BYOND

This software is actually pretty neat. BYOND is a community of developers, or want to be developers, where seemingly anyone can create their own indie games -- with the support of their fellow community. The website has a variety of different resources that they offer users when starting to program their own games. Some of their software include their "BYOND 101," "BYOND Whitespace," "BYOND Resource Repository," etc. They have a disclaimer on their page that states that it is NOT easy to develop a game. It never is. However, they promise that they offer the resources to learn how to program one and that virtually anyone can do it if they put their mind to it. After a short scroll, one can see that there are not only a wide variety of content for the user to learn from, but also a myriad of indie games that other developers have created. If the game is hosted and running, a BYOND user can go and try it out. Unfortunately, only Windows users can develop and play on BYOND, but Mac users could use Bootcamp to grab Windows on their computer if necessary to experience the hype. Additionally, there is a forum section on the website where users from all over post updates, comments, and questions for others to explore. If one gets stuck while programming on BYOND, a simple post in the forum could help them answer a wide variety of questions they might have. In fact, one should probably scroll through the forums before asking a question, as their question may have already been asked and answered by someone else.

Features:

• Easy to learn.
• Large forum of users.
• Unlimited browsing of games created by others.
• It's free!

In conclusion, at first glance, this seems like a really intriguing platform. It brings together the interest and excitement of many different types of people. If one is looking for a way to spend some quality time having fun whilst simultaneously learning something new, BYOND is the way to go!

One can create their own game, which gives them ownership over what they do.