and tighter controls all contribute here.

Polish should enhance gameplay, not distract from it.

Finishing a playable prototype is a major milestone.

This is often referred to as a proof of concept. It shows that the idea works and that you can execute it.

Share your build with others. Upload it privately, post it in developer communities, or publish it on itch.io as an early version. Many successful indie games first appeared in this exact form.

What Comes Next

If you have reached this point, you are already ahead of most people who want to make games.

You now understand how to define ideas, build mechanics, test gameplay, and iterate toward something playable.

In Part 3, we will look at what happens after prototyping. Expanding scope safely, building toward a full release, and thinking about platforms, players, and visibility.

For now, focus on finishing something small. That habit is one of the strongest skills a game developer can develop.