C# or Python.

If you can't choose between them, flip a coin.

Python with PyGame (or pygl).
C# with XNA would work too.

If you've read those pages then you should know that most of it is personal preference. However, a great deal of what will drive your experience with software development will be the ease with which you get going. Both of the above are relatively easy to get started with, and you can see results (and have good examples too) almost immediately.

There isn't a "correct" language. There is no real right answer (including for you). Just pick one. You might be afraid because you don't want to waste your time learning an "inferior" language. You might be worried that the language you start using won't be the same one you're using later on down the road. So here, I'll help:

Don't worry about it.

Languages are tools. You'll need to learn how to use multiple tools (or in other words, multiple languages) throughout your life (assuming you don't quit programming). For example, I wrote a game in C++. But I want to expand on that game and entirely remake it. I also want practice using other languages/tools. So I plan on remaking that game in C++, C#/XNA, Silverlight, Flash, and Java. Why would I ever want to do such a thing? Because the specific language doesn't really matter. I want to practice using different languages with different idioms and paradigms and force myself to really think about how I'm programming something and why I'm programming it that way.

Anyway, what I'm really trying to say is stop worrying about it. Just jump in. Pick one. Personally, I am a fan of C# and XNA, but I've also heard a lot of good things about Python and Pygame. Just pick a language. It's really not a big deal. Trust me. I was in your exact same position a few years ago.

[edit]

ninja'd += 3; // Über ninja'd

Forget about XNA for the moment. Concentrate on learning how to do things in the language itself. For beginners, it is best to stick to console programs. Start small, a "guess the number" game will be plenty work for the moment. Sometime later, tic-tac-toe. And so on, until you have a good understanding about programming in C#.

Quote:Original post by rip-off
Forget about XNA for the moment. Concentrate on learning how to do things in the language itself. For beginners, it is best to stick to console programs. Start small, a "guess the number" game will be plenty work for the moment. Sometime later, tic-tac-toe. And so on, until you have a good understanding about programming in C#.

QFT

@Choconut: XNA is basically a library of code that you can use to help you handle some game related things. A lot of people make the mistake of trying to learn XNA before learning C#. That's bad. If you can't use C#, you definitely can't use XNA. Don't worry about XNA for now. You won't need it for quite a while. Like rip-off said, work on simpler games that use the console first. There are lots of programming concepts to learn before you should dive into XNA. Good luck, and happy coding!

Quote:Original post by Choconut
And wich compiler should i choose? Visual c# 2008 express editon?

link: http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/

Sounds good to me [smile]