[GENERAL] C# or Java?

Hey peoples, just a small question =X Sorry if it has been asked many times before.....

Mainly I've been wanting to get into general programming and game programming (mainly small MMOs/Network games and remakes of some old classics) for a while now, and I have mainly come down to C# and Java (I dont wanna deal with C or C++ at the moment)

So far the only con of C# (game dev wise) is that the person needs XNA packages installed and isnt that much of a cross-platform (cept for Zune and 360 (if you got a premium creator's account of course))

and the con of Java is that I only see it programmed for web or mobile (I havent seen any Java stuff just run by the Jar files)

Anyway, I know C# and Java have similiar syntax but, should I go for Java or should I go for C#?

Thanks!

Either is pretty much okay, depends which MMO you're getting into, and if you're willing to start a server from scratch.

Well if you're going for small games, I'd say Java. I've had 'bad' experience with XNA, I just didn't like the way it forced me into some things. Although that's not to say XNA is the only way you can make a game with C#, because you are quite capable of doing it using MDX (Managed DirectX). C# is, in my opinion a better language, and I prefer the .NET CLR over Java's JVM any day. However the JVM IS cross platform, whereas the CLR isn't (Mono? Let's be serious here). A plus for Java is that it's much more mature than .NET, and as a result has a lot more support for games than C# does on the interwebs.

That said, Java is my recommendation. Although I guess it doesn't matter, they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

C# is getting old. C++ is the newest, I advise you go for C++ since it's the best choice if you want to integrate easily when C++0x comes out. Also with C++ you can choose for simple solutions for making games such as Microsoft Game Studios, etc...

i woul;d say c# is better