Hello everyone. Last year i wanted to get started on the road to getting into the gaming industry. Then i had to move and things got thrown in the air and stayed there for quite some time. Now im settled down again and want to get my head down and get stuck in. Before i moved i purchased a few books.

Sams teach yourself the c# Language in 21 days by Bradley L.Jones

Sams game over Beginning game programming by Michael Morrison

Beginning c++ through game programming second edition by Michael Dawson.

are these a good place to start. I have been reading through the c++ book and finding it a little confusing

Any responses much appreciated.

Chris

Spud,
Are you interested in a job in the game industry?
Or do you want to go indie/hobbyist instead?
Couldn't tell from your post.

At this point i guess it would be a hobby but in the long term i would love to hone my skills to work in the games industry.

Chris

Good books, but for c++ get sams teach yourself c++ in 21 days. Although, I don't know why you need to have both c# and c++ under your belt. For game design one or the other should suffice. C# for smaller games and C++ for the bigger games (or faster smaller games)

Do not try to write games. Do not read how-to game programming books. Right now you just need to learn how to program.

I guess you already have the "beginning c++ through game programming" book, so you might as well start with that. But you need to focus on learning how to program, not learning how to make games.

If you're reading your "beginning c++" book like a novel, then stop. You need to be programming. Do the examples, or do your own thing and incorporate things you learn from the book into it. But do NOT make your own thing a "game engine". A console-based tic-tac-toe maybe, if you insist on it being game-related.

Honestly, for the majority of people in the world, learning a large topic like a programming language on one's own isn't feasible. It sounds like you might be one of those people. I don't know how old you are or what you do, but when I was in highschool I signed up for a community college C++ course. A structured course really helped me in the beginning, and it probably would help you.

At this point i guess it would be a hobby but in the long term i would love to hone my skills to work in the games industry.
Chris

Then this thread belongs in the Breaking In forum, and you should read this forum's FAQs (link above).

Do not try to write games. Do not read how-to game programming books. Right now you just need to learn how to program.

I guess you already have the "beginning c++ through game programming" book, so you might as well start with that. But you need to focus on learning how to program, not learning how to make games.

If you're reading your "beginning c++" book like a novel, then stop. You need to be programming. Do the examples, or do your own thing and incorporate things you learn from the book into it. But do NOT make your own thing a "game engine". A console-based tic-tac-toe maybe, if you insist on it being game-related.

Honestly, for the majority of people in the world, learning a large topic like a programming language on one's own isn't feasible. It sounds like you might be one of those people. I don't know how old you are or what you do, but when I was in highschool I signed up for a community college C++ course. A structured course really helped me in the beginning, and it probably would help you.

The majority of programmers I know have taught themselves how to program. I personally am teaching myself how to program. But, before being able to teach themselves how to program they must first have their dreams crushed to come to the realization that they will NEVER be able to make even the simplest programs if their main goal is that they wish to be a game developer. If you start small, reading the books cover to cover and making small apps along the way then you will be succesful.
I have been reading sams teach yourself c++ for the past 2 weeks. I'm currently just finishing up day 7.

And, if you have either a savant or eidetic memory (like myself), or have learned some basic memorization skills such as a mnemonic memory or the roman room / memory palace then it will be easier as you can memorize everything you've read and not have to re-read it when you're having some small problems.

Just thought I would clarify that.

Thank you for your replies. I will look into getting sams teach yourself c++ and leave the gaming side of things behind for the time being. I work on night shift so have a lot of time in my day to read and practice.
Going to college or uni is out of the question at this time. I have searched for home learning courses that could help but not really sure what courses to look for. I live in the UK.

Chris

Thank you for your replies. I will look into getting sams teach yourself c++ and leave the gaming side of things behind for the time being. I work on night shift so have a lot of time in my day to read and practice.
Going to college or uni is out of the question at this time. I have searched for home learning courses that could help but not really sure what courses to look for. I live in the UK.

Chris

Well complete sams teach yourself c++ in 21 days then come back here asking for some advice on a graphics library, although by that time I'm sure you will have decided which GL to use, such as OpenGL or directx, being the two main ones. Although SDL would be OK I suppose. Anyways, I'm getting off topic.
After completing sams teach yourself c++ in 21 days, continue working on what you've learned. Possibly making a few online tic tac toe games, or a paint application with a chat box, etc. Push what you've learned to the limit or you won't have learned anything. It's like in grade school, when you were learning your basic maths. They wouldn't keep asking 2+2 over and over again. They'd teach you how to do 5+3 and then ask for the answer to 15+53. If you don't know the boundaries of what you've learned you will have a lot of errors.

For example, in week one of sams teach yourself c++ in 21 days, you learn how to make a MessageBox (well, the code has changed so you have to make a few edits to the code..) It's gone from MessageBox ("text to display", "title", MB_BUTTONS | MB_ICON); to MessageBox("MB_BUTTONS, "text to display" "title" MB_ICON); I believe. And a few other things have changed, but you should be able to figure em out or just untick use unicode librarys when creating the dialog. Make timers. paint dialogs, custom message boxes, and thats essentially all you learn. However, from what you've learned, you can make the equivalent of MSPAINT.exe, a tictactoe game, and many other things. But other than the outdatedness, it's a WONDERFUL book that teaches just about everything you need. It's not the code that changes typically, but rather what it does internally.

Ok thanks again for your reply. In the long run is it possible to break into the big time games industry with home learning and practice? Or will these jobs always be for those who have the qualifications from higher education?