Where to start with programming simple games?

[Baha]

Well I have a lot of free time on my hands and I really want to get back into programming.
The only past experiences I've had with programming is;
~LUA, specialized for Garry's Mod
~Very Basic C++ (Loops, variables etc...)

So I kinda have the knowledge of basic of programming done but I'd like to start making simple games such as 2D games.
However I'm not exactly sure where to start with this like, what language do I have to know? what kind of program should I use?
A little bit of guidance would be greatly appreciated:

 

[xAkira]

Not sure if this what you're looking for but maybe giving a shot to unity3d would be a good place to start.
http://unity3d.com
You would need C# to program with unity, there's some good resources and even tutorial on their website as well.
You can make both 2D and 3D games with it.

 

[AngraMainyu]

It's really unfortunate that XNA is basically abandonware at this point, but it's one of the fastest frameworks for prototyping. Unity is great, but maybe not ideal for someone who doesn't know C# in depth. MonoGame is still being supported afaik, so that's another platform-agnostic choice for the CLI suite, but again, C#. There are a ton of game libraries for C++, but C++ is just not a language for beginners period. You'd be way in over your head trying to write a game in C++, engine or no engine. In fact that's probably true of most languages, especially those that weren't intended for beginners to be writing full fledged games. My advice is to focus on learning a language, not game development. Coding is something you can jump into, game dev is not. Python has turtle graphics which was meant to be accessible to any skill level, so I guess you could try that if you want to go with a scripting language (that no one actually makes games in.)

 

[Negata]

I'd go with browser games. Plenty of frameworks available (not that you necessarily need one), easy (quick in getting results on the screen) and fun.

 

[Haz3d]

I'm going to have to disagree with much of the advice given so far as it's just wrong...

Unity is a very popular and free engine, though their 2D support is a brand new addition so you'll find a small amount of good tutorials but more are being made all the time. Unity3D is not just C#, you can also use Boo which is Unity's modded version of Javscript. However, you do not need to know ANY CODE at all to make games with Unity3D. There are many games out there by a developer who hasn't written a single line of code in their game using visual coding tools like PlayMaker (http://www.hutonggames.com/). Even as a professional developer I have used PlayMaker with Unity for rapid prototype development as much of the time it is faster than writing the code to do what it can do.

If you want to stick with a familiar language that you have already worked with in the past you have more options as well. Since you've used LUA with Gary's Mod, I would highly recommend checking out Corona SDK (http://coronalabs.com/products/corona-sdk/) a 2D mobile game framework to develop cross-platform apps, if you would like to work with a familiar language.

My advice to you if you want to get into making games, is just start making games! Start small with tutorials and a visual scripting program in an engine like PlayMaker, then as you learn more programming start to write code as you go to supplement what you can't do with visual scripting.

When it comes to game development, it doesn't matter your choice of language to start, just that you're making games. As you make more games it's important that you learn from the previous failures/successes and improve on them each new project. Pick up a few books on game development, join gamedev.net, Unity community forums (if using Unity), and check out other games and releases starting developers are making. Learn from them and get new ideas for improving your games and skills.

You're not going to be a professional game developer overnight, but it starts with making that first game.

 

[Negata]

My advice to you if you want to get into making games, is just start making games!

Totally agree! Beginning by focusing on the tools is very rarely a good approach because how will you know what exactly you need without the context and it's so much more rewarding as well when you get to see any results at all quickly which further motivates you to learn more.

 

[AngraMainyu]

Small addendum, if you're just trying to explore a language with a bit of game dev, here's a small Mario game implemented in about 30 lines of an OCaml-looking language called Elm. and some 40 lines of F#. Html5 games are a good way to start without having to be deeply familiar with a language and its desktop graphics/game frameworks. Aside from the functional syntax, Elm and F# + FunScript/WebSharper simply leverage JavaScript and the HTML5 canvas API. You wouldn't be able to implement anything like a Quake engine, but those languages/frameworks lend themselves well to small one-off projects for learning purposes.

 

[juba]

Simpler than that? > http://forum.ragezone.com/f144/editor-primitivo-render-maps-32x32-978179/

xD

 

[iGalaxy]

HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (not Java). After you have done a good job with them go for Java and develop high quality games, well C++ is good as well .

 

[שเ๒єtгเ๒є]

However I'm not exactly sure where to start with this like, what language do I have to know? what kind of program should I use?
A little bit of guidance would be greatly appreciated:

This depends on yourself. I highly recommend to read this: I want to be a game developer... now what?

Even when this is a novel, it will help your decision for sure.

 

[Lewis]

For me, I would first start by making a text based game, I would then keep expanding that so it has more logic and etc. Once I fully understand everything in a text-based environment I would then move on implementing 2D graphics into the game, I would then again, develop it further by learning new things, and then once I have understood everything with the 2D graphics, then would I move onto a 3D graphics game.

Well that's just me.