I looked at some OpenGL and DirectX tutorials and it looks like you only need to know how to create a window to learn OpenGL and DirectX. Is this true or does everyone have to learn Win32(resources, buttons, edit boxes, etc.) to start learning OGL and DX? I mean, what's the point of Win32? Can't you just use Visual Basic(I have no idea what VB is all about, I just know that it's easy to create buttons, edit boxes, etc. with it). Do big companies look for people who know Win32 or do they only look for people who know C++ and OGL and/or DX? I mean, most games go into full screen when you open them so there isn't a lot of Win32 programming needed to make a game, right? I'm confused, so any help would be appreciated.

Quote:Original post by Vladk10000
Do big companies look for people who know Win32 or do they only look for people who know C++ and OGL and/or DX?

Well, that's not a question that's answered trivially. First off, depending on what job the programmer is going to be doing, OGL and DX may not come into play at all. One such instance would be an AI or Tools programmer. C++ is the main (but not exclusive) development language for modern games, so they would deffinitely be looking for someone with a very strong C++ background. If you are looking to be a graphics programmer specifically, then a very strong working knowledge of the current graphics standards (OGL and D3D) would be necessary. You may only need to know one or the other, but most of the time a good working knowledge of both is necessary.

Quote:Original post by Vladk10000I mean, most games go into full screen when you open them so there isn't a lot of Win32 programming needed to make a game, right? I'm confused, so any help would be appreciated.

Win32, being the operating system, is used for a lot more than just a GUI. Underlying low level functionality is going to be specific to that platform. If you want to make a game on an Windows platform at all, you need to know a good bit about Win32. If you are looking to develop for consoles, then it's a whole different ball of wax. You need to learn the API for the platform on which you are developing.

My personal thought: Win32 can be pretty difficult to understand it fully. However, for games, all you need is something to sit there and handle messages. If you understand that much, you should be fine. Assuming you already are familiar with c++, I'll bet you can master making a basic window and message pump in less than one day. You can just that code for every project you do.