Hi All,

I am a student who has spent the past few years developing web sites and learning the related technologies and am now looking to make the transition in to gaming. I am looking forward to large learning curve ahead of me and cant wait to see my first game on screen - even if it might be a bit poop at first!!
My technical skills are mainly there to help with web development, so I have the standard HTML and CSS, as well as Javascript and php. I also have experience in C# and the .net framework. The problem is that I have never considered to how to apply these skills?

Could someone please point me in the right direction and help me take my first step? As I understand it, the approach to any web development is completely different to starting in games.



Thanks in Advance,

I know my response may not help you that much because I am a beginner myself however I do not have the web background you have, I'm relatively new to the programming world but sometimes I think opinions from anyone can help In one way or another.
From what I know, the gaming industry is absolutely HUGE! Which is the best part about it, there are so many things you can do and its rather difficult to start off, and sometimes I feel you need to try something for yourself to get the feel and see if it interests you. Gaming can go as far as mobile games, console games, computer games, even web games. Since you have a strong background in web design maybe you can design web games or something but always keep an open mind!

I personally want to go into computer/console gaming so I did some reading here and there and I know I have to start learning C++. C++ is the biggest language for gaming and there is a reason for it, its fast, efficient and you can do a lot of things with it. I'm starting off with books I searched online for beginners (currently reading the Dummies 7 in 1 book for C++). I also plan on learning directx 9 and making some personal projects (ex. rendering a cube etc) so I can get a feel and practice.

The best thing is practicing making programs based on what YOU like, you will be MUCH more interested and you never know if you'll make something big!
So i guess figure out which path you want to go down and then start from the ground and work your way up, whether it be making android games, iOS games, web games, or computer games! its up to you

Hope you got something out of my post! Good Luck

Thanks mohq07,

Everything helps, and I definitely agree with you. Staying with what interests you is the best way to learn. At the moment I do feel like I am go down the route of web games as I feel they compliment each other well. I am looking forwards to learning lots. At the moment I am thinking about playing around in games programming with JavaScript and then working my way up! Just struggling at the moment to find the first stepping stone.

Thanks Again,

That sounds awesome! JS is a perfect starting point for web games In my opinion.
I'd say first start off by making some small games from JS (I'd say make some classic games, pong, air hockey, tic-tac-toe etc), maybe get some books to improve your JS skills so you can make larger games and from there you can branch out to languages that allow more flexibility like Flash (which every browser has) and Silverlight once you get those down you can create wonderful games!
I'm struggling to start off myself so just keep asking around for peoples input and I'm sure you'll find yourself a nice place to begin.

Hi,

One way:
You can try WebGL tutorials to get you started with graphics in web games. It could be a great starting location as you can utilise some of the skills and knowledge that you already know. As you go along the tutorials you can start making a small game that you would like to make. Something really simple that you can accomlish. Make it something very simple and complish-able as finishing things feels good. If its somethng too complex and hard there is a higher chance that you would get frustrated and stop doing it.

Some people say start by making a pong clone. Ie get a rectangle on the screen. Next Step get another rectangle. Then get one to move up and down randomly while the other moves based on your input. Add the sphere get it to move randomly...and so on.

Another Possibility:
In your OP you said you have some experiance with c# and .Net. Why not try XNA? There are alot of tutorials online to get you started.
In same way you can try programming with Unity3D. Here is a link to a website with some video tutorials.

Whatever you choose in the end, dont give up, work in small incremental steps and do stuff that you like hehe. When you are doing enjoyable things, you learn faster and things will stick better.

Thanks Everyone! There is a lot to take in, to get going I am going to begin with Web based games. I have started a game of pong using javascript and jquery, I am trying my best to make it my own but sometimes I have cheeky peeks at different tutorials. I have also started playing with cocos2D after a great recommendation from wicked357. I will keep you updated with my pong progress and also let you know how cocos2D.

Whatever you choose in the end, dont give up, work in small incremental steps and do stuff that you like hehe. When you are doing enjoyable things, you learn faster and things will stick better.

Will definitely remember this advice as I am on the verge of smashing my keyboard. Thanks again guys,

I'm similar to yourself, I am going from web development (mostly php, html, css and JavaScript) to amateur games programming. I bought Sams teach yourself c++ in 24 hours and Sams teach yourself games programming in 24 hours (WIN32 API programming) to get me started. It's making sense so far managed to get a little game engine up and draw sprites all over the window!

Hey I'm making a very similar journey.

I found reading this book 'Professional C++', by Mark Gregoire, Nicholas A. Solter and Scott J. Kleper, has brought me up to speed (I'm still reading it!)

This book is my bible at the moment, and the scope it covers is fairly impressive. It also helps you become a better programmer. At the moment I'm up to a section on how to manage memory - I'm loving it!

http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/0470932449 - thats the book.

As for Game Programming books, I think its necessary to develop the design skills first

2 sources I've gained an impressive amount of knowledge from are 'Game Coding Complete - Fourth Edition' (fairly new book) and 'Programming Role Playing Games with DirectX' (Its a bit oudated, uses 8.1 - but it has some gem of advice)

Game Coding Complete, is a great book for teaching you the design and structure of an Engine - but don't expect that by reading this book it will take you through the steps of making a project. It comes with source-code for a game of Teapot Wars, going through the source code was a learning experience. http://www.amazon.co...n/dp/1133776574

Of course GGC focuses more on a Game-Engine approach, while it is good to understand - I think it's really recommended that you just start building a project and focus on a specific game. Start off with Tetris/Pong, Arkanator, Pacman, Super Mario (side scroller)


Also here is a resource http://www.d3dcoder.net/ - you will probably need some pre-requisite knowledge however

Theres alot of content to absorb! But keep at it and you'll pick it up Just don't expect results in a short amount of time lol. And sometimes you will come across a conflicting amount of knowledge, sometimes you just have to experiment and learn the (very) hard way.

Good luck to you! Cheers