"I want to create my own game"
I often read or get questions: "I want to / am going to make a game myself so I can make tons of cash money."
At a glance, that might be a good idea, but in reality, it's not that simple.
First off, you're competing with loads of other games - literally thousands at this point. It's difficult to find a foothold, to make people notice your work; that's why I personally think a game can only succeed as long as you're in it for the fun! You have to bring something truly unique and original to the table, which is only possible by seeing what's already out there, perhaps playing hundreds of those competing games. And most importantly - you cannot under any circumstances - be in this to make money.
To put this in perspective, the app stores alone list thousands of new games and apps every day - of which the vast majority are bad. It's very hard to be seen in the massive cluster of garbage and legit original content out there.
Reality Check:
But since we're talking about adult games, let's put that into perspective. Only 5% of all adult games on Patreon make over a $100 bucks a month. If you count the amount of people that can actually live off their work? Less than 3%. That's the truth, and no matter how much you wish for it, you likely will never be included in that 3%. At the same time, the top 1% - like everywhere else in the world - own almost everything, lol.
Aside from that, being able to live off an intellectual property is not really the first thing you have to worry about, since there are many other aspects that you kind of need to learn first.
The most important element of game development is that you need to like what you're making, you need to have some skills/creativity, you must have an original concept that is different than everything on the market, and - just to get noticed - everything surrounding the game must be nearly perfect from the beginning, which most first games rarely are.
Inability to meet these basic essentials will likely result in you getting bored, frustrated, or spending more money than the game will ever make to promote it, ending inevitably in another abandoned project (of which, there are thousands).
Coding:
Starting out to make your own game takes some serious effort. The first and most important step is to figure out the format your game will take. That all hinges on the choice of code or platform you choose. You can code in Renpy(Python), RPG maker, TWINE, or another engine, regardless of preference - most are generally more difficult to work with for various reasons.
I would suggest you begin small stuff, write a very small story or even random text, then make images and dialogue text appear. Work out how to utilize and alter menus, the user interface, transitions, etc. Make a short game, a demo, or just something no one will ever see but yourself. From there you can build something bigger.
Once you've come that far, that's when you can expand on it, add new pieces of code to it, and experiment with more complicated systems. Don't rush it. Learn as you go and slowly move towards the kind of game you want to make.
Renders/animations:
Download a program like DAZ/Koikatsu/Honey Select/Blender or something and start creating characters and scenes. The learning curve is not that big for basic use but it will end up being the most time-consuming process of them all by far. Literally 80% of all game production time goes into this. But be careful. Some of the 'assets' and 'resource packs' may get expensive if you choose a rendering environment with DLC that costs money.
If you're able to do it, making your own art or having an artist do the work for you is even better, but again probably not possible because of the cost, a very simple standard game will probably cost you upwards of $2k on art alone.
Writing:
Stories, character development, worldbuilding and all of that take some serious thought, effort, reworks, rereading, etc. And a really good writer.
I am fairly good at this myself, but it's been my biggest weakness ever since I started creating my game. I acknowledged this and got very lucky by finding someone who helps me out tremendously, especially on the writing part.
Finding a good writer or editor for your written content is key. Some will do it pro-bono (free) or for simply a credit and a free copy of the end game. Others will charge per word or per page, which can get pricey. And yet a few will just ask for a percentage of subscriber/patron donations. How you compensate anyone who contributes to your production is up to you.
Other Aspects:
I could list out all the aspects that go into game development, but - in short - time is the most consumed aspect of game design.
Then there are many other time sinks like photoshopping images/art, finding/buying licenses to music and sound effects, promoting the game on social media, learning how to code and use the rendering environment properly, managing files/uploading to various hosting websites, bug-fixing/play-testing to make the game work as it should, and lots of other stuff.
Conclusion:
"I want to create my own game" might look easy, but it takes some serious effort. You must study diligently to create a game, endure lots of trial and error, and again, you will spend time, lots and lots of time on everything. In fact, all of your time. I'm thousands of hours into developing Lewd Town Adventures and still learning new stuff regularly.
Nonetheless - if you still think it's something you really want to do with your life - give it a go! There's never anything wrong with learning new techniques.
Just realize that - if you want to make a game that people will play (and pay for) - be prepared to lose all of your free time and a part of your sanity. It's A LOT of work.
When it's more mature it can be a great help for sure but the AI is simply not there yet. I'd reckon it will take quite some time depending on which aspect of making games you mean.
