Game programming
GamingWithout a doubt, game programming is one of the most difficult parts of programming. The reason for this is that modern games have become increasingly complex. Graphics and physics take up most of the system requirements and need a lot of non-programming related competence to make a successful game.
Games are generally written in languages like C ++ that provide a good balance between speed and power. C ++ offers many tools for programmers, such as classes and the standard library for the language, but it is also relatively low-level, allowing it to run without much overhead. Also, modern game engines (to be discussed later) are often written in C ++, so integrating your code into the engine will be easier if you use the language.
From there, what you should learn depends on the type of games you want to write. A simple 2D game only needs the Simple DirectMedia layer, an easy-to-use library for graphics, sound, and other game functions. However, while SDL is simple, it is not very powerful. For something more complex, like a 3D game, you would need to program the game with a more powerful library like OpenGL or DirectX. These libraries have the most complex tools you need for 3D graphics.
Game programming, more than any other branch, requires a great deal of study simply because of the sheer number of disciplines it covers. Complex games often require extensive knowledge of data structures to manage game data and algorithms to process it quickly. Due to the high resource demands of today’s games, it is important to use the most efficient tool for the job.
And as stated above, today’s games use complex graphics and physical algorithms to represent the actual content of the game, although this is only important for 3D games.
If you really want to get into more advanced game development, your best bet is to use a pre-built game engine. That has all the graphical and physical algorithms already written for you, so you can focus on writing the actual game code and graphical content for the game. Most game studios use this method. For example, all modern Valve games use the Source engine.
One problem with pre-built game engines is that they are generally not free. The main exception to this is id Tech 4, which was the engine used in Doom 3. It is now freely available.
Game development is not an easy task. It requires a great deal of programming skills, artistic talent, and computer skills. But it is not an impossible task if you put your mind to it, and it can be very rewarding.