I have some programming experience in all of the languages above, but I was wondering which would really be the best for me to pursue in terms of game development. I don't care about learning curve at all. What I do care about are available libraries, resources, extendability, things like that. I would appreciate some answers on the poll as well as justifications for your answers with links, personal experience, etc, in a response.

Thank you!
-Zac

Almost all non-Xbox-Live-Arcade games written for the Consoles and PC are written in C++. If your interest is to become a professional game developer for a general game studio, then that's the one to learn.

If you have a desire to specifically write games for mobile or the web, then Flash and/or C# are good options. Also, if you just want to make games as a hobby, I'd recommend C#.

Don't waste your time on VB or java.

I definitely want to be a professional game developer, so I guess C++ would be the way to go at this point.

Well, i just "really" started with c# and XNA about 3 to 4 weeks ago. Although investing a lot of my time these weeks i got myself a 3D space environment where i can fly through with a 3th person orbital camera. I also have almost finished my isometric tile engine. I'd say thats pretty nice for just 4 weeks into programming. Yes i did do a calculator and a helo world tutorial here and there the passed year but that really doesn't count for much.

With XNA you can have very good results in a minimal time and start exploring and expanding your code, where using something like c++ without any libraries is going to take a while before real result shows. After finishing a game or 2 i bet i can easily pickup c++ language and start fiddling around with directX and all.

I also am blogging about my programming experiences from the moment i started and looking to add some tutorials and some extra snippets in the future. Link is in my sig.

Well, i just "really" started with c# and XNA about 3 to 4 weeks ago. Although investing a lot of my time these weeks i got myself a 3D space environment where i can fly through with a 3th person orbital camera. I also have almost finished my isometric tile engine. I'd say thats pretty nice for just 4 weeks into programming. Yes i did do a calculator and a helo world tutorial here and there the passed year but that really doesn't count for much.

With XNA you can have very good results in a minimal time and start exploring and expanding your code, where using something like c++ without any libraries is going to take a while before real result shows. After finishing a game or 2 i bet i can easily pickup c++ language and start fiddling around with directX and all.

I also am blogging about my programming experiences from the moment i started and looking to add some tutorials and some extra snippets in the future. Link is in my sig.

Being able to make a game and being a good programmer are two entirely different things. When he goes to get a job at a game development house, they're going to test his C++ skills. It doesn't matter how many games he wrote in C#, if he doesn't know C++ well enough to impress them then he won't get a job.


Your experience is exactly why I recommended C# if he wants to make games as a hobby.

Exactly, while I do want some short term results as far as creating a game and/or applications goes, I want to be able to walk into the place and get the job easily. And if that means I need to take the time and learn C++, then that's what I need to do.

Exactly, while I do want some short term results as far as creating a game and/or applications goes, I want to be able to walk into the place and get the job easily. And if that means I need to take the time and learn C++, then that's what I need to do.

Hi,

First, I really don't think you should worry too much about what language you are going to use and what APIs you will be using. A lot of very successful developers started out coding in very basic languages. Such as well, BASIC.

A programming language is a tool, learning how to use that tool is not the challenging bit. Sure, some languages are harder than other. But for a decent, experienced real developer, going from one language to another isn't a big deal. Sure, some languages are harder than other, such as C++ and the more experience you got with it, the better. But, back to my point, the really important bit isn't the language. Its how to solve problems with a programming language.

As a example, one of the most highly regarded series of books are donald knuth's "the art of computer programming" (http://en.wikipedia....ter_Programming) . He created a language simply for the purpose of communicating the material of these books in the manner he saw most appropriate. Still, they are among the best CS books out there. Even though nobody uses the bloody language for anything else than running examples off his book. Another common thing in algorithms and data-structure books, are pseudo-code. Which is basically a form of programming language independent syntax which just communicates what is actually being done, not what language it is done within.

What you will find, is that solving problems is what's going to make you scratch your head. Not how to write your solution in any given language. Its not if your going to render your newly generated tristrip in either OpenGL or DirectX. The issue is how do you convert the triangle lists that make up your object into tristrips.

I appreciate that your keen to get started with your game programming, but I think you, as many many other young people that likes computer games, are a little blinded by your desire to want to start producing games.

Also, try and understand, knowing any language wont make you, and I quote, "be able to walk into the place and get the job easily". Languages, in the greater scheme are trivial and are the last thing you need to worry about at this stage if you want to be a developer of any kind. What you need to understand is you are at least the time of a degree away from being closer to what it is you want to accomplish, and most likely longer than that as well.

And that's cool! you need to find you peace with the fact that everything worth doing, takes time.

Personally, I think grabbing a good book on algorithms and data-structures, is a good idea. Personally, I really liked this one http://www.amazon.co...04468596&sr=8-1 (the art of computer programming ones are H-A-R-D, and I wouldn't want to pick them up until later in the game if I was you, unless you like torturing yourself).. read it, solve exercises.

Sure, use C++ for it if you want. Personally I think something like Python perfectly fit for purpose, but again. The choice yours. Best of luck

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justdanyul, thanks for your response, but I do have experience in programming already. I have made an advanced version of WordPad in VB.NET, and some other useless programs. I am not just starting programming really, but I am just starting programming games. I understand that it does not matter what to you use for personal projects, as long as you can do what you want, but it terms of working on a professional team, I would like to be practicing with what I would be using in the future.

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justdanyul, thanks for your response, but I do have experience in programming already. I have made an advanced version of WordPad in VB.NET, and some other useless programs. I am not just starting programming really, but I am just starting programming games. I understand that it does not matter what to you use for personal projects, as long as you can do what you want, but it terms of working on a professional team, I would like to be practicing with what I would be using in the future.

Well, you must be good to go then. A C++ and Direct X book it is. It was just friendly advice

ps. I did get the fact you wasn't completely new to programming. The book I linked is not for complete beginners, far from it, I know of at-least one university teaching it in its introduction to algorithms course. It is however, quite different from a C++ book or a book teaching you to use MFC components or whatever.

I do appreciate it, and I actually like solving programming algorithms but yeah, clearly I just need to get cracking on C++. I'm unsure of whether or not to use DirectX, though. What sort of graphics libraries are used for consoles?