XNA Creators Club Online - quick start guide

Tour the XNA Creators Club

1. What are Community Games?
2. Introducing XNA Game Studio
3. The XNA Creators Club Online Website
4. Premium Membership
5. Join Now

What are Community Games?

If you’ve ever dreamed of making your own video games and sharing them with the world, then the XNA Creators Club and community games are for you. It’s game development for everybody – games created by the community, reviewed by the community, and played by everyone.

With the XNA Community Games Beta on Xbox LIVE, you can join today and be a part of the future of gaming. It all happens here on the XNA Creators Club Online Web site. Community games are as simple as four steps: create, submit, review, and play.

Create your games using the XNA Game Studio development tools. These tools are free. Learn from game development tutorials, samples, starter kits, and more, all for free, on the XNA Creators Club Online Web site.

Submit your completed game to the XNA Creators Club Online Web site, as a Premium member. Submit it for review and let the community go to work and give you feedback. If your game is approved, it will be made available for purchase on Xbox LIVE Marketplace!

Review games from other creators. Play new community games before anyone else and tell the creators what you think. Be the expert and help make community games even better.

Play these community games on Xbox LIVE as a Premium member. Download games from Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Build a library of community games and contribute your own.

Click here to get started for free, or read on…

Introducing XNA Game Studio

XNA Game Studio is a powerful, easy-to-use game development tool that you’ll use to create your community games for the XNA Creators Club.

Built on top of Visual Studio, and compatible with both Professional and Express versions, XNA Game Studio allows you to make games for Windows, Zune and Xbox 360 using a powerful cross-platform interface called the XNA Framework.

Access powerful graphics, audio, input, networking and storage capabilities on Windows, Zune and Xbox 360, and easily import all of your game’s resources using the XNA Framework Content Pipeline. Code your games using C#, a managed-code language that makes game development easier than ever.

The power of managed code also means that with just a few clicks, you can turn a Windows game into an Xbox 360 game while keeping all your source code and game resources synchronized. XNA Game Studio includes tutorials and starter kits to help get you up and running right away!

Best of all, you can download and start using XNA Game Studio to make games for Windows, free of charge. For Xbox 360 development, including submitting to community games on Xbox LIVE, you’ll need a Premium membership in the XNA Creators Club.

Ready to get started? Click here!

The XNA Creators Club Online Website

Game development is more than just code and pixels. It’s also sharing ideas and expertise with your fellow creators, and learning more about game development to stay on the cutting edge.

There is a whole community of creators waiting for you on the XNA Creators Club Online Web site. Create your profile today! Your Creator Card uniquely identifies you to the rest of the community. Track your games, reviews, downloads, and more.

Visit the forums to connect with other creators. Share ideas and tips about game development, show off your skills, ask questions, and discuss the latest happenings in the Creators Club Online community.

Visit the education section of the Web site to access an extensive collection of code samples, tutorials, technical articles, utilities, and even complete game starter kits to help you learn the ins and outs of game development – all for free!

Find community resources, blogs, even spotlights on creators making big news in the community. You will find all this at the XNA Creators Club Online Web site. But it doesn’t end there.

As a Premium member, submit your completed game to the XNA Creators Club Online Web site where other creators will review it. If approved, your game is posted on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and Xbox.com where others can purchase it.

No matter what your background, skill level, or accomplishments – if you love games, you’ve got a home at the XNA Creators Club Online Web site.

Sign up for free!

Premium Membership

There’s a whole world open to you at the free XNA Creators Club Online Web site when you sign up as a creator. Connect at the forums, download samples and other educational content, browse blogs, community resources, and more.

Downloading and creating your own games for Windows and Zune using XNA Game Studio is also free. But when you’re ready to experience the full power of the XNA Creators Club, purchase a Premium membership to take your game even further.

Share code and resources between Windows and Xbox 360 versions of your game easily with the cross-platform XNA Framework. Premium members also have access to members-only content on the XNA Creators Club Online Web site, including Premium starter kits and special offers from XNA partners like Allegorithmic and Softimage.

Best of all, Premium members can submit their completed Xbox 360 games for purchase to Xbox LIVE Marketplace using the XNA Creators Club Online Web site. This enables others to buy and play your games right on their own Xbox 360 consoles on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Become a Premium member and take your game to the top!

Join Now

If you’re ready to join the future of community games, it’s easy to jump in!

Just sign up for a free profile on the XNA Creators Club Online Web site. All you need is a Windows Live ID. Signing up is quick and easy.

Once you have a profile, you’re ready to hit the forums, read about community spotlights, or just dig in and start making games with XNA Game Studio.

It’s easy, it’s fun, and you’re just a few clicks away. So what are you waiting for?

Sign up now and get into community games!

Next: Create a Game

quick start guide - tour