C++ or C#

At the moment, C++ is by far the most widely used in commercial games.

That's about the only thing you can be sure of. That might change in a couple of years... Or it might not.

The's no "best" language, or "best" choice. If you already know C, C++ should be easy to learn. But so should C#.

It depends on what you plan to use it for, really. If you just want to be able to make games yourself, C# would be the more productive choice. If you plan to get into the industry, C++ *might* be an advantage.

However, "planning ahead" doesn't really make sense when it comes to programming languages. You should be able to pick up C# in a couple of days if you already know C++. And the other way around, if you know C and you know C#, C++ shouldn't pose a challenge either. So you can start with either language without causing trouble for yourself later on.

The only tip I can give is that it's generally better to know many languages than knowing only a few. [grin]
Which order you learn them in doesn't make a lot of difference. Go with what seems the most interesting.

edit:
I guess a better way of putting it woudl have been: "If you plan to apply for a job developing a commercial AAA game next week, go with C++". [grin]

If that's not in your plans, there's really no wrong choice. You might prefer C# for being so much easier to use and learn, or you might be masochistic enough to want to go through C++... [lol]

[Edited by - Spoonbender on July 3, 2006 5:06:40 PM]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll go with C++ then, since I have a bunch of books on it.

Quote:

Original post by ianp622 Thanks for the advice. I think I'll go with C++ then, since I have a bunch of books on it.

That's the other advantage of choosing C++ over C#-there are few books on C# and game programming while there are bookshelves full of books on C++/game programming!
If you are short on time though you might have to go with C# since it takes about 1/2 the time and code to use compared to C++.

Quote:

Original post by Anonymous Poster use C++ unless you are really scared of pointers and dont trust yourself managing memory.

He already decided, No one should post anymore... this'll become a C++ vs. C# topic fast.