Beginner to Pro: Game Programming

Today's world is pretty dynamic. The internet and constant flow of programming languages has amounted to a vast array of new games, with unique design interfaces, engines, and themes. From FPS (first person shooters) to puzzles, strategies, and the ever popular MMORPG (massive multiplayer online roleplaying game), it seems the limits are endless.

Of course, this doesn't mean that the task of making your first game won't often be quite daunting. Your average programmer will tell the aspiring game-maker to go to school, get a few certifications and a degree or two, then hook up with a squad of programming nerds and plan to spend 10+ years grueling over code. While this may have been the case back when Squaresoft and Enix were barely acquainted, things have changed so drastically over the years that the above is not necessarily the case.

I, for one, am not certified in any field, nor do I have any degrees. I've made a number of games, from simple 2D rpgs to first person shooters, to horror-based strategy games. I've done text-based games, dice-based games, 2d scrollers, and have a fully active 3D game I've been working on for about a year now.

I'm self-taught primarily, and my skills range from your basics (html, php, javascript, mysql) to advanced (C and C++, perl, Visual Basic 6 and VB.NET, Java, and the relatively new JavaFX).

Now you're probably wondering, "do I need to learn all of this?! Dear God, I'm screwed."
In short, the answer is No. For one, there are plenty of game engine platforms out there that require absolutely no experience in programming, yet will allow you to make fully functional games. Whether or not these permit the license to sell your game vary from one engine to the next. Some are free, some are expensive. It really depends.
Please Note: a section will be available in this blog listing reviewed game engines available.


If you want to get serious about game design, learning a language is always a good thing, if not required. While game makers are useful for casual creation to share with friends or just get the feel of design down, they will never substitute the real deal. The versatility given in knowing how to code is inarguably important.

We're going to go over a number of languages in this blog, weighing out which are better for what sort of game, and listing tutorials on how to begin learning them in a game-oriented fashion. I plan to write a number of tutorials myself, which will subsequently be listed.

Overall, remember: this is YOUR dream, and you DO have the means to make it come true.