(First Steps)
The first thing to do is to decide which programming language or programming environment you would like to use.
You can go about this in several ways:
You can begin by choosing which language you wish to program in and then find a suitable development environment for that language.
You can begin by choosing a development environment and work with the language options your chosen development environment gives you.
If you are already proficient in a particular programming language, it is likely best to begin there since game programming is difficult enough on its own; learning a whole new language will only compound the difficulty.
If you are not familiar with any particular programming language, you'll need to decide which one you'd like to learn, but you are also in a unique and fortuitous scenario; you can pick the programming environment and language that is best for you.
When researching languages, you should consider:
How easy is the language to learn?
Is the language suitable for making games? (Is it fast and powerful enough?)
Does the language work with suitable game development libraries or APIs?
What platforms (Operating systems/processor architectures) will the language run on?
Will I be able to find support when I run in to problems? Is there adequate documentation available?
There is an entire tutorial devoted to picking a first language here.
Once you've decided on a language, you'll need to choose a game development library or API. Game libraries may provide you with functions for displaying graphics, playing sounds, getting input, and more. See the Wiki's Libraries for a list of libraries from which you can choose. This is another huge decision.
Consider the following:
Is the library compatible with my language?
Is the library suited to my skill level?
Will the library work with the kind of games I plan on making?
Is adequate documentation available so that I can learn the library?
Do I understand and agree to the library's license?
Now that you've got a language and library in mind, it's time to read tutorials! This is the most important step in the whole process. You now learn to use your selected language and library. Immerse yourself. Read everything you can. If you don't understand, ask for help. Above all, do not give up. The languages page will lead you to a number of game programming tutorials for your language of choice, and your library should have documentation for you to read. When you're ready to try writing some code of your own, you'll need an IDE, or "Integrated Development Environment," which is a program that supplies, among other advanced features, a place to write code and a way to compile it. With many languages, a full-blown IDE is not strictly necessary, but it still might be easier for a beginner to use one.
Next : Designing
The first thing to do is to decide which programming language or programming environment you would like to use.
You can go about this in several ways:
You can begin by choosing which language you wish to program in and then find a suitable development environment for that language.
You can begin by choosing a development environment and work with the language options your chosen development environment gives you.
If you are already proficient in a particular programming language, it is likely best to begin there since game programming is difficult enough on its own; learning a whole new language will only compound the difficulty.
If you are not familiar with any particular programming language, you'll need to decide which one you'd like to learn, but you are also in a unique and fortuitous scenario; you can pick the programming environment and language that is best for you.
When researching languages, you should consider:
How easy is the language to learn?
Is the language suitable for making games? (Is it fast and powerful enough?)
Does the language work with suitable game development libraries or APIs?
What platforms (Operating systems/processor architectures) will the language run on?
Will I be able to find support when I run in to problems? Is there adequate documentation available?
There is an entire tutorial devoted to picking a first language here.
Once you've decided on a language, you'll need to choose a game development library or API. Game libraries may provide you with functions for displaying graphics, playing sounds, getting input, and more. See the Wiki's Libraries for a list of libraries from which you can choose. This is another huge decision.
Consider the following:
Is the library compatible with my language?
Is the library suited to my skill level?
Will the library work with the kind of games I plan on making?
Is adequate documentation available so that I can learn the library?
Do I understand and agree to the library's license?
Now that you've got a language and library in mind, it's time to read tutorials! This is the most important step in the whole process. You now learn to use your selected language and library. Immerse yourself. Read everything you can. If you don't understand, ask for help. Above all, do not give up. The languages page will lead you to a number of game programming tutorials for your language of choice, and your library should have documentation for you to read. When you're ready to try writing some code of your own, you'll need an IDE, or "Integrated Development Environment," which is a program that supplies, among other advanced features, a place to write code and a way to compile it. With many languages, a full-blown IDE is not strictly necessary, but it still might be easier for a beginner to use one.
Next : Designing
