Hello there, I have been learning C++ from the book Accelerated C++ Pratical Programming by Example. A lot of people seem to like it, but a lot of people seem to like Game Institute a lot too. Game institute is expensive, so it makes sense that it is of good quality. I want to be a game programmer in C++ in the future. What do you think would be best to learn from for me: Game institute or Accelerated C++ ? I'm really wondering that. A lot of people seem to have different thoughts about things but I'm wondering if Game Institute would really be better. I hope I'll have an answer to this later. Thanks! Marly.

First of all, you can find people willing to charge huge amounts of money for utter garbage. Quality does not correlate to price [if it did, then asking this question on this website with a price of zero, would result in nothing but nonsense answers]. If you're having trouble with c++, consider other paths besides Accelerated C++. If you learn better from a guided program, there is Game institute, OR there are classes at your local community college [which would likely cost you around as much as the textbook that will accompany the course, and come with a professor who you can ask questions of], OR trade school classes [which will likely move a bit faster than the community college course. structured as a crash course], OR any number of other non-game-institute but similarly guided educational paths.

If you prefer a self-taught program, there are plenty of other books out there besides Accelerated C++, MANY of online sources, formal coverage of the language specification, and lots of documentation sites for any sort of questions you might have about a given function/api [like msdn.com, among others].

You've got more choices than just the two, and *if* Accelerated C++ is no good, you're not forced into game institute as the only alternative. It's a matter of assessing how you learn best. [personally, I find a structured program often moves too slowly, and I like to pick up a good book and devour it over a weekend.]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm not saying that I can't learn C++ with Accelerated C++, it was going pretty well. People have told me that learning the C++ synthax is pretty difficult. I am someone that likes to do things step by step. Game Institute does everything step by step, they got all kind of courses for everything you want to learn. Accelerated C++ is a very good book, I'm just affraid of coming into trouble with the synthax and other more difficult things, which will probably be explained a lot better at the Game Institute. I'm also affraid that I don't know where to go after Accelerated C++, because there isn't a followup of any kind, and Game Institute consist of followups.

Is all I am saying right? If no, could you tell me? If yes, could you tell me what would be the best choice.

Thanks in advance!

Quote:Original post by Drigovas
First of all, you can find people willing to charge huge amounts of money for utter garbage. Quality does not correlate to price [if it did, then asking this question on this website with a price of zero, would result in nothing but nonsense answers]. If you're having trouble with c++, consider other paths besides Accelerated C++. If you learn better from a guided program, there is Game institute, OR there are classes at your local community college [which would likely cost you around as much as the textbook that will accompany the course, and come with a professor who you can ask questions of], OR trade school classes [which will likely move a bit faster than the community college course. structured as a crash course], OR any number of other non-game-institute but similarly guided educational paths.

If you prefer a self-taught program, there are plenty of other books out there besides Accelerated C++, MANY of online sources, formal coverage of the language specification, and lots of documentation sites for any sort of questions you might have about a given function/api [like msdn.com, among others].

You've got more choices than just the two, and *if* Accelerated C++ is no good, you're not forced into game institute as the only alternative. It's a matter of assessing how you learn best. [personally, I find a structured program often moves too slowly, and I like to pick up a good book and devour it over a weekend.]

Indeed, I must give him/her credit on this. It's all about how you learn best. For instance, when I was young, and learning C++ for some reason I would pick the wrong books. Not the most expensive, or the most difficult ones, but just the wrong ones. So once I learned how I learned I picked the right books, and I"m moving fast in a course that I thought was just a dream for me, but it's reality.

Plus, think about how it will motivate you as well. Right now I'm working on OpenGL, and I like reading books, and homework stuff in the morning, so I read it in the morning, code a little, and then when I get home I put what I learned in the morning to use, and build something of my own, and I make sure I do this every morning. I'm getting quite far with this method. But, I'm a math student wanting to get my math major, comp sci degree this is how I work. I find out how something works by finding it's pattern, or imitating it's solution to other problems until I get correct answers, and I just keep going at it until I have to find a new way of finding a solution.

Hope this helps some, and Good Luck!

Quote:
Game institute is expensive, so it makes sense that it is of good quality.

Poor child, you have quite a lot to learn about the Real World.

I don't think Game Institute is worth the money, in general. It suffers from many of the problems I outline here. My primary issue with GI is the rather superficial, API, tech or tools-based focus (the overwhelming majority of their courses fall into this category). All of this information is available for free elsewhere.

One reason to choose Game Institute would be if you really learn well when taught and supervised by others, to make sure you keep on task, et cetera; you also need to be able to afford it, and you should not be considering it as a subsitute for a "real" degree. You will likely be disappointed otherwise.

On the other hand, I also feel that if you have such a hard time disciplining yourself to stay on topic and on target in your own studies or picking up information from books, reference materials, et cetera -- then you should learn that instead of immediately falling back to getting somebody else to help you through it. Being successful as a programmer requires you learn constantly, and if you need somebody to teach you, you'll never really progress beyond what you are when you graduate college: minimally competent, at best.

So in general, my recommendation is to avoid game schools like Game Institute. Either go to the best four-year CS school you can afford or, if your choice isn't really about post-secondary education, stick to learning to learn on your own with the available (mostly free or inexpensive) resources available.