Any IT folks out there want to help me direct my son. He's very much into
computers hardware and wants more software exposure. What programming
languages are most games writen in? Are there any good tutorials out there
to get a bright young man started? Thanks and sorry for taking up the band
width.
Koen
Most games are written in C and Assembly. Some newer game programmers
are using C++ to take advantage of OOP, but you need to be careful that
you don't eat up a bunch of resources when you go that route. If he's
new to game programming I would recommend that he try something like 3D
Game Studio or Dark Basic to see what it's like. Later, he can switch to
C/C++ and a Game SDK like Torque, Dark Game SDK ot 3D Game Studio SDK.
Mario "I wrote Breakout 2000 for Atari" Perdue
Hmmm... Sounds like he is ready to build a nice electronic payload for
you to fly on a rocket!
Doug Pratt's CANSAT
formatting link
can be
programmed in C and BASIC. I would recommend he do stuff in C, rather
than BASIC, as IMHO that is a more transferable skill.
The BeeLine transmitter
formatting link
is based
around a PIC processor. Greg wrote his code in assembler but there are
C compilers out there for the PIC.
There are other hardware packages that will let your son do some
programming and give you a fun new toy too! 8)
Will
Koen O. Loeven wrote:
I can't think of a better way to get started.
It's easy and FREE!
I learned it from a book:
'Python programming for the absolute beginner' by Michael Dawson
Great book in english.(I'm writing this because your name seems very
dutch and if you are so is your son and it would be a lot harder for him
to learn it in a foreign language).
With that book he can write his own games after he has finished it.
After that something like C or Assembly.
Greetings from Holland, Roland.
It depends on what platform the games are to be played... If it's for
mobile phones etc, then JAva seems to be the way to go, at least
judging by the job ads here in the UK. Other than that, everything is
writen in C or C++ and uses various SDK's to do the actual leg work.
If he wants to write console games, then you cna get dev kits for things
like the Playstation that mewan you can develop and test on PCs. Just
check with the manufacturers.
Cheers,
Software development kit, a piece of software for programing languages that
contain pre-written modules and libraires that save you the need to
re-invent the wheel when developing software.
Damian
I'm not in IT, but wanted to start an intro vocational type
programming class at
the high school. Of course, the most popular "vocational" activity was
game programming. I then canvassed several CS classes at the Univ I
attend
and asked those guys your exact question and what they would have liked to
have been exposed to in high school.
Most said the C family; C/C++. Games require speed and hardware
interaction.
There is a plethora of free C programming languages and development
systems
out there. A mature C programming system exists within the GNU/Linux OS.
The next most popular recommendation was Assembly Language for the Intel
and compatible processors. Again, speed and hardware control.
Both the above require fairly motivated students with a better than
average
understanding of hardware and system operation, as compared, say, to a
Java programmer more interested in software only. They will spend a lot
of time generating fairly simplistic (boring) results. In contrast,
Java or another
GUI oriented system let's them generate some fairly complex and
interactive programs much more rapidly.
They also said that game programming was very competitive and if the
students
wanted an actual job, to go with Java, etc, and learn the concepts of OOP.
I won't go into details, as the other responses have done an excellent job
of doing so. I will just echo their opinions. Have your son dive into the
C/C++ languages. They are relatively easy to learn; and provide a good
"launch pad" (Hey!...An On-Topic reference!) to learn other languages.
Also, if you have a spare PC (an old one is *ideal*), or some free
hard-drive space...have him install a Linux system. These can be picked
up for pennies (or as a cost-free download); and most of the major
distributions come equipped with the compilers needed to delve into these
languages. It is the ideal way to enter the world of programming, with
minimal-to-no monetary expense.
I agree with the general assessments given here, but more importantly
you may want to ask the question if it's really something he SHOULD do.
Back in the 80's, everyone was being told to go into Hazardous Waste
work -- then SuperFund dried up. In the 90's, computer
programming/design was the big thing, with high wages and a great future
-- then the software got outsourced to India, and the hardware to
China. These days, I hear that biotech is the 'big field', but it seems
obvious to me that rising healthcare costs are going to cause that to
crash into a wall soon. The cover of one of the industry magazines I
get just made the suggestion that the best career move for a hardware
engineer these days is to learn Chinese (they weren't joking).
It's sad and unfortunate that this is true, but it IS true. There will
be a need for the hands-on guys in IT departments to keep things working
for the foreseeable future, but actual software and hardware development
is being taken overseas more and more.
Yes, there will be some jobs available -- but the 'bright future'
doesn't seem to be there, anymore. I know absolute top-notch engineers
who've been out of work (at least in their field) for two-three years or
more, because of outsourcing. Those who are still in the industry have
had to cut their salary DRAMATICALLY.
Just my two cents worth...
David Erbas-White
What you say is all too true David.
My next move will not be into an IT job anymore after 24 years of it, and
i've been very good at it.
But all that's left is providing project management of India developers and
engineers.
4am to 5pm days on conference calls and trips to Cyberabad City is not what
I want in my last career days.
Many years ago I was cornered by some kid with similar questions at a
computer club meeting. I told him I though he could make a lot of
money with Game Theory, but I'm sure he misunderstood me. ;)
Alan
One of the main reasons that Cisco Systems started the worldwide network of
Academies was to "grow their own" IT professionals.
There is just not enough skilled people and at the present growth rate of IT
the gap gets wider.
Tom
The analysis I've heard about goes something like this. During the tech
bubble there was a great surge in IT studies at colleges. After the bubble
it seems that these course and majors are greatly under-attended. So jump
ahead 20 years and I'd think there'd be an upcoming shortage on locally
grown IT. I may be wrong I suppose, but I think we might me ready for a
renewal in demand. Finally, are US companies really pleased with the timing
and quality and management headaches involved in these outsourced projects
todate?
Koen
No, they're not. Recent industry magazines indicate that their solution
is to ship the design and management of these projects overseas, too.
Doesn't do much for us at home...
David Erbas-White
It saves "them" money on all those "overpriced jobs" and real estate to
house and office them.
Your goal was to DECREASE the GDP and cause deflation in the job market
wasn't it?
:)
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