Back to the part about experience... In my experience, doing about the hardest project type there is, I would suggest the following to any new game maker.
1) spend the $50 or less on an old computer that runs windows 95
2) get DOOM and/or DOOM2
3) Make your own DOOM levels
4) Now learn to convert the textures, sounds, sprites etc
5) Now get Gamestudio, and make a level.. not just any level, but reproduce a REAL location
The reason i bring up making doom levels first, is because the graphics are bad, and the game engines very limited.
This will teach you how to 'fake' things like lighting and shadows, and creating objects with only box shapes.
You'll be working in DOS, so you'll learn how to use command lines.
When you convert levels, you'll learn to use only power of 2 sized 'pictures', and learn very basic artistry. You'll also learn how to fake things more, how to take a large wall texture, and shrink it down to only 256 x 256.
Game engines today will easily use photographic quality textures. But if you don't know how to adjust them to look perfect for their use, your whole level will look wrong. learn how to make them appear as one thing, and that means learning to edit pixel by pixel in an older engine.
Finally, making a level to use a real life location is as hard as it gets.
You, like I did, will think it easy... because everything is already 'mapped out' for you as a guide. But thats why its hard.. YOU dont choose where the tree goes, or the park bench, and you don't chose what they look like...
...noooo.. you have to make everything as it is in real life, and THAT is hard.
OK enough of that... even if the bigwig companies are starting to sell casual games, it is true that they have bigwigs that 'vote' on ideas...
And we know those people just THINK theyre smart, and they will not make certain games because the content may be too risky, whereas we can make anything we want.
Look at id software. One of the big guys, always ahead in the game engine department... whats their latest project?
Another DOOM!
Like most big companies, theyre sticking with a popular title instead of risking doing anyhing else.
Look at how many GTA games there are...
Big companies are cowards who wont try anything new. Thats where we come in
