NODUSPLAY

Your first game with AI, step by step

You do not need to know how to code. This guide walks you from zero to a game up and running: you pick an AI that helps you create the files, download a free game engine and ask for things in plain language. Tick each step when you finish it: your progress is saved in this browser and you can come back whenever you like.

1. 1

   Step 1: Before you start

   You will need a computer with Windows or Mac, an internet connection and one or two hours to have something playable. A full game takes longer, and that is fine.

   Not everything works the first time: it is normal for the AI to get things wrong or for something to fail. At each step we tell you what to do when that happens.

   Never paste passwords, keys or personal data into an AI chat, the forum or any message. And read what the AI asks you to run before accepting it.

   Done
2. 2

   Step 2: Choose your AI

   To make a game you need an AI that does not just explain things but creates and edits the files for you. To start, we recommend Claude Code: it works inside a folder on your computer, creates files and folders, changes them and tells you what it is doing.

   • Claude Code, from Anthropic: the one this guide uses. It is paid: it is not included in the free Claude plan, and you need a Pro plan or higher, or API credits (check the prices on its website).
   • Codex, from OpenAI, and Cursor: they do something similar, with different prices. If you already have one, use it: the steps are almost the same and the texts to paste work just as well.
   • The regular Claude or ChatGPT chat: free or cheaper, but it does not touch your files, so you will have to copy and paste what it gives you into each file. Fine for trying things out; slower.

   We recommend them because they work well for this, and tomorrow there may be better ones.

   Done
3. 3

   Step 3: Install Claude Code

   If you do not like the terminal, the Claude desktop app has a “Code” tab that lets you work with a folder using windows, no commands. If you go that way, install it, sign in and jump to step 5 by choosing your folder. The command-line way is this:

   On Windows we recommend installing Git for Windows first, with the default options (it is optional: without it, Claude Code uses PowerShell). Then open PowerShell (find it in the Start menu) and paste:

   Command · Windows

   irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

   On Mac open the “Terminal” app (press ⌘ + space and type “Terminal”) and paste:

   Command · Mac

   curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

   When it finishes, close the terminal, open it again and check that it works:

   Command

   claude --version

   If a command fails or has changed, the official install guide is always up to date. And paste the error in the forum: we will help.

   Done
4. 4

   Step 4: Install the game engine

   The engine is the program where the game is put together and tested. To start we recommend Godot: it is free, light (a single file, no installer) and AIs handle it very well.

   • Download the standard version of Godot Engine for your system (not the .NET one).
   • On Windows, unzip the ZIP and open the .exe inside. On Mac, open the file and drag Godot to “Applications”.
   • A window with the project list will open, empty. Leave it like that for now.

   If you already use another engine (Unity, GDevelop…) you can follow the guide all the same: just change the engine name in the texts you paste to the AI.

   Done
5. 5

   Step 5: Create your game folder and open the AI in it

   Your whole game will live in one folder, and the AI only touches what is inside it. With the terminal open, paste:

   Command · Windows

   mkdir $HOME\Documents\MyFirstGame
   cd $HOME\Documents\MyFirstGame
   claude

   Command · Mac

   mkdir -p ~/Documents/MyFirstGame
   cd ~/Documents/MyFirstGame
   claude

   The first time it will ask you to sign in: the browser opens, you log in with your account and go back to the terminal. It will also ask whether you trust that folder: say yes.

   Done
6. 6

   Step 6: Make your first request

   In the Claude Code window, paste this text and press Enter. The game is very small on purpose: what matters is seeing something work soon.

   Text to paste into your AI

   I want to make my first video game with Godot 4 using GDScript. I do not know how to code, so explain everything in simple language and create the files yourself.
   
   Create a Godot 4 project in this folder with a very simple 2D game: a character that moves with the arrow keys, coins to collect and a score counter on screen. Use simple shapes and colours instead of images.
   
   Before you start, briefly tell me what you are going to do. When you finish, tell me exactly how to open the project in Godot and how to test it.

   The AI will ask for permission to create files: read them and accept. If you already have an idea of your own, change it in the text, but start with something small.

   Always ask for small, concrete things. “A character that jumps” works much better than “a huge platformer”.

   Done
7. 7

   Step 7: Open it in Godot and try it

   • In Godot click “Import” and choose the project.godot file in your MyFirstGame folder. Then “Import & Edit”.
   • Press F5 (or the triangle at the top right) to play. If it asks which is the main scene, choose the one the AI told you.
   • Move the character with the arrow keys and collect coins.

   If an error shows up, no problem: it is the most normal thing in the world. Copy the red message at the bottom of Godot and paste it into Claude Code with this text:

   Text to paste into your AI

   When I run the game I get this error. Fix it and explain what was wrong:
   
   [paste the error here]

   Done
8. 8

   Step 8: Improve it step by step

   Now comes the fun part: ask for one change at a time and test after each one. Some ideas to paste:

   Text to paste into your AI

   Add an enemy that moves across the screen. If I touch it, I lose and the game starts again.

   Text to paste into your AI

   Add a start screen with the game title and a play button.

   Text to paste into your AI

   Add simple sounds for collecting a coin and for losing. If you cannot create them, tell me where to find free sounds and how to add them.

   Three habits that will save you headaches:

   • Copy the folder before a big change. If something breaks, you can go back.
   • Ask the AI to create a NOTES.md file with the game idea and what is already done: that way it does not lose the thread between sessions.
   • If you do not understand something, ask: “explain what this does as if I were new to programming”.

   If you use images or music from other people, check their licence. In Tools and resources you will find places with free material.

   Done
9. 9

   Step 9: Export your game

   For other people to play it, it has to be exported. The most convenient option is the web version, which is played in the browser:

   • In Godot, menu “Project” → “Export…”.
   • Click “Add…” and choose “Web”. If it says the export templates are missing, click the warning and download them.
   • Click “Export Project”, create a new folder and name the file index.html.
   • Compress the contents of that folder into a ZIP.

   If your game is big or does not fit in the browser, export for Windows or Mac instead (“Add…” → “Windows Desktop” or “macOS”): you get a folder that you compress into a ZIP.

   If something does not match your version of Godot, let the AI adapt it for you:

   Text to paste into your AI

   Explain to me, step by step and for my version of Godot, how to export this game (for the web or for desktop) and get it ready to upload to a website or a store.

   Done
10. 10

    Step 10: Choose where to host it and publish it on NodusPlay

    Your game page shows it and sends people to a page of yours where it is played or downloaded. Where to put it depends on how big it is; a first game like the one in this guide weighs a few megabytes and fits anywhere.

    • To play in the browser (up to about 200 MB): itch.io is free and the simplest (upload the ZIP, choose “HTML” as the kind of project and tick “This file will be played in the browser”). Game Jolt or your own website work too.
    • Downloadable up to 1 or 2 GB: itch.io allows 1 GB per file (2 GB with its butler tool, and you can ask them for more) and GitHub “Releases” on GitHub are free, with 2 GB per file (you can split the game into several parts).
    • Big game (several GB to tens of GB): there is no free, unlimited place that distributes files like that forever, because moving that much data costs money. You have three ways: Steam (a one-off payment of 100 dollars per game, recouped once it passes 1,000 dollars in revenue; they host and distribute the game), your own storage such as Cloudflare R2 (10 GB free and downloads at no cost; beyond that it is paid and cheap) or a torrent.

    A torrent is free and works for any size: downloads are shared by the people who already have the game, so you pay nothing for traffic. This is how:

    • With a program such as qBittorrent, create the .torrent file for your game folder (menu “Tools” → “Create Torrent”).
    • Leave it open and sharing (this is called “seeding”), on your computer or on a “seedbox” service, especially during the first days: while nobody else has it, only you can distribute it.
    • Put the “magnet” link or the .torrent file on a page of yours, with a text saying you are the author.

    Many people do not use torrents, some antivirus programs and networks block them and, if you turn your computer off and nobody shares it, nobody can download it. If you can, also offer a direct download.

    Wherever you host it, you need a page of yours with the link (itch.io, Steam, your website…). “Publish a game” on NodusPlay only accepts links that start with https, not “magnet” links: that is why the torrent goes on a page of yours and that page is what you link. Send it from “Publish a game” and remember to say you used AI: it is a house rule and people can filter by it.

    The limits and prices of these services change: check the current figure on each website before you start. More detail in Where to host your game.

    Done

Publish my game