The world is full with problems you can program, just follow your heart. What problem do you like to solve?

In game context, you could consider hang man, text adventure which should be feasible at the console.

Other options are fifteen puzzle, or 2048, which you theoretically can do at a console, but you may want to add a graphics display there, like SDL or SFML.

Beyond that, tetris, pong, space-invaders

If you don't know programming, C++ is a terrible language to learn. I would start by learning a friendlier language first. Python is often suggested for this purpose, but I don't think there is anything wrong with learning C, for instance.

I think you have the right idea in trying to find projects that motivate the learning of different concepts.

Beyond input and output, try to learn:

* Loops (make a multiplication table)

* Fancier loops (test if a number is prime by trying to divide it by trial division)

* Functions (learn to organize your code in understandable chunks with a good name and a clean interface, provided by the parameters and the return value of the function)

* Data structures (things like arrays, lists and trees; but the details depend on the exact language you are working with)

* File I/O (process a text file and count how many characters, words and lines it contains)

It doesn't matter what language I learn because all of them have the same exact logic...the only difference are the way you type the code.

instead of: cout <<"hello, world" << endl

you type: print "hello, world"

It's not about languages I have difficulties with, it's the ideas. I can't think of a project to start coding.

And about python...I know it's easy, but I recommend to teach myself the new language "Swift" since it's as easy but modern.

The first programming language I learned was Java, then moved to C++ for game programming reasons, I did not start with Python or other languages.

And yes loops, functions, generics, pointers...they can't enter my head...(can't understand them)..

It doesn't matter what language I learn because all of them have the same exact logic...the only difference are the way you type the code.

instead of: cout <<"hello, world" << endl

you type: print "hello, world"

A question I always wanted to ask developers: As a beginner, how did you go beyond basics?

I started with the Hello World code, then learned more and created a program on my own where the program asks questions and you answer (input, output).

I have difficulties going beyond that. What I mean is, I do not have any ideas of what I should code next...Sadly a lot of developers give too many advices that confuse the heck outta me, you can say they forgot how it was like to be a beginner...

Not just C++, but the entire programming as a whole.

I'm planning to buy this book: http://www.cprogramming.com/c++book/?inl=ft-nhp

Plus I want to learn the hard way, like most developers did, I don't want a website like Code Academy where it gives me hints and answers...that won't help me learn as much, because part of Coding is about problem solving.

what's your advise?

Read more books.

Get to know more-> Frameworks, languages, technologies.

Read others code. Read open source projects and maybe try to get into one.

If you don't know programming, C++ is a terrible language to learn. I would start by learning a friendlier language first. Python is often suggested for this purpose, but I don't think there is anything wrong with learning C, for instance.

I think you have the right idea in trying to find projects that motivate the learning of different concepts.

Beyond input and output, try to learn:
* Loops (make a multiplication table)
* Fancier loops (test if a number is prime by trying to divide it by trial division)
* Functions (learn to organize your code in understandable chunks with a good name and a clean interface, provided by the parameters and the return value of the function)
* Data structures (things like arrays, lists and trees; but the details depend on the exact language you are working with)
* File I/O (process a text file and count how many characters, words and lines it contains)

Which language to use is kind of a personality thing. I've seen people who swear by C++ as a starting language like MarlboroKing. For some people, that might be the right path. It's a good path although maybe not the easiest. And as difficult as it is, it may discourage beginners (and getting so discouraged that you quit is not good).

I started in Basic and wrote a lot of spaghetti code as a kid. They made me do Pascal in school, which I came to love (and taught me proper structure). Then I did C and Assembler (which taught me to comment to the n-th degree) in school which better fits my personality. Then I moved on to C# which helped me a lot with Object Oriented Programming. Now I do C++ and prefer that. It's pretty natural for any programmer to move through languages. The important thing is that you pick one and stick with it long enough to learn it. Then you can move on to something that better suits you as you learn what's right for you.

I do somewhat agree that all languages are just a means to an ends, but I think for a lot of people it's easier to start with an easier language so that they can enjoy what they are doing and not get so frustrated that they quit.

I do database administration as a profession. Programming is what got me into that world. I do some programming professionally but not alot.

But I program as a hobby. For me, I could never do business programs "for fun". I need game programming to encourage me to spend time coding, because I find that rewarding. It encourages me to code in order to bring my ideas to life.

If video game programming is what you want to do, recreating old and fairly simple games is a good way to get experience. Pong and Space Invaders is where the industry started, and likewise you will probably have to start at the beginning and build up.

I wouldn't worry too much about "inspiration" in game programming. As your skills develop, you'll broaden your abilities and inspiration will come. You just have to work on projects that are fun.

Sometimes, you have to increase your skills to get there though. I'm doing 3D modeling now, which was difficult for me. I was in a catch 22 where I needed to practice to get better, but my skills were so terrible that practicing wasn't fun because I couldn't model anything. So, I'm enrolled in a class. My skills are starting to get to a level where I can model things that are interesting which inspires me to spend time practicing.

I've done coding so long that I hardly even remember what it's like to start out, but I think it's similar; by taking classes and improving your skills your abilities will increase which will allow you to work more on what you want to work on. Then you'll be more inspired to practice and work on your own projects.

Maybe try Unity where you can do C# or Java scripting. It's a "relatively" easy way to start and can easily lead to inspiration since it's fairly easy to do things in Unity compared to other ways of game programming.

Maybe try Unity where you can do C# or Java scripting. It's a "relatively" easy way to start and can easily lead to inspiration since it's fairly easy to do things in Unity compared to other ways of game programming.