Basic requirements

Surprisingly, video game design can be a relatively low-tech affair. Here's the basic equipment you'll need to make use of this book.

1. A computer

You need a reasonably up-to-date computer, either running Windows or the latest version of Mac OS X.

2. Graphic design software

You need graphic design software, such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Illustrator, or the free, open source GIMP. Photoshop is the most widely used graphic design software on the planet, so it's extremely useful to learn how to use it; however, it's very expensive. You can download Photoshop from Adobe's website at

You could also make all your game graphics using Adobe Illustrator, and indeed most of the game graphics in this book were created using it. It's unfortunately also quite expensive, but it's definitively worth making the long term investment of purchasing it and learning how to use it if you're serious about game design because it's probably the overall best illustration software available. You can find Adobe Illustrator at