Hello guys,

I'm want to learn a programming language for making first person games (for the future and beginning small ofcourse :D).

Some people said to me that java is a good idea and maybe from there move on to c++ for the big game engines out there, so i started with the udacity course for Java, but now many people say to me that python is better and more easy to begin with.

What should i do now: learn java, or python.

BTW: is thew book serie head first (for java: head first java and for python: head first python) good for a beginner to learn the language.

Thanks :).

I have a strong hatred for Java, so you shouldn't listen to anything I say about that language. However, Python is fantastic for both novices and veterans. It's very easy to get into, and deep enough that even for more seasoned programmers, there are lots of really cool things to be done. Both Java and Python are popular languages to use in CS intro classes for good reasons.

I don't know much about books (especially beginner books, since I'm fairly out of touch with them and the ones I used to have were crap anyway), but there's an avalanche of tutorials out for both languages, and some of them are even actually good.

Python is a great language, easy to learn, and easy to work with (e.g installing new modules.), so it's a good choice if you're starting programming, and want to start it an easy way.

As an IDE I would recommend Pycharm. It's got free 'community edition', and got everything you will need.

Java is very popular C/C++/C# alike (which means you will be able to grasp those languages fairly quick if you already know Java) object-oriented, performant language used almost in any sphere of the IT. I would strongly recommend you learn it, instead of Python, which is used for scripting tasks mainly and sometimes for backend development, but not by a mile as often as Java. Basic Java concepts are very easy to comprehend, too.

Hmm lots of different reactions.

For the people who recommend python: is it more easy to learn java (and then c++), after i've learned python

BTW: really thanks for the many reactions you guys gave me!

Python and C++ are whole different languages. I think knowledge of any programming language will make learning another one a little bit easier, just not as much easier as you probably hope. Regardless of your knowledge of Python or Java, you'll have to spend some time on learning C++ anyway. Python is good for start, for introducing the basic concepts of programming, this is why I recommend it personally for a beginner.

If you're really new to programming, I suggest you to pick Python first. It's cleaner and doesn't stress newbies with syntax error. Of course, discipline is important, but what I'm trying to say is that it won't stress you as much in the beginning. It's easy to get started with. Learning logic and stuff. It's not as... deep as C++, yes, but it's not like you will need to play with memory and other low level stuff in the beginning.

Also, like others have said, Python is great for both veterans and beginners alike. I happen to know a very good Python tutorial, here.

Hmm lots of different reactions.

For the people who recommend python: is it more easy to learn java (and then c++), after i've learned python

BTW: really thanks for the many reactions you guys gave me!

Python is an interpreted language. while the other two are (mostly) compiled languages, so there are some differences there. By and large though, learning any of the three is going to make learning the other two much easier, since they share a great many similarities. However, the hardest things about a language like C++ (stuff like memory management and synchronization) are going to be shielded from you in both Java and Python.