Game Programming (Started)

Game Programming
(Started)

How do I get Started

When beginning to learn about game programming, finding a place to start can be intimidating and difficult. This article aims to help point you in the right direction, by giving you the tips and resources you need.

The Approach: How do I get started?
The answer to this question can depend on many things, one of them being your personality.
Are you the type of self-motivated person that can flow through difficult and even frustrating puzzles and problems to reach a goal? If so and you have a game idea that you dream about every night, then it would be wise (and you probably have the determination) to begin with the information given in the following sections.
Or are you the type of person that would like to see results quickly and are perhaps interested in avoiding as many complicated and frustrating scenarios as possible (they will always be there) at least for now? If so it could be ideal for you to take up programming by working with a pre-made game engine, as you would likely get faster results that way than you would with a traditional programming language/gaming library combination.

Perhaps it would be best to find a development environment and begin programming as many small games (Pong, Tetris, Breakout, etc...) as you can just to get a feel for how they are done. Perhaps pick your favorite and really flesh it out with all the bells and whistles and fantastic features you can think of.

This page is to help you determine the best approach for you. This page even gets you thinking about distributing or releasing your game to the public, which is admittedly beyond a 'Getting Started' issue for a beginning programmer, but could be considered a 'Getting Started' issue for a programmer who is just beginning game development.
Whatever you do, don't get overwhelmed, or frustrated. Scope out some of this information, then roll up your sleeves and try some of it out, there's certainly something here that will fit your needs and your personality.

Next : First Steps