Game Programming

[Malign Alumnus]

Yo i didnt know where to put this so this is as good as anything, anyways im 15 years old algebra 2 ninth grade blah blah, and i seriously want to look into a career in computer software engineering, especially games, and i know it takes unimaginable hard work and dedication but im willing to do it. The tihng is i dont't know how to go about it. First off, are there any high school classes to take? Anything i should learn on my own? Books? I'm not trying to rush but I dont wanna get left behind, if you know what I mean. Any opinions would be nice.

[Morpheus]

try looking in edge mag at the back they have all sort of adverts and stuff which will tell you what you need for lots of different jobs

[Urn]

Just books. All u need - books.
I collected a big library of tech books and docs in
my room (im very proud of it, it takes lotsa place and i enjoy
seeing it. Ofcourse, i read it all)

[Winged 2.0]

I believe there are college-level classes right now. ITT Tech, is one that I heard of. But if you are serious about this, prime yourself with books, as said above.

[Malign Alumnus]

alright you silly sods thanks...gosh i feel like a nerd lol

[Soeru]

I felt the same way you did a few years ago. I don't want to turn you off this proggramming biz, but it really is a pain to learn computer languages. I suggest you start off with a "Learn C/C++ in 21 days" type of book, just so you can learn the basics. If that didnt turn you off, then you should go grab some other textbooks. Proggramming takes years of study and practice, so be ready to sacrifice a lot of your time.

[GODJonez]

I've been programmin since I was 5 or 6, so that's some 11 or 12 years for now... I started with legendary Commodore 64 -> QBasic -> All kinds of prg langs.

[Nima D'Graven]

You also need a degree if you want to go into that field of work.

In my country, I know you can get degrees along the lines of "Computer Games Technology" (Just be weary that you don't choose CGT in the "Media" falculty, as it will be more Art based than programming/technical.), which is what I want to do at the moment. Some games companies even ask for "Computer Science".

The main problem with the games industry (as with any job these days), is that they almost always ask for experience.

If you live in America, Digipen may be worth taking a look at, except that I've heard that Digipen is very demanding.

As for high school tips, try to stick to Computing courses and Maths.. And to a much lesser degree Physics, Biology and Psychology.

These days, to get accepted for any kind of Computing degree you need some kind of mathematical background, because the maths involved can be quite daunting. However, I've noticed in this country that the standard is starting to change and you can now do degrees on Computer Games Technology without a Maths qualification. It's even becoming this way for Computer Science. Why? Well, I'm not quite sure.

As for books and learning, well, I'm self taught for the most part (And rusty at the moment). I originally started on good old QBASIC and built up from that to Visual Basic and C. If games interest you, and you can read code pretty well.. Maybe you should take a look into MUD's and the free source surrounding them, that's what I did. Then you could run your own MUD and feel proud of things you added/changed .

I will say though, learning C/C++ is essential for the most part.

If you're interested in some of the things a Computer Games Technology course offers, here's a few links for you (All in the UK, sorry ):

http://www.jmu.ac.uk/learning/dc/tec...p/cgt/8064.asp
http://www.bolton.ac.uk/courses/cour...ingle&dept=cet
http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDe...?RID=1&CID=185
http://www.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/courses/098.pdf

And of course the legendary Digipen:

http://www.digipen.edu/

[mushindo]

You also need to make sure you want to do the programming. If you hate math, look elsewhere. There are quite a lot of areas involved in making a game. Design, management, etc etc. Do your research well and figure out what exactly you want to do before you get in over your head on anything

[Zaladane]

Well you said you're in grade nine, my advice just ace the courses you have to do. and spend some time having fun and being a kid. in a couple of years when you're in grade 11, or even 12, then start bucklin down, as things will change by then anyhow...

[mushindo]

If you want to get into college without being in debt until you're 40, i would suggest getting the best grades you can and get every scholorship you can. Any money left over when you graduate is yours to keep

[Xaenn]

It wouldn't be a bad Idea to see what AP classes you can take (if US) so you could get some stuff outta the way. I suggest definately taking up to caculus, or as high as math you can get in High school.

For computer engineering, or computer science at CSU, you need to take Calculus 1,2,3 differential equations, discrete structures, and a lot of other crap. so if you don't hate math, then that's a good thing.

I would suggest just trying to learn some basic kinds of programming things at first, just simple stuff at first. Before I learned any java I had messed around a bunch with rm2k and I think that helped a little bit.

[Soeru]

If you want to get the feel of game development(which was what thrusted me in the direction of software dev), then try out a program called The Games Factory, Click & Create, or Multimedia Fusion(they're all pretty much the same thing, MMF is just more complex, has more shiznit, etc.). Its very easy to learn how to use it, and you can make a half-assed 2d sidescroller in a matter of days. Its even easier than Flash. I think it'll help you understand how a game works a lot better. You might wanna try RPG Maker 2k or 2k3 as someone stated, great and simple RPG game dev software. Sadly, making a "real" game is far from anything like MMF or RM2k3. The math problems you will encounter in proggramming are what turn many people off. Even though I am rather good at maths, you really need to have a liking for the subject to study something like comp engineering(I never do my homework, and yet I ace my tests, or get Bs). I wish you luck on your future studies, and I hope I didnt make you abhor game dev with my posts.

[Malign Alumnus]

Woah thanks alot all you guys, i went to the digipen site and the RITC program looks good, its programming, but its like video game designing as a whole, including graphics, simulations, the works. I'd say I'm good at math, usually A's and B's (b's only cos i sleep) and about AP, im taking AP Euro next year and 11 and 12 grade all my classes will be AP level cos im in the IB program. And dudes, you guys ar eall like yeah get good grades, sudy, you sound like my parents, but seriously thanks for all the help guys. Im gonna enjoy my time right now, skateboard, play games, and soon enough I'll learn some stuff by mu\yself, between 11 and 12 grade I could get up and running and have a head start at whatever I decide to do. Thanks again!