So I want to be a programmer but...

andino1152

A
Everytime I try to get into learning code, I always stray away after a few days of personal lessons and its starting to annoy me. Is it too late for me to get into this stuff (Im 17 btw), or would taking a class in college whip me into shape, or is programming not for me? :(
 

Michael Brookes

Game Director
It's never too late to learn something new. A course may help you as it provides a structured environment for you to learn in. Personally I think you are better learning the principles of programming and learn a language. The main thing is to learn at your own pace, if you're finding it frustrating try doing something fun with what you've learnt so far.

I'm guessing it's for creating games you want to learn? Is it a specific game you want to create? If so, there are game creation packages that require little to none in the way of programming skills.

Michael
 

andino1152

A
I wanna be a professional game programmer, I hope to work for a developer such as Epic Games or Gas Powered Games. I am going to be taking a programming class this upcoming year, so I spose this'll give me a taste of what to expect
 

EntropicLqd

E
Heh. At 17 you have your whole life stretching out before you. And as Michael says its never too late to learn new stuff (I'm currently dabbling with OpenGL and studying for the Java 6 certification exam & I'm on my way to 40).

Be warned though, programming is not easy; and games programming (generally) has longer hours and worse pay than writing business apps. Both are challenging but in different ways.

Rather than focusing on games immediately I would strongly reccomend getting a grasp of good programming design & techniques that can be applied to any problem domain (games or business applications).

Try and work out from first principles how you would go about generating a labyrinth (a maze that only has one route between any two points) and then how to solve it. What about sorting algorithms (lists of numbers are good).

Also, learn to love maths. Vector maths and geometry are of particular interest, as are Newtonian mechanics (think applied mathematics).

Good luck.
 

andino1152

A
Ahh I see then. Im very good at math cept i kinda struggle in the algebra area. What other areas of a game development studio allow a person to be involved deeply with a project? I dont think im going to get anywhere with programming
 

njacob

N
Being an application developer takes a certain mindset in my opinion.. You need a very logical mind with a good grasp of maths and patience.

I always thought I wanted to be a coder for the longest time, but I struggle with the maths side of things (mainly due to complete lack of interest) and i'm definitely more on the creative side of things. I also would self-teach myself stuff like Java and C and become largely uinterested.
 

Clooney

C
Hi. I have a few questions also. Im 27 (so 17 is nowhere near too old!) and start this full time course in two weeks time. After many years in print design/reproduction I needed a change and gaming is a passion.

http://www.dmu.ac.uk/Subjects/Db/coursePage2.php?courseID=1031#quickLink3

My first question is that with the state of the British games industry at the moment how easy is it going to be to get a job even with a good pass? Also my the 3rd year of my course can be taken as work placement. Are any game devs going to be willing to take on a grad student half way through his course for a year? (by the way I dont mind moving to Cambridge for a year!) Also, what area of programming do you think I should attempt to specialise in? Whats going to be most in-demand in the future?

I'de appreciate any advice. Its good to see a forum on a games dev website that willing to offer advice for people like me. Thanks.

ps (Please make Elite 4 ive been waiting 14 years!)
 
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Michael Brookes

Game Director
I'm not sure that getting a new job is easy, getting a good qualification will help. Being able to demonstrate game related skills is also important, so try and get involved with doing some of your own game development such as mods or independent games.

With programming it's worth considering whether you want to specialise, while there is still scope for general programmers, there is also demand for specialists like audio, graphics and physics. It depends on what interests you and how good your maths is.

For opportunities here it's best to keep an eye on our jobs page (http://www.frontier.co.uk/jobs/). Most other games companies will have similar areas on their web sites.

Michael
 

andino1152

A
Would this be good foundation for me to learn programming

I want to take a course in virtual school for programming but apparently the c++ class I wanted to take isnt available to me. :( The only other class there is teaches Python and Java. Are these a good foundation for me to learn programming and how to make games? Or should I look elsewhere?
 

Michael Brookes

Game Director
Java can be a good foundation and is used for web based and mobile games. There are a number of self teach books/courses for a range of languages. Programming is as much about good practice as familiarity with the language.

Michael
 

EdzUp

EdzUp
Well not everything in the programming industry is easy, especially getting into it. I come from the 'Elite' years having started programming on a ZX81 (who can remember those) and going through Commodore Vic20, 64, Amiga to finally the PC's. Been coding for twenty nine years now.

I can code in C++, some ASM, Blitz (3d and Max), DBPro, PureBasic, some Cobol, Fortran and Pascal. I have also dabbled in Delphi.

The moral of this story is without a degree nobody will employ you, as I dont have a degree I cant get in. I have released games on iPhone, PC etc (iSmashem Galactic and Space Combat:WarZone) but still to no avail.

Im currently writing a cross platform OpenGL/OpenAL engine that will power more games I will be releasing over the years.

Remember get a Degree in programming something it will go a LONG way.
 

Callum Rowley

Callum Rowley
EdzUp said:
The moral of this story is without a degree nobody will employ you, as I dont have a degree I cant get in. I have released games on iPhone, PC etc (iSmashem Galactic and Space Combat:WarZone) but still to no avail.
Click to expand...

This suprises me.

With degrees becoming common-place now a lot of games companies are looking more towards the A-levels qualifications and experience because those are both fairly universal (universities have different benchmarks for grades, so someone getting a first in one university might not be of the same calibre as someone getting a first in another university).

I don't see why a company would choose a graduate over someone who's developed and shipped a game, even if independently - perhaps you've been overqualified for the roles you're applying for?
 

DanielMoravek

D
ah i dont know, but if you cant be engine Engineer you can do classes scripts or tool programming, or gameplay programming... i have that luck, i have found very young programmer which was able do code in his 15 years in c++ that most much older arent capable.


For my self, code never fit into my head so im art direction :D

you doesnt need be employee if you have some time and you will find some more capable people you can try sell your own games, apple store was good but its getting little bit harder to be seen there, or look on minecraft.. if you will have some idea you can be millionaire in few days :D
 
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