Need Help Choosing My Path!

Don't worry about your English. We can make out the meaning just fine.

You'll probably want to do C# or Lua. They're much simpler than C++ and as far as I know they have really good support. I don't know about Pascal, but judging by the fact that nobody recommends it to beginners, I image it's not a good option.

I'll probably get screamed at by a few for this, but the simple truth is that if you're serious about getting into the games industry (which I think it's safe to assume you are - you're here asking for help and you're asking about game engines, no?) then you need to be highly competent with C++. There's no two ways about.

If you're wanting to get into programming in general then yeah, you can afford to be a bit more expansive and study other languages. But honestly I'd just dive right in and get going with C++. You said you had the most experience with it so why not carry on from there?

If you're unsure where to go from your current abilities, why not tell us the sort of stuff you understand so we can point you in the right direction? There's the standard drivel of programming requiring dedication and time but in my eyes if you're suitably passionate about it (your history with C++ at your age suggests you are) then you can ignore all of that and just drive onwards with your chosen language.

Best of luck whichever path you go down dude

EDIT: As for engines.. Don't think about them until you're competent with C++. Apologies if you are - if not, get going with some 2D games. Knowing a language isn't enough sometimes - you need to understand game structure and stuff alongside it!

Don't worry about your English. We can make out the meaning just fine.

You'll probably want to do C# or Lua. They're much simpler than C++ and as far as I know they have really good support. I don't know about Pascal, but judging by the fact that nobody recommends it to beginners, I image it's not a good option.

I mentioned Pascal, because I was starting with it at the very beggining

If you learnt c++ first and forgot then refresh your knowlege on C++, then lua for scripting.
For 3d game engines, unreal or unity or leadwerks (not free but uses c++ and maybe lua ), blender for game assets.

I'll probably get screamed at by a few for this, but the simple truth is that if you're serious about getting into the games industry (which I think it's safe to assume you are - you're here asking for help and you're asking about game engines, no?) then you need to be highly competent with C++. There's no two ways about.

If you're wanting to get into programming in general then yeah, you can afford to be a bit more expansive and study other languages. But honestly I'd just dive right in and get going with C++. You said you had the most experience with it so why not carry on from there?

If you're unsure where to go from your current abilities, why not tell us the sort of stuff you understand so we can point you in the right direction? There's the standard drivel of programming requiring dedication and time but in my eyes if you're suitably passionate about it (your history with C++ at your age suggests you are) then you can ignore all of that and just drive onwards with your chosen language.

Best of luck whichever path you go down dude

EDIT: As for engines.. Don't think about them until you're competent with C++. Apologies if you are - if not, get going with some 2D games. Knowing a language isn't enough sometimes - you need to understand game structure and stuff alongside it!

My C++ knowledge is like Polymorphism, virtual functions, OOP :)

My C++ knowledge is like Polymorphism, virtual functions, OOP

Good, that sounds like a pretty solid basis for continuing then!

You won't need oodles more to begin making a game then. I'd recommend looking into SFML 2.1 as a library to develop games with. Fairly simple to use and keeps all the nasty OGL stuff away from you ;) Maybe aim for some basic games to begin with and then aim upwards! There's tons of resources online for 2D game development!

Believe it or not, there is a huge difference between if you want to learn programming and make games or want to learn programming to make games. The difference being that in the first situation you are equally passionate about both game dev'ing and programming (separately passionate) and want to pursue them both. In the second situation, you are interested in programming, but this as a means to your goal to make games. I have totally separate advice for whichever one you are. Neither way of thinking is better.

If you want to learn programming and make games, then I would recommend installing GNU/Linux and using C to start making programs using legendary tools like GCC, make, GNU nano, bash, Emacs, GDB, GNU/Linux itself, etc. This is a whole different topic, but there is still something I must address. I will definitely get a lot of flak here for recommending what I just did, but honestly if you learn this stuff, everything else is just easier and not superstitious. You can then learn C++ if you want to fit in with everyone else, once your projects become too big for C (you can judge this based on what is comfortable size for you). You don't have to use C++ for large projects, it's all preference. C code is valid C++ code, but not vice versa (its like C is the inside layer of a C++ onion). Some might recommend you stick with something like Python, Lua, or Java on Windows ($indows), but if you are passionate about programming separate from games, you might as well learn the mainstays and norms of the modern PC.

If you want to learn programming, but programming is just a part of your path to making games, ignore the above paragraph. That would be torture if you really didn't want to learn the stuff. Just go grab something like Unity 3D and use JavaScript, Python, C#, etc. as a scripting language. This is a perfectly legitimate way of making games. I don't care what people say, this is the best option for pretty much all indie devs. The only reason people like me prefer writing our own code is because it is just fun, once you get the train rolling. When using a ready-to-use solution, you also get to sit back in your chair with a pretty HD 3D game after a day or two of work with pride and achievement, whereas going for a homegrown approach you can sit back with pride over your 3D (extremely buggy) game that frequently crashes and has caused you to lose half of your hair (this all after 2 months).

Overall, you have some very productive times available to you. Kids have lots of energy at your age, and they also have lots of time. Respond if you want me to elaborate on anything I said.

You'll probably want to do C# or Lua.

One of my friends was looking to make a lua game and found this lua engine called love2d

It looks like it has all the basic parts to an engine.

I think I have questions based on this thread. I have always loved game design. I grew up designing my own board and pen/paper RPGs... It's in my blood. Now that I'm learning programming(CS major/business admin minor) I'm starting to work on video games in my spare time.

I would love to develope games, but I don't want to be limited to just those jobs. I would love to assist in developing many different types of systems and maybe just work on small games in my spare time. School started me off with java, but I've also had intro classes in c/c++.

Where should I start with game development? Java or c++? Does working on games in spare time help portfolios when trying to get a job at a non gaming company?

Believe it or not, there is a huge difference between if you want to learn programming and make games or want to learn programming to make games. The difference being that in the first situation you are equally passionate about both game dev'ing and programming (separately passionate) and want to pursue them both. In the second situation, you are interested in programming, but this as a means to your goal to make games. I have totally separate advice for whichever one you are. Neither way of thinking is better.

If you want to learn programming and make games, then I would recommend installing GNU/Linux and using C to start making programs using legendary tools like GCC, make, GNU nano, bash, Emacs, GDB, GNU/Linux itself, etc. This is a whole different topic, but there is still something I must address. I will definitely get a lot of flak here for recommending what I just did, but honestly if you learn this stuff, everything else is just easier and not superstitious. You can then learn C++ if you want to fit in with everyone else, once your projects become too big for C (you can judge this based on what is comfortable size for you). You don't have to use C++ for large projects, it's all preference. C code is valid C++ code, but not vice versa (its like C is the inside layer of a C++ onion). Some might recommend you stick with something like Python, Lua, or Java on Windows ($indows), but if you are passionate about programming separate from games, you might as well learn the mainstays and norms of the modern PC.

If you want to learn programming, but programming is just a part of your path to making games, ignore the above paragraph. That would be torture if you really didn't want to learn the stuff. Just go grab something like Unity 3D and use JavaScript, Python, C#, etc. as a scripting language. This is a perfectly legitimate way of making games. I don't care what people say, this is the best option for pretty much all indie devs. The only reason people like me prefer writing our own code is because it is just fun, once you get the train rolling. When using a ready-to-use solution, you also get to sit back in your chair with a pretty HD 3D game after a day or two of work with pride and achievement, whereas going for a homegrown approach you can sit back with pride over your 3D (extremely buggy) game that frequently crashes and has caused you to lose half of your hair (this all after 2 months).

Overall, you have some very productive times available to you. Kids have lots of energy at your age, and they also have lots of time. Respond if you want me to elaborate on anything I said.

Believe it or not, there is a huge difference between if you want to learn programming and make games or want to learn programming to make games. The difference being that in the first situation you are equally passionate about both game dev'ing and programming (separately passionate) and want to pursue them both. In the second situation, you are interested in programming, but this as a means to your goal to make games. I have totally separate advice for whichever one you are. Neither way of thinking is better.

If you want to learn programming and make games, then I would recommend installing GNU/Linux and using C to start making programs using legendary tools like GCC, make, GNU nano, bash, Emacs, GDB, GNU/Linux itself, etc. This is a whole different topic, but there is still something I must address. I will definitely get a lot of flak here for recommending what I just did, but honestly if you learn this stuff, everything else is just easier and not superstitious. You can then learn C++ if you want to fit in with everyone else, once your projects become too big for C (you can judge this based on what is comfortable size for you). You don't have to use C++ for large projects, it's all preference. C code is valid C++ code, but not vice versa (its like C is the inside layer of a C++ onion). Some might recommend you stick with something like Python, Lua, or Java on Windows ($indows), but if you are passionate about programming separate from games, you might as well learn the mainstays and norms of the modern PC.

If you want to learn programming, but programming is just a part of your path to making games, ignore the above paragraph. That would be torture if you really didn't want to learn the stuff. Just go grab something like Unity 3D and use JavaScript, Python, C#, etc. as a scripting language. This is a perfectly legitimate way of making games. I don't care what people say, this is the best option for pretty much all indie devs. The only reason people like me prefer writing our own code is because it is just fun, once you get the train rolling. When using a ready-to-use solution, you also get to sit back in your chair with a pretty HD 3D game after a day or two of work with pride and achievement, whereas going for a homegrown approach you can sit back with pride over your 3D (extremely buggy) game that frequently crashes and has caused you to lose half of your hair (this all after 2 months).

Overall, you have some very productive times available to you. Kids have lots of energy at your age, and they also have lots of time. Respond if you want me to elaborate on anything I said.

A really nice write up, thanks. :)

I think I have questions based on this thread. I have always loved game design. I grew up designing my own board and pen/paper RPGs... It's in my blood. Now that I'm learning programming(CS major/business admin minor) I'm starting to work on video games in my spare time.

I would love to develope games, but I don't want to be limited to just those jobs. I would love to assist in developing many different types of systems and maybe just work on small games in my spare time. School started me off with java, but I've also had intro classes in c/c++.

Where should I start with game development? Java or c++? Does working on games in spare time help portfolios when trying to get a job at a non gaming company?

One of the most important things someone looks for when hiring is that you can finish things. So work on a small game and finish it. If I were hiring someone for a programming position, I'd probably pick the person that started and finished a game using an engine with absolutely no programming used over the person who started a game in C++ and never really got anywhere.

For Java or C++, it doesn't really matter. If you really need an answer, pick Java if you want to work on Android or C++ otherwise. It's a total joke to learn C++ or Java if you know the other language anyways, so it really, really doesn't matter.

If you want to learn programming and make games, then I would recommend installing GNU/Linux and using C to start making programs using legendary tools like GCC, make, GNU nano, bash, Emacs, GDB, GNU/Linux itself, etc. This is a whole different topic, but there is still something I must address. I will definitely get a lot of flak here for recommending what I just did, but honestly if you learn this stuff, everything else is just easier and not superstitious. You can then learn C++ if you want to fit in with everyone else, once your projects become too big for C (you can judge this based on what is comfortable size for you). You don't have to use C++ for large projects, it's all preference. C code is valid C++ code, but not vice versa (its like C is the inside layer of a C++ onion). Some might recommend you stick with something like Python, Lua, or Java on Windows ($indows), but if you are passionate about programming separate from games, you might as well learn the mainstays and norms of the modern PC.

Just a note but not every C program is a valid C++ program (in fact, it's worse than that: some programs will compile both as C and C++, but produce different output in both cases). This is a common mistake, but C is not a subset of C++. Specifically, C and C++ share a common subset, that's completely different and rather misleading.

I think it's a good idea to get used to base tools like gcc, vim, make etc.. (it also tends to let you understand the process of compiling something and how things work at a low level in general) but don't hesitate to use an IDE if the situation calls for it or if you are more productive with an IDE. You should not listen to people who religiously claim you don't need IDE's, as you are not them and they are not you.

I'd like to factor in choice here (or the lack of).. If you use CryEngine (With or without Mono) or Unity or Unreal 4 (let's face it, that's the future). You are going to use C#, C++ and C (Maybe Lua if you really feel like it), one for logic another for core functions and another for things like shaders. If you build your own stuff, chances are examples will be in C++ and again for stuff like GLSL C...

So if you want to get into games development, I recon the path is already pretty much pre-determined, plus there not all that different from each other.. Once you get around C# then move to C++ sure theres a fair few differences but you'll be able to find your way around and follow tutorials more easily.

I'd like to factor in choice here (or the lack of).. If you use CryEngine (With or without Mono) or Unity or Unreal 4 (let's face it, that's the future). You are going to use C#, C++ and C (Maybe Lua if you really feel like it), one for logic another for core functions and another for things like shaders. If you build your own stuff, chances are examples will be in C++ and again for stuff like GLSL C...

So if you want to get into games development, I recon the path is already pretty much pre-determined, plus there not all that different from each other.. Once you get around C# then move to C++ sure theres a fair few differences but you'll be able to find your way around and follow tutorials more easily.

My pc can't handle CryEngine or Unreal, it almost handles Unity soooo yeah.

If you want to learn programming and make games, then I would recommend installing GNU/Linux and using C to start making programs using legendary tools like GCC, make, GNU nano, bash, Emacs, GDB, GNU/Linux itself, etc. This is a whole different topic, but there is still something I must address. I will definitely get a lot of flak here for recommending what I just did, but honestly if you learn this stuff, everything else is just easier and not superstitious. You can then learn C++ if you want to fit in with everyone else, once your projects become too big for C (you can judge this based on what is comfortable size for you). You don't have to use C++ for large projects, it's all preference. C code is valid C++ code, but not vice versa (its like C is the inside layer of a C++ onion). Some might recommend you stick with something like Python, Lua, or Java on Windows ($indows), but if you are passionate about programming separate from games, you might as well learn the mainstays and norms of the modern PC.

Just a note but not every C program is a valid C++ program (in fact, it's worse than that: some programs will compile both as C and C++, but produce different output in both cases). This is a common mistake, but C is not a subset of C++. Specifically, C and C++ share a common subset, that's completely different and rather misleading.

I think it's a good idea to get used to base tools like gcc, vim, make etc.. (it also tends to let you understand the process of compiling something and how things work at a low level in general) but don't hesitate to use an IDE if the situation calls for it or if you are more productive with an IDE. You should not listen to people who religiously claim you don't need IDE's, as you are not them and they are not you.

I have some experience with Vim, I used it with my tablet and app called Terminal IDE, I was learning some Java.

Don't forget to check out my project "Learning Programming In 2 Years" I decided with what I am going to start, it is C# -> XNA -> MonoGame (I am learning xna firstly than Monogame, because I want to get my hands warm with it. :) )

Link: http://www.gamedev.net/topic/652498-need-help-choosing-my-path/

Now I have my livestream, if you want to catch up with me, go to this link: http://www.twitch.tv/thescriptan I didn't even thought that my pc can handle streaming! :) You all could give me tips and so. :)