What programming language should I learn in order to make games?

I want to learn how to create simple (very simple) video games. What programming language should I use, and how/where can I learn it? I'm starting from scratch, so how long will it take me to start cranking some things out? Or is it such a huge undertaking that I shouldn't even waste my time trying?

What programming language should I learn in order to make games?
A very good program to get you started with programming games and get you started with programming languages is Game Maker. http://gamemaker.nl After you have played around with that for a while, move on to a "real" programming language such as C++ (primarily the best choice for games) or Flash.
Reply:Well, if it were easy monkeys would be doing it.





Writing a video game from scratch is a huge undertaking. You will save yourself tons of time by using a publicly available gaming engine that takes care of most of the dirty work for you. However, this means that your task will be more about creating the graphical images rather than writing code.





As for language, C and/or C++
Reply:C++ is the daddy of them all and there are a wealth of free tutorials and compilers available





If you want something a bit easier to cut your teeth on look at flash and it's action script code
Reply:Well it is a huge undertaking, but whether it's a waste of your time or not is your decision. If you want a degree in computer science, which most companies require in order for you do be a game programmer for them, then you are going to have to take some very hard math courses. Vector Calculus is the one that almost killed me.
Reply:C/C++





Buy a book on game programming and see what you can do. Games are probably the hardest thing to program!





Good luck!
Reply:There are tools you can use to help you if you are just starting out. I think there's one simply called Video Game Designer that has basic libraries already done for you. Another option is to try using Macromedia Flash to design web based games. There are tons of tutorials all over the net on how to get started making games like Tic Tac Toe and then you can work up from there. If you're set on learning a proper programming language, C++ is still the language of choice for most game programmers. It can be a tough place to start though. Just take your time and be sure to learn the fundamentals first. Good luck!
Reply:most games nowadays use C++ and a little of them C#