Quote:Original post by emforce
Hi guys I was wondering whether it would be a good idea to start learning Java now, to help me for when I get to uni?

But what sort of things can you do with Java that you are unable to do with languages like C# and C++?

Also could you please recommend me some simple sites for Java tutorials?

Btw what graphics API can I use with Java? Can I still use XNA or directx 10?

Thanks for the input!

Do you know that the uni course you're going for actually uses Java? If not, then there's not much point in learning Java (Aside from the experience, obviously).

The course I did (Computer Science at Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh) taught Java, initially it was simple text-based stuff to teach you more about the theory than the language, but moved on to Swing for GUI stuff.
Most of the stuff was very simple to learn, particularly since I already knew C++ when I started the course.

The point isn't what you can or can't do with Java, it's that it's quite easy to follow for a beginner - with C++, pointers are a nightmare for complete beginners, and a lot of the syntax can be confusing. I wouldn't be too surprised if courses start teaching / are teaching C# rather than Java though, since it's equally easy to understand (Speaking as someone who knows very little about either language :P)

As far as I know, there's no Java libraries for XNA or DirectX, but you can do OpenGL stuff (Although I haven't personally).

May be a good idea to check if you will be learning/using Java as a part of your course at uni? I'm currently doing the first year of a games development course and we are being taught C# in our first year then C++ in the second and third years.