Hello all! I have a few questions on Game Design, and I figued this would be the place to start. I am a junior in high school (16 yrs old) and I am thinking about my future college and beyond career. I have a passion for video games, so naturally the first thing that came to mind was game design. My question for you is: What exactly is game design? I know its a vague question, but I've read many different things all over the web about it. Is it a designers job to create the world, the characters, the story etc? Do I need any coding skills? I've searched many sources and haven't come up with a clear cut anwser. I thank you for your time and hope to hear back from a few of you. Thanks a lot, Zack

It is not so clear cut. Game design is the design of the game. All games, this involves creating, and balancing of rules. Some games, the plot/dialog impacts the rules, so design includes that. In some games, other things like the map/levels impact the rules...

All are game design. From there it gets more muddled as the orginization differs. Sometimes there's a dedicated designer, sometimes the main designer also does programming or art, sometimes a group does different design parts...

Generally, you will need to know programming, or art, or some other skill to get into a position to do design. You'll then likely need to know some programming to know if certain designs are feasible, and to best communicate the ideas so that programmers can impliment them.

Hm, alright.

What languages would you reccommend learning?

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Original post by EvilBean121 Hm, alright. What languages would you reccommend learning?

To get a feel for programming, I reccomend you start off with a beginner language like Visual Basic or C#. Once you get a feel of the actual concepts and logic programming offers, learn a more expanse language like C++. After that, go into OpenGL, Win32, or DirectX (your choice). I hoped I helped a bit here :D .

As for languages, C++ is currently the industry standard. Most commercial games that come out, be it for pc or console, are programmed in C++ or its "older cousin" C.

Many people feel that C++ is hard to learn. However, I am also currently 16. I have programmed in C++ for around 2 years now. I have a couple of large projects under my belt, including a semi-3d engine i made myself. It's not hard to learn how to program, it just takes dedication.

If you feel inclined, try out C++. Learning a "simpler" language, such as python or ruby, might also be appropriate for you if you want to see what goes into programming but dont want to get flooded with c++. Try both routes.

I've also been programming for a few years, but it's been in PHP and other web languages. Do you think that my experience in the latter would help me learn C++ easier? I just remembered that I have C++ for Dummies somewhere in my room. Is that a good place to start?

Thanks for all of your help.

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Original post by EvilBean121 I've also been programming for a few years, but it's been in PHP and other web languages. Do you think that my experience in the latter would help me learn C++ easier? I just remembered that I have C++ for Dummies somewhere in my room. Is that a good place to start? Thanks for all of your help.

Good enough. Read that C++ book you have. As for languages like PHP and HTML, that may also give you a head start. I would not know, since I have only used HTML. But from I have seen, if you know programming, web languages shouldnt be that hard to pick up. I do not know if this applies the opposite way around though :P .

However, just hack at it. We all have our own styles of learning. [smile]++

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Original post by vrok137 Quote: Original post by EvilBean121 I've also been programming for a few years, but it's been in PHP and other web languages. Do you think that my experience in the latter would help me learn C++ easier? I just remembered that I have C++ for Dummies somewhere in my room. Is that a good place to start? Thanks for all of your help. Good enough. Read that C++ book you have. As for languages like PHP and HTML, that may also give you a head start. I would not know, since I have only used HTML. But from I have seen, if you know programming, web languages shouldnt be that hard to pick up. I do not know if this applies the opposite way around though :P . However, just hack at it. We all have our own styles of learning. [smile]++

Thanks for the help, :).

C++ and php follow a similar syntax, so it won't be completely new to you. C++ though is quite... time consuming to learn well.

You need to read until the end of most books to use some of the most common structures [STL collections/algos]. Unfortunately there's other "simpiler" alternatives that are often pushed [C-style strings, arrays, plain pointers] which are ill-advised for skilled programmers. Beginners often pick these up and doing so hinder their learning.

These are a few of the reasons that C++ is falling out of favor as a beginner language. Newer languages learned from these lessons, and are now gaining more traction as they've matured.

[edit: Here is a lengthy thread discussing some of the pro's and con's]

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Original post by Telastyn These are a few of the reasons that C++ is falling out of favor as a beginner language. Newer languages learned from these lessons, and are now gaining more traction as they've matured.

Take C# for example. Although it's relatively new, it's proving itself to be a very useful language unlike its relative J# ;).

If I was in your shoes EvilBean, I would take some time to examine the C# language. It may help you better understand some general concepts of C programming.

Plus, C# is an excellent beginner language. But then again, you already have a C++ book. Read that C++ book first so your money won't go to waste, then take a dip at C#. If you find C++ programming too difficult, C# will be right there waiting for you [smile].