Alright, please don't be annoyed by my, probably and mostly, very stupid and noobish questions. I'm 16 and I take a vocational course for Interactive Multimedia, under that category is Game Desin/Development. This class is suppose to give us a heads up on the future and get us in a college mind set, so come time to start sending out applications, we've got that little bit extra experience under our belts. A little background on me, being 16, I've grown up in the ever most changing, yet greatest, time for video games, PC and console. I started playing Super Nintendo when I was 4. Just recently though I've been looking at everything it takes to make a story come to life through the X, Y, B and A buttons. I have some background in C programming, I can do plenty with the Adobe Suite, Flash and I;ve been toying with 3d Rendering using Cararra 3D. In high school they always tell you to pick something your good at and make that your career. Like that one quote, "The one thing you wake up and can't wait to do, that should be your hobby." Well, I would love to pursue Game Development on a higher level. Currently, I'm only a junior, but for our senior year, we are required a final senior project. I know the great time and effort it takes to put something like this together so I want to get a head start, get the basics out of the way and really start jumping into the challenge. Here is where the questions start: What programs do you use to create models, maps and whatnot? Is the programming portion, just for the actions that take place in the game? I'm assuming yes, and then you use a compiler to put the actual game "footage" with the programming? Basically, how does it work? I want to get a full understanding of this, I really do want to make this my future. I'm sure I will have many more questions, just please be patient with me. I'm just having trouble understanding how to creat, for example, Master Chief and then make him walk in a vast environment freely...Thank You, sorry for the long read.

I know my questions are very vague...yes, I want to create a game, absolutely. I actually have Blender installed on my PC, read about it last week. But how do I create a 3D environment, then create characters, vehicles and place them in that environment for use? How would I create a fully destructable environent? Do I create the 3D renders of everything I want in the level, then use C++ to add actions? Say, "if you pick up the candle stick you can wield it as a weapon" ??

Thanks for your help, and sorry for being so uneducated.

I'm reading the articles on this site, and seeing what all it takes from start to finish. I really want to gather a list of all the software I'll need, and what order I have to do things in. I need to learn all the terms as well...how would I go about creating an engine?

Okay, I've been reading up on C++ and I'm working on learning it...after I do, where will that get me? By learning a programming language, what can I do?

Let's take this 1 step at a time. Please don't get irritated by me. lol

If you looking at getting in to game development it's best that you start at the beginning. :) The best thing you can do right now is go pick up some books on game development, study how game engines are created, what components are required to make a game, all that good stuff. You can't have a game without your game engine so that should be your first priority, check out your local book stores, in these last few years they've started carrying quite a few books.

That definetly helped! Thanks guys! I plan on running on to Borders alter on today and picking up what I can. I really just want to get started on something here, wheter it's knocking out a 2D game or starting some 3D things. I'm not really worried about if I get something major finished by senior year, just as long as I can show colleges what I have and what I am capable of. Thanks for the links and great advice. I've got a lot of learning to do...