Recently, I've come to realize that I'd much like to make games as well as play them. Problem is, I have no idea where to start. I just want to start off with a basic 2D platformer, but am unsure of what engine to use. I don't have the tools to create my own art (nor do I have the desire to), and just want an engine that has pre-made assets, a ton of free assets or tools to create your own inside the engine. I've heard GameMaker is really good, but want to know about how getting or making assets would work. Another problem is that I don't know what I would want to specialize in. Programming, design, audio; I'm just not sure so I don't know what I should start with. If anyone can help me find a base to start off with, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Why not just jump into GameMaker and see where it takes you?

15 minutes ago, KingdomFighter74 said:

Another problem is that I don't know what I would want to specialize in.

We can't tell you what you will like doing.

Download GameMaker and test it. Look at some simple tutorials to begin with, then try something (very simple!) to begin with. Then either continue doing that, or maybe have a look at Unity and/or Unreal. If you get stuck with something, ask for help. If you realize x is really awesome and you would like to learn more about it, ask more specific questions or ask for references to learn more on your own.

Best of luck =)

35 minutes ago, Tom Sloper said:

Why not just jump into GameMaker and see where it takes you?

I just don't want to get into the engine and realize that it's blank and I have to create my characters or environments in a separate program. I know there is a sprite editor in GameMaker for characters, but I haven't found anything that suggests that environments can be done the same way.

download Unity. there are tons of free assets out there to mess around with.

If not make simple cubes and place them around levels. nothing has 'look' top-notch during learning process; all that matters is you understand the frameworks of the engine you're using.

Gradually with time spent working on this you'll feel an affinity towards one aspect of the dev process. Don't confuse it with an Epiphany; that rarely happens in our field despite a lot of people saying so.

4 hours ago, KingdomFighter74 said:

(nor do I have the desire to)

I understand you don't feel interested to make your art now but the problem with that attitude is that this lack of desire if not handled in the very beginning will soon spread to other areas in the process. Its extremely contagious. I know you think its easy for me to say this but believe me when I tell you we've all been in the exact same position as you are.

the reason i suggested Unity is because if at all one day you decide to pursue this professionally Unity is a great stepping stone for it.

I have a friend who used Unity and immediately dropped it because the tutorials on the website are outdated. Apparently, the new version is different and the practice tutorials aren't adjusted to it. He spent two hours looking around for the right code just for the Space Shooter tutorial.

Game development is a challenging hobby and it's not always possible to find whatever you want in under 2 hours. It is also a rapidly evolving field and published articles and tutorials can go out of date quickly. However, that doesn't mean the tools aren't worth using. Unity is a perfectly good tool used by thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, so it could work for you.  If you find that you're following an official tutorial and things are slightly out of date, you could ask on the Unity forums for help and someone can probably tell you what you need to know to bridge the gap between old code and the new system.

I don't know. I'd rather just start with something a bit more simple and with ready made tutorials. I'm not against Unity, I'd definitely like to use it one day, but I think to start with a basic 2D engine would be better since I have zero knowledge on this matter.

Gamemaker is probably your best bet then. If you need more assets, there are plenty of free ones around for you to get started.

I think my first experiment was with Stencyl, why not trying that?! 

In there you visually assemble blocks of code like if it where a puzzle, you don't even realize you're programming, I think is an easy way to start 

This was my first attempt at making something that work, some sort of app. Abandoned project x_x 

-> http://www.stencyl.com/game/play/11590