IT says a good first game is to program Tetris Can someone help me finding out how to do this please.

actually, for your first game, id reccomend pong, why? its about as basic as you can get, and it teaches you how to basic collision, input, and graphics.

But first, do you actually know any programming at all?

Before you even start considering making games, I recommend that you should be up to at least lesson 17 on CProgramming.com, even if you don't use C/C++ to code with, as the general concepts are easily translatable to other languages and doing the "challenger" examples will teach you the good logical problem solving that you'll need to figure out what components will be written.

For the record, I have never written a Tetris game; I did do a Pong game but way after my first four or five games. I think my first "real" (i.e. not done in Atari/Commodore BASIC) one was a test of input to make a guy walk around on a static background; my second one (Herd) was a demo for linked lists.

IM learnging C++
just started today

Yea then I'd suggest learning more C++ as Ravuya says, then do a Pong clone like liam666 said. I know I've been programming for quite some time now, and I have yet to make tetris (even though I am able to do more complex stuff - figures). Tetris in all honesty is a rather complex game. Most people won't admit that because it is regarded as a simple noob game, but if you really analyze the concepts it uses, it is more sophisicated than it appears. Anyways enough about tetris, I'd strongly advise you to wait on games, if you jump right into games, you might miss inportant C++ concepts. Just an idea. Good luck in whatever you choose!

I think tetris can be just as easy as pong, it just depends on how far you want to take the realism aspect. Tetris could be as simple as a grid with varying size squares falling into it, if the grid space a piece is trying to enter is occupied then it stops where it is. Nothing complex about that. Pong typically requires more knowledge of collision detection and reaction to implement correcty, though again, you could make pong using very simple physics indeed, just wouldnt look very good. So in short, make the kind of game that interests you the most, just dont try to make it too complex to start with.

http://www.icarusindie.com/DoItYourSelf/rtsr/blackjack/lessons1-10.php

Currently 4 lessons are up on implementing Blackjack using C++. The lessons will go through the entire process of making a game starting with a design document. The game is currently text based but by the end of it, it will use software rasterization to render the cards and whatnot. Probably use it as an excuse to cover Ogg and add music and sound effects as well.

After 16 years of coding this is actually the first time I've ever made blackjack. It was way too overdone for my taste when I started. I prefer originality. My first big game was a 4 way scrolling top down graphical maze game written in QuickBASIC. That was made when I was 14. I made a bunch of little demos before then practicing different things. I learned how to use tiles and scroll by watching Super Mario Bros.

The secret to making any game is just breaking it down into chunks. The tetris playing field is just a 2D array. You just then need to figure out how to define the blocks, define how to rotate them and define how to put them into the array and move them around. To move it around you need input. To display it you need graphics.

I don't recommend starting programming and graphics at the same time. They're two seperate and distinct sets of problems. Learn how to code first, then learn how to use graphics.

You're better off starting with typewriter games such as "Cave" and various card games. Figure out how to make a game before you bother learning how to make it graphical.

When you're ready to make Tetris you won't have to ask how to make Tetris. You'll be able to figure it out on your own.