This is a pretty common topic, so I figured it's time for a sticky.
Many people often come to this forum to try to get some advice on which language is best for them. So let's discuss the pros and cons of each language for games development.
I'll start with a generic overview of the most common languages used for games development, then I'll leave the rest to the experts.
So...
The most common language used within the games industry is C++ which is even used for console game programming. (Coupled together with a graphics library called OpenGL) Also, I have played a few games on the PS3 which were written in Lua.
Another less-common-but-coming-up-fast language is Java, which is mostly used for mobile phone games and
applets. An applet is basically a program which can be embedded into a web page. A great example of what can be achieved with Java is RuneScape.
Now it's time to throw in this little wildcard. C# is an object oriented language, which is kind of a hybrid of C++ and Java. The original intention of C# was for software development. It's a very high level language, which means all of those tools that you're going to need will already be made. It's just your job to learn how to use them properly. XNA is a framework, developed for C# which is used for making games. However, I have
no experience with XNA to be able to recommend it.
And lastly, I'd like to quote Bench from the C/C++ forum, for this excellent analogy:
QUOTE(Bench)
If you're a fan of analogies (I truly despise analogies personally, since they're always flawed) - Imagine programming like assembling furniture.
In the Java world, you go down to Ikea and pick up some ready cut, ready drilled flatpack furniture, and all you need to do is screw it all together without needing to worry about the dimensions or the design of the individual pieces (Because someone else has already done all this hard work for you). You might find that the manufacturing process has some very slight anomalies, and doesn't fit together 100% perfectly, or maybe the design doesn't suit your needs exactly, but it does the job very well otherwise.
In the Low-level world, you start out with a solid tree trunk and a workshop full of powertools, where you will handcraft the furniture. You'll need to spend alot more time recreating bits which Ikea would have made for you, though you can finetune each minor detail, you need to understand the resilience of the material, and the way in which stresses and strains work at the joints (Though with handcrafted furniture you will probably have less joints), but you need a detailed understanding of precisely what you're doing so that the furniture you build at the end doesn't collapse.
Caps
| 