You can start right here or here. You'll need to learn some form of graphics API in order to present the game world to the user - three popular ones are Direct3D (used for both 3d and 2d), OpenGL (3d and 2d) and SDL (2d only). Everything you need is right here on the internet - tutorials, examples, SDKs, and most questions you have can be answered via Google or Gamedev.net.

Jackson Allan

if you are finding directx and opengl too confusing I'd suggest allegro and "game programming all in one" 2nd edition which pretty much walks you stepbystep to making a 2d sidescroller type games like mariobros.

if you feel ready for the graphics world then try both, ogl and dx. after trying i decided i like ogl more but thats just my opinion. i friend of me likes dx more. but it doesnt really matter. just roll a dice, google for tutorials and start a small project. i found it very useful to have (working) code in tutorials... you can then take this code and look at it and change things and see how it affects the program. just dont copy and paste things you dont understand. try to find out and then use your knowledge to reinvent the wheel (i know some ppl think it isnt necessary to reinvent everything but it helps understanding how it works. i invented all kinds of wheels since i started programming. none was circular but some came near.) there are many articles here on gamedev (the links jack_1313 posted) for beginners and advanced game programmers. google search on newsgroups turned out to be helpful for me as well.

hope this helps...

BiGF00T

PS: dont overestimate the choice of programming language or direcx vs. opengl thing. everything you learn can be applied to other languages or gfx libs. if you decide to switch to the other then just do it. its easy after you learned one of them.
i liked the NEHE tutorials here on this site... they have working source code (this has to be pointed out because many source files from other tuts never worked for me and being a n00b i couldnt find out why.) and i think they give you some nice examples of what you can do with opengl. if you decide to use directx then just google for a beginner tutorial.

Quote:Original post by tengfeigoon
I wanted to make my first 2D game.but I only know about c++.How could I make 2D game like Super Mario Brothers.Should I study Direct X or OPENGL or clanlib?It confusing me.Who could tell me the step to making my first 2D game.Are there any tutorials about it? whether should I learn from source code?if so where could I find it?later.I wanted to make my 3D game?the step?

CLICKY

Thats great!
Just export them (for example, in .x format), import them into your game (using D3DX), and you are fine!
Really, you can't expect a helpful answer without providing more information.

Thermo

Start with 2D first, 3D is really confusing if you dont know anything about 2D.

Read this Thoughts on a Project for a begginner



Instead of trying jump into windows programming, it might be better if your started with dos, which is much simpler.Mode13h is a good mode to start with.Just look to the internet(google) and you should find loads of tuts which show you the simplest stuff in graphics (both 2D and 3D) like setting a pixel, drawing lines, polygon filling etc which are ther very basics of graphics programming.

Move on to OpenGL and DirectX after you have done a game in Mode13h.You will learn a lot of real graphics basics.Also I preffer OpenGL to DirectX.

Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend DOS programming today. He would be learning a lot of outdated/misleading stuff (I just remember someone posting "use small memory model in win32" or the like... thats braindead)
I have a better idea:
Use SDL. Look (on the web) for SDL DrawPixel/ReadPixel (maybe put/getpixel).
Then you have the exact possibilites for your creativity as with mode 0x13, but of course on Windows, with all sorts of graphics modes supported. It really can't become easier than with SDL.
Thats the way I am gonna write a Raycaster now (inspired by the raycaster thread).

Thermo