What language and compiler for video game programming?

Is your aim to create the next Warcraft 3 or CounterStrike, or a console game? Then you are going to have to decide some things to get before getting started.

First you will have to decide on which programming language you are going to use. There are many out there, but for computer game programming there are basically 3 choices:

• Visual Basic
• Java
• C/C++

You will need a compiler to turn your computer code in this language into a runnable program.

Visual Basic (approx. $100)

VB is good at some things and not good at others. What VB is not terribly good at is action games with lots of screen movement in real-time, i.e. Need For Speed, CounterStricke, etc. What VB can handle quite nicely are turn based games, games with relatively small amounts of moving real-time graphics, i.e. wargames, board games, role-playing games, etc. Level editors are also a prime target for this language. Your only choice of compiler is Microsoft Visual Basic.

Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Standard 2003

Java (free)

Increasingly, object-oriented programming languages, such as Java, are being used to create cutting-edge games. Java is a solid language that you can use to create video games, it will more likely find you work in the buisness part of the computing industry. The main disadvantage you will find if you go down this path is the lack of quality information on game programming.

C/C++ (varies)

C/C++ is the choice for many and is definately the industry standard. For action packed games (2D and 3D) this is "the choice", you can bet Warcraft 3 and CounterStrike were written with this. You will find vast resources for programming in this language and most game programming examples on the web use it too. It's disadvantage is it's steep learning curve, but once this is mastered you will find all the power you need to let your imagination become reality. There are a couple of options:

DJGPP (free)

This is the best choice for the free option. It will work fine, you will have to figure out how to get your programs working in Windows though, since it is a DOS compiler. After the lengthy experience working out what parts I needed to download, I found it too much hassle to get any examples from the web working.

You can visit the website here.

 

Microsoft Visual C++ (approx. $100)

This is the world class tool for game programming. Visual C++ provides developers object-oriented language for building powerful and performance-conscious applications. Most game programming resouces on the web will contain examples to work with this compiler, as will many books. You also want this if you want to get into programming console games. It comes feature packed with a debugger and IDE (Integrated Development Environment). This is by far the most popular and my recommendation especially if you are planning on getting into the industry.

Microsoft Visual C++ .NET Standard 2003

Once you have made your choice you are ready to continue your research and get your game on track.