Greetings and welcome to GameDev.net!

This thread is here to provide new users with information that they commonly come here seeking. The goal is to get you to the resources that will answer your questions quickly, without you having to post and wait for replies. Also, we often get the same questions asked by many different users many times; it'll be more convenient if they're all answered in one place.

If you're completely new to GameDev.net and haven't been lurking around for a while, then reading these resources will help to answer all kinds of questions you may have in the future.

I have a game idea!

If you came to the forums because you have an idea for a game, then this resource is for you. It clears away many misconceptions you may be holding about game development, and puts you on the right path to getting your game made.

Introduction to Game Development

If you're here because you have a general curiosity for how games are made, what they're made of, and/or how to start making them (or parts of them) yourself, then this resource is for you. It's a broad description of game development and its individual aspects. It also has resources for learning more about specific fields of game development.

Note: This resource is rather unfinished at the moment and could use some help from the community; but it can still serve as a good starting point for now.

Breaking into the Industry FAQs

This Frequently Asked Questions page for the GameDev.net "Breaking into the Industry" forum has a collection of helpful resources for people who are interesting in getting a job in the games industry.

I'd suggest you keep this page bookmarked for future reference.

Chet Faliszek, a writer for Valve, talks about how to get a job in the games industry in this YouTube video.

Break Into The Game Industry: How to Get A Job Making Video Games

If you're looking for a book, this is a link to an Amazon page for a book by Ernest Adams.

Suggested by user pyxunyann

Sticky please!

Also could the following sections be added (either by you or someone else).

"I am new, what language should I learn"
"Should I use a game engine or make one"
"What should I pick C++ or <insert managed language here>"

I just did some revamping to the Introduction to Game Development article. In the 'Getting Started' section further towards the bottom of the article, you can find some extra resources are now available for programming, including one that answers the questions you've asked.

Hope it helps :)

Sticky please!

Also could the following sections be added (either by you or someone else).

"I am new, what language should I learn"

"Should I use a game engine or make one"

"What should I pick C++ or <insert managed language here>"

I also think it is a great idea to encourage people to search / research themselves and minimize the question asking especially if they are a beginner since most early on stuff has very likely been answered, unless ofc they truly cant find information on something, in the end people are going to have to mass research anyway and it is a good idea of getting in the habit early

I have a couple posts I generally point beginners to, but they aren't part of the new GD.net initiative.

I want to be a game developer... now what? (Linked in the above article) This covers language selections, and books/tools/libraries for the most common languages

3D Engine Round-up A pretty comprehensive list of 3D engines for indie developers, including license, platform, cost, etc.

3D App list Most of the modern 3D applications for creating art, their price tag, download links, etc.

Game Dev Math Recipes Don't worry, it's not as scary as you think!

Those three guides give you most of the initial information you need to get started from a tools and technology perspective. I really intend to update the now what article shortly to reflect the changes in the last year and a half ( Microsoft's XNA moves, the rise of various indie engines, etc... ).

If I want to add some article which I found out to be good, how can I share that here?

Send me a PM and I'll check it out :)

it is hard to learn game development,i just want to kown that how long it takes to be a real game developer,

How long is a piece of string?

It takes as long as necessary. Once you are able to create a game you are a "real game developer". For some people this will be a matter of hours, whilst for others it might take several months. Either way, there will always be new things to continue learning.