Hello, I'm interested in starting game development and i know some c++(by some i mean really basic programs, but above hello world. Alot of people tell me its much easier to use java for game development. The second problem ive run into was after the language, what next? I understand about software development kits from microsoft and java's website but is eather better then the other with quality and ease to learn. Thanks alot for taking time to read this. Argos.

Because you know some C++, I recommend continuing to use it.

After C++, the next step is up to you. SDL is common for 2d games
(and is portable among desktops), or try DirectX/OpenGL for 3d
development.

SDL is useally recommend for beginners, as it is more easier
then DX/OGL, is portable, and focuses on 2d.

SDL uses OpenGL, which both are portable. OpenGL is more powerful
(Like DirectX), but is not easy to learn. I recommend going with SDL.

I will look into the sdl, other then there site do you have any tutorials you would recommend/books?
Also i know this sounds dumb but i have tried for about an hour 5 hours ago, were can you download opengl?
thanks allot for your patience
argos

OpenGL useally comes with the IDE itself (At least with Visual Studio)
NeHe provides a nice start

Also, check OpenGL SDK web site for more info.

GameDev.net OGL articals

Beginning OpenGL Game Programming

For SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer), you can download SDL from Here. This site also includes some nice
tutorials and articals on SDL and game development.

While SDL uses OpenGL, if you use SDL, you do not need to know OpenGL
in order to use it. (ie, it hides it from you, so you can focus on SDL)

Hope this helps!

If you want to eventually break into the industry, and you're not interested in developing games for mobile platforms, then you'll have to learn C++ by virtue of it still being widespread. If you want to stick to this as a hobby, there are good reasons for learning Java. Any C++ skills you already have will only make learning Java easier. If you want an in-depth comparison of the two languages, search the forum archives - this topic comes up quite often, sometimes sparks even fly :D. If you are interested in Java, I highly recommend checking out LWJGL (and possibly JOGL).

Generally speaking, you can develop faster in Java and your code will be more robust. The execution speed should not be an issue, as Java has more or less closed that gap. You will gain automatic memory management, garbage collection, stack traces to help you track down errors, enforced object-orientation, a cleaner syntax, and an exhaustive standard library. You will be free of managing pointers to a certain extent. You will lose operator overloading and destructors, among other things. You will still have to worry about memory leaks as Java objects are not destroyed until after becoming unreachable.

About the IDE's, there are excellent choices for both C++ (Visual Studio Express) and Java (Eclipse & NetBeans, I use Eclipse and swear by it :)).