GameMaker:

  1. If you purchased the recommended (but not required) book The Game Maker's Apprentice:

    The book includes a CD-ROM, and that CD contains all the software that you need for the GameMaker program.  The book contains instructions for installing the software in Chapter 1.
     
  2. If you want to obtain GameMaker online:

    Go to http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/try, and follow the instructions to download the file. Make sure that you download the FREE TRIAL version.  You should NOT pay for the 'Pro' version - we will not be using any Pro-specific features, and you do not need it. 

    You will have two options for downloading the program: GameMaker.EXE, and GameMaker.ZIP version.  The .EXE version is an installer program that will install GameMaker for you (but some computer, like the library, may not allow it to run).  The .ZIP version is a compressed, 'archive' file that contains everything you need.  It won't install things onto the Start Menu for you, but you should be able to use it on any computer.

    If you download the .EXE version, then once you've downloaded the file, you should double-click on the file (this will launch the installer program).  Follow the instructions on-screen to install GameMaker on your computer.  Once you've done this, you can start GameMaker by clicking on the Start Menu, then All Programs, then Game Maker 7, then finally on the actual GameMaker program itself.

    If you've downloaded the .ZIP version, then you'll need to extract the individual files from the archive.  You can do this by right-clicking on the .ZIP, and selecting one of the 'Extract' options.  Once you've done this, you can start GameMaker by finding the GameMaker file, and double-clicking on it.
     

C# and XNA:

    Directions to download C# and XNA are located here.