As a noob myself to game programming, I hope I can contribute something useful to this post. I tried doing things the easy way first. I started with RPGMaker2000, then went to Dark Basic, and then I came to what the "real" game programmers use, C and C++.

I think the reason people want everything handed to them is because they''re used to it being easy. There is no engine programming in RPGMaker 2000; it''s all done for you. You don''t need to remember to initialize, deinitialize, and render every frame in Dark Basic, all you need to do is say "Do this: Draw me a sphere and make it spin. Loop this." You don''t need modular programming methods in DB (although you can use them). All of these easy features of the easy game-creation-software are causing noobs to expect C/C++ to not be much harder.

Another problem is that C/C++ tricks you early on. At first it''s as simple as: cout << "Hello world!"

Then, it becomes a war with memory management, checking for input, rendering on a frame-by-frame basis, etc. Honestly, I have not been very successful in programming, and my text game I was writing in C++ failed when I realized I needed to parse the commands somehow. I haven''t done a 2D game yet, nor have I done a 3D game yet.

I would really love to, and that''s where software that makes work instantly or nearly instantly tangible, such as the previously mentioned examples, become an option for the noobs. I have gone back and forth from C to Dark Basic many times, and every time I go to DB, I want to come back to C. Every time I go to C again, I find myself wanting the instant gratification of the easier software again.

One of John Carmacks'' .plan updates made me go back to C again (one of his older ones), where he discusses how he simply gutted the Quake 3 engine and began work on the Doom 3 engine and had a working prototype in 3 weeks or so. I know that I couldn''t do this, but it sounds so...appetizing to be one day able to do such things and have such proficiency in C/C++/Game Programming/(Your graphics API of Choice).

All of these things combined might be a cause for some of the noob laziness. I honestly hope I never become that lazy, but I also hope that newer people are given help when appropriate. Now, I''m off to try to get help with that text game (actually, the parser for the game).

I would say it is bcos of 2 reasons.

1) Games these days are just so great that many ppl starting out cannot accept the fact that 200-300 lines of code are needed to just open a window and perhaps have a spinning triangle there. Ten years ago, anything 3D would have been considered a big deal. They start to ask themselves, how am i going to make the next great game if im going to spend so much time to do something trivial. It takes alot of time if you want to start out by making your own engine. If you feel that you do not want to go down to such a low level, i suggest you can start by making games by using other freely available game engines.

2)With many level editors now available which are fairly easy to use, people think that making a full game wouldnt be that much harder. Actually making levels is a great way to start out if you feel going down to C++/Gfx API is too complex. Good level editors like warcraft3 lvl editor allow someone to create something interactive with relative ease.

Level Editors
High Level, less flexibility.You are usually stuck with the game''s graphics, interface and many other things.

Game Engine
You dont need to make a whole game engine to make a game.
Tribes 2, Halflife, Counter-strike, Jedi Knight 2 were all great games that were built upon existing game engines. Also you still retain alot of flexibility. The only downside is that you will be limited by some of the game engine''s core features.

Making Your Own Engine
No easy task, but is a real learning experience and gives you maximum control. You can model your engine to suit your game.