Re: developing a game.

Sadly, it is not as simple as that. I am a professional developer, although not of games. I investigated getting development kits for the various consoles, and as far as I can see, the only one that is easy for random idiots like me to work with is the XBox 360. The basic development tool set (Visual Studio Express) is a free download. There is an inexpensive download to allow development for the XBox, and a fairly nominal subscription system to be allowed to publish your work on the XBox Live marketplace thingy.

For both the Wii and the PS3, the development kits, including docs, tool sets, and special hardware that allows non-signed games, are an absurd price and appear to be available only to companies that are in the business of publishing games. (And more to the point, are prepared to sign up as developers for Nintendo or Sony, as appropriate.)

There are then the realities of modern game development, such as having artists to create the on-screen figures and their movements, the text, translations (might not be applicable to your case, but getting it published outside of the XBox Live Marketplace will be difficult without it), and someone to design all those little unobvious things like the wavy air effect inside the mountain in the airplane game in Wii Sports Resort, and the way that Miguel's plane wobbles if you shoot it. The rest is just a SMoP. (Small Matter of Programming).

SMoPs are not trivial, nor are they especially small, except in comparison to the other work that goes into a finished product. And part of the "other work" is testing it. Not just making sure it doesn't crash, but also that it detects as "wrong" all the things you know are wrong, and none of the things that are right (and vice versa), and that the menus are sanely arranged, and ... Sure, your students will let you know if it is wrong, but you don't want to get into that (and it will damage your credibility as a Tai Chi teacher as well, even if it is just goofy menus).

Note that I am not saying it cannot be done. I just want to make sure you understand that it is not just a case of getting a programmer to wave his hand in the direction of a console.

To CYNIQUE,

thank you for the reply! I know it is not an easy task, considering I did go to college to learn as a programmer and gave up when I got my cert as a tech.

I found it a miracle that I got a great response like yours! thank you for the time and effort. I am trying to see if the wii fit plus program can be added to. I know it will take ALOT to do but found it would be fun.

I was not worried about my credibility nor the perfection of the program. I was hoping to tap into the young video game obsessed/couch potato world to spread the knowledge that has helped me so much.

thanks again,

FlowingDragon

Another Great IDEA...