hi i am new to the site and would like to know what the community thinks on this, i am 16 years old and would one day like to do programming professionally and just want to know were to proceed from here. I have got a pretty solid grasp on the c++ language in terms of the basics like functions, classes,arrays, etc and would like to start making some 2d games now, i have created some text based games and would like to know what to do next like should i use allegro as a library for graphics or to draw things to the screen or should i use somthing like openGL or directX (<--- how much should you know of C++ before trying one of those 2)

also i would like to know from people what exactly does a gameplay programmer do in terms of a professional job (that is the job category in the future i would like to pursue in the future)

You're on exactly the right path. Just keep building bigger and better games, and learning everything you can about them in the process. Either go for a more complex 2D game, or consider tackling 3D now.

A gameplay programmer, fundamentally, is there to do what needs to be done to make the game. They don't deal with the underlying systems so much (graphics, physics, networking, sound) etc if at all. There are generally people committed to making those building blocks. The gameplay programmer is there to take the blocks and create an actual game out of it.

Also try to be broader in you scope ( programming professionally ), I remember while pursuing my CS degree, one of my professor always use the line "..there are coders and then there are software engineers.". Aspire to learn more than just programming/coding in the general sense. Any decent size software is going to require more that just coding, so don't limit yourself. It seems like you are on the right path though, just keep doing what you are doing and in this field you never stop learning..

or should i use somthing like openGL or directX (<--- how much should you know of C++ before trying one of those 2)

I think this depends on the person. OpenGL and DirectX are both as low-level as you will practically get. But as you said you may want to become a gameplay programmer, I assume you prefer dealing with more higher-level stuff than low-level. So maybe you like it more to use a higher-level library like SFML instead. I recommend not using Allegro because of its C-style library and, in my opinion(!), not very clean and modern coding standards (especially for a beginner).

What Promit says is right. Gameplay programmers program the higher-level aspects of the game. This includes adding objects, defining what happens when a rocket hits a rock, etc.

thanks for some of the tips so i will expand my knowledge a bit more, and can you give a run down on SFML like what its uses and kind of like a description or overview of it also any other tips would be cool as well i just want to make sure i am going the right way also yes the field of game play programmer very much interests me because i dont really like messing to much with graphics not really my thing i like the idea of puting the blocks toghther

Speaking from personal experience, I would suggest you to make small 2D games at first (turn based and real time). For once, it's much easier to find and use 2D assets than 3D ones if you have no access to someone who can make them for you. And also, if you've not used a 3rd party engine or library in your code before, 2D oriented ones tend to be easier to grasp. Many of the things you'll learn will still be relevant if / when you switch to 3D.

Speaking from personal experience, I would suggest you to make small 2D games at first (turn based and real time). For once, it's much easier to find and use 2D assets than 3D ones if you have no access to someone who can make them for you. And also, if you've not used a 3rd party engine or library in your code before, 2D oriented ones tend to be easier to grasp. Many of the things you'll learn will still be relevant if / when you switch to 3D.

alright ill start learning how to make some 2d games and also for a programmer is it better use engines like unity or to do everything from scratch or is it better to use a api like SFML which i like the simplicity and as protected mode said

alright ill start learning how to make some 2d games and also for a programmer is it better use engines like unity or to do everything from scratch or is it better to use a api like SFML which i like the simplicity and as protected mode said

You're young enough to spend some time with each of them, and then experiment with whatever new toys come out in the next several years. I hope by the time you're applying for gameplay programming jobs, you'll know which approach you prefer, and you'll be able to talk about the benefits and drawbacks of each.