I’m thinking about getting into game development and it seems… fairly complicated. Would making an original sprite game be easier than making an original modern 3D game? Or are “classic” games somehow just as complicated to make as modern 3D games?
it depends on what tools you’re going to use. Things like Unity and Gamemaker, etc. each favor different things, so just pick some tools and start poking around and see what shakes out.
I’m a game developer, I would recommend you first to learn some basics about programming and/or game design, and how to subdivide complex tasks into simpler ones. If you’re new into programming, please start learning SCRATCH and be more patient.
If you wanna start with a simple 2D game, both GameMaker and Construct2 are the best choice available.
If you want a 3D game, grab Unity. You’ll learn by the way…
To be honest it’s up to you, use what style you are comfortable with and what adds to your game.
Everything @pioj said. There’s a good Unity2d platformer demo out there with videos that does a good job of giving you an idea of what you need to know. XNA also isn’t too bad (although it’s dead).
But yeah, you probably need to start with programming fundamentals otherwise you’ll get hopelessly lost immediately. Start with a smaller Java book by Hortsmann. That’s what got me started. Start with a text-based adventure game or a tomegachi type text game where you feed and care for an AI that dies otherwise.