Quote: Original post by Mybowlcut
I hate this one... it's generally from adults who are computer illiterate.

As for the OP's question... My dad's girlfriend's son is like 10 and because of this I am reluctant to exert any effort teaching him programming (he has asked several times) because I get the feeling that he will lose interest and want to go play the xbox. I did show him how to make a small text-based game, but I did most of the work and I don't think he'd be interested for long if he had to do it all himself. If it was someone older, I'd be less hesistant.

This article may of be some interest where someone is attempting to teach his 9 yo daughter how to program. It's the posts titled 'Teaching my daughter to code'. http://www.bluej.org/mrt/?cat=20

Quote: Original post by Mybowlcut
As for the OP's question... My dad's girlfriend's son is like 10 and because of this I am reluctant to exert any effort teaching him programming (he has asked several times) because I get the feeling that he will lose interest and want to go play the xbox. I did show him how to make a small text-based game, but I did most of the work and I don't think he'd be interested for long if he had to do it all himself. If it was someone older, I'd be less hesistant.

I started when I was 9. I didn't know much more math than anyone else my age, either, and I seem to have avoided requests for help that I can't provide for the most part. Give him a chance.

edit: I started with QBASIC. Still wondering if that was a good idea.

[Edited by - Oberon_Command on August 2, 2009 11:18:34 PM]

I started at 9 as well. However, I started small and worked my way out.
I found a tool to easily make games called Game Maker ( now owned by YoYo Games ) at 9. I was aware it had it's limitations around age of 11. Then I dived into C++ with the aid of some libraries ( like SDL ) and then I became curious how the libraries worked. So I took it apart. So on and so forth to present day, I can code anything I can set my mind to now.

A more direct sentence: Instead of shoving C++ and syntax down their throat, start them off smaller like with Game Maker or something. Baby steps first.

Quote: Original post by Oberon_Command
edit: I started with QBASIC. Still wondering if that was a good idea.

I think it was. A lot of people here seem to have started with classic microcomputer BASICs (I'm a BBC BASIC man myself), and Microsoft have developed a new .NET language aimed at beginners, Small Basic. Unfortunately Small Basic is a good idea let down by a poor implementation (even QBASIC had local variables in subroutines!) but let's see what happens.

Quote: Original post by Oberon_CommandI started when I was 9. I didn't know much more math than anyone else my age, either, and I seem to have avoided requests for help that I can't provide for the most part. Give him a chance.

edit: I started with QBASIC. Still wondering if that was a good idea.

Did you have help getting started or were you driven enough to learn it yourself? I ask because you'll find that most 10 year old kids aren't that different in terms of attention span. I genuinely would like to teach him, but the idea of sitting down and spending hours showing him something which could result in him losing interest and doing something else isn't appealing. I guess I should give him more of a chance, though.

Quote: Original post by Mybowlcut
Did you have help getting started or were you driven enough to learn it yourself?

I taught myself for the most part. I had to; nobody else in my family really knew enough about it, there weren't courses available to take (or there were, but I wasn't old enough for them yet), and there was plenty of material at the library to study.

I seem to vaguely recall my father showing me GW-BASIC at a very young age (4-5 ish), but I wasn't really that interested then. I didn't start actually getting interested in computers until I saw a friend's SNES (at 8 years old), and decided that I wanted to make games. To this day I blame him for getting me into this thing that has taken over my life. [grin] After I did some dicking around with Excel "designing games" (which was really just collecting character stats and such), a year later I found a book at the library which was an introduction to BASIC for children. It covered "traditional" PC BASIC (i.e. GW-BASIC, BASICA, etc.) instead of QBASIC (which was what I had), but the traditional stuff worked for the most part with QBASIC, so I was happy messing around with that.

I didn't really accomplish much of anything (short attention span) then, but I had fun hacking around with it and making the computer do stuff. I think that's what had me hooked: the thought that I could make the computer do just about anything I wished. Of course, nowadays I realize how limited I actually was with only QB to work with, but still... the power trip was exhilarating.

I got into C at 12 and then C++ (or more precisely, C with classes - I didn't start using "proper" C++ until 2-3 years after) at 14, learned Java at 18 at university, followed by C# at 19 (my age now) and now I'm hacking around with LISP and I'm planning on starting with Smalltalk and Haskell. I've been programming for ten years and been fluent in 6 languages at some point or another (I count "traditional" BASIC and QBASIC as separate languages) and 3 more which I'm sure I'll eventually be more familiar with. It's been fun.

My recommendation is to show him the door, not hold his hand. It has been my experience that only he will be able to walk through it.

I had a friend want to program games after seeing one of mine. I spent 30 minutes with him showing him XNA. After getting a picture of his face moving around on the screen from keyboard input he was pretty hooked. For about a week.....

To the comment about needing linear algebra, was your first game a commercial app? I've never used any math above a 6th grade level in my games. Sounds pretty elitist and unnecessary. Are you trying to encourage people to get started or show how awesome you are? Not everyone wants to be a graphics engine programmer. There's a reason XNA is popular.

As a person from 3rd world country, I have different story. Always wanted to develop game, but doesn't know why. Books are not available at bookstores even in those days. (actually, even in 1997-ish, I still have to place an order through bookstores, just to say how lacking game programming book is locally).

I just walked into those expensive magazine shop just to browse around, and saw gd mag. Still, not enough info, and there is no internet pre 1995, at least around my area. it was the book gp gurus purchased via Computer Book Club that got me started. After going into university, and then there's internet access now, I learned mostly from book and the net. Game Programming Megasites and all that.

Anyway I first program in Gw Basic when 12 years old. Don't know why, but I just hooked. It's like fishing to those who fish as a hobby. You just hooked, pun intended :-)