So, you're interested in getting into programming. This gist has been set up to help people find their and set them up for success. Below you will find an overview of the different disciplines related to programming, along with how to get started and pitfalls you might encounter on the way.
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Before you get started, have an idea of what you want to make first. Learning programming is hard enough when you have a goal, it becomes even harder when you don't know what you want to do with it. Sit down and spend some time figuring out where you want to go. What is your ultimate goal? What steps can you take to get you there?
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Keep your first project simple. We all want to make wildly successful things that will often require a lot work. Thinking you're going to jump in and create that First Person Shooter you've had on your mind for three years is going to lead to disappointment. Find ways to start small instead, especially if those ways can immediately contribute to the end goal. For example, fire up your favorite game engine and try to implement a game mechanic without worrying about graphics, effect, or anything. Simply having a cube in hand with a number that tells you how far you are from a particular location can end up being a lot of work when you're learning.
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Success begets success. When you plan what you want to work on, be sure to include easy-to-reach milestones that allow you to look back on how far you've come and see what improvements have been made. This is especially important when working on a new team, because it allows you to both adjust to working with other people, and allows you to celebrate these victories together.
An example keeping it simple
Just programming Tic Tac Toe can be a challenge for people
Modding can help get into programming or game design.
What types of programming to get involved in
Interested in Game Development? Take a look at our review of some of the popular game development engines
- Don't try making your own, the saying goes that you either want to make a game, or make a game engine
- Game Developent
- Web Development
- App Development
The Game Programming Patterns book is an excellent introduction into the the type of programming patterns you will find yourself using when coding a game. These patterns aren't just limited to the game development world, but they do occur a bit more frequently than in regular programming.
Khan Academy aims to teach people how to program one step at a time in JavaScript.
This Khan Acaedmy course focuses more on algorithms and the ideas behind computer science. Highly recommended for beginners to take a look after they get into programming.