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Last week, a team within Area 120, Google’s workshop for experimental products, introduced an experimental prototype of Game Builder. It is a “game building sandbox” that enables you to build and play 3D games in just a few minutes. It is currently in early access and is available on Steam.

Here’s how Game Builder makes “building a game feel like playing a game”:

Source: Google

Following are some of the features that Game Builder comes with:

Everything is multiplayer

Game Builder’s always-on multiplayer feature allows multiple users to build and play games simultaneously. Your friends can also play the game while you are working on it.

Thousands of 3D models from Google Poly

You can find thousands of free 3D models (such as rocket ship, synthesizer, ice cream cone) to use in your games from Google Poly. You can also “remix” most of the models using Tilt Brush and Google Blocks application integration to make it fit for your game. Once you find the right 3D model, you can easily and instantly use it in your game.

No code, no compilation required

This platform is designed for all skill levels, from enabling players to build their first game to providing game developers a faster way to realize their game ideas. Game Builder’s card-based visual programming allows you to bring your game to life with bare minimum knowledge of programming. You just need to drag and drop cards to answer questions like  “How do I move?.”

You can also create your own cards with Game Builder’s extensive JavaScript API. It allows you to script almost everything in the game. As the code is live, you just need to save the changes and you are ready to play the game without any compilation.

Apart from these features, you can also create levels with terrain blocks, edit the physics of objects, create lighting and particle effects, and more. Once the game is ready you can share your creations on Steam Workshop.

Many people are commending this easy way of game building, but also think that this is nothing new. We have seen such platforms in the past, for instance, GameMaker by YoYo Games. “I just had a play with it. It seems very well thought out. It has a very nice tutorial that introduces all the basic concepts. I am looking forward to trying out the multiplayer aspect, as that seems to be the most compelling thing about it,”  a Hacker News user commented.

You can read Google’s official announcement for more details.

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