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Going back to school to learn programing.
whm1974 Feb 10, 2018
Hi guys, I haven't been on here for awhile and I kind of forgotten about this forum. Anyway I'm on disability and getting tire of sitting on my arse doing nothing, so I decided to go back to school and get my degree in programming. I want to develop games for Linux.

Unfortunately it looks like I'm going to have learn Windows development first. Oh well games are cross platform anyway, so developing games for Windows as well will at least pay the bills.

Any thoughts or advice?
stretch611 Feb 10, 2018
If you have programming experience, the degree usually will not matter.

Sadly, you mention getting back to school... if you are 40+, don't expect to get hired in programming... especially if you have a lack of experience. At least here in the US. While age discrimination is not legal, it happens all the time in this field.

Sorry if I sound cynical, but it is true.
whm1974 Feb 10, 2018
Quoting: stretch611If you have programming experience, the degree usually will not matter.

Sadly, you mention getting back to school... if you are 40+, don't expect to get hired in programming... especially if you have a lack of experience. At least here in the US. While age discrimination is not legal, it happens all the time in this field.

Sorry if I sound cynical, but it is true.
I get you, but at least I will be able do something for my own amusement if nothing else.
damarrin Apr 30, 2018
Firefox just this morning offered to teach me how to make browser games. Might be a good place to start.

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Games
dvd Apr 30, 2018
For the usual terminal (bash), here's a nice wiki.
For programming language maybe python, it has lots of libraries, and it used in many applications, from web stuff to scripts and games. It's website also features a tutorial, howtos, references to start you off. Of course there are also lots of books available to buy that deal with python usage as well. If you run linux you will most likely have python 2.7 or python 3.x installed and configured already.
ziabice May 1, 2018
If you want to develop games you need to be good at math, physics and problem solving: for the 90% of the use cases you need to know basic calculus (derivatives and integrals), trigonometry (this is fundamental) and the laws of the mechanical physics (you need not more than 12 equations). Solving physics problems will help you a lot in developing the right mindset.

To develop (other than a programming language, of course) you need to know the basics of data structures: stack, queue, lists, hashtables, graphs. The more you know, the better.
So in a year you can cover just the basic needs for a serious experience. That's a lot of work, I know.

That said, to start the easy way you can try Lua and the Love library https://love2d.org/.

The hard way is: the C language with SDL2 library https://www.libsdl.org/.

Then you can move to (much needed nowadays) Object Oriented Programming and beyond.

Fortunately there are lots of books that will guide you step by step.
1xok May 1, 2018
I plan to teach programming to some kids inside and outside my family by mastering this tutorial with the Godot Engine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_ghOyPX820

I think it is generally a good introduction to learn how to program on the basis of a game. The prerequisite is that you may already have some basic knowledge or you know someone.

From experience I can tell you that Linux is excellent for learning programming and other things. I became aware of Linux over 20 years ago because of my computer science studies. Thanks to Linux I made a huge leap forward. Because there were all the compilers, interpreters, editors and whatever I needed. I developed for Windows once. But it was difficult to exist outside a company where all the (expensive) development environments was available.

Well, maybe we'll get the Flappy Bird programmed. But first I have to do something with my CSGO addiction, which eat up almost all my free time. Which Satan had the idea of making Steam available for Linux?
1xok May 1, 2018
Quoting: GuestActually you don't need to know much of the above. It does help, depending on the game, but I wouldn't say that it's essential before starting.

You're right. Also the most important thing is to start.
Arehandoro May 1, 2018
Quoting: GuestI wanna do the same things, develop games for linux i can't go to school because i live in UK and im polish. However, i just wanna get few books first with some language and linux terminals to learn how to use Arch Linux.

Last time I checked we Europeans were still allowed to use education in the UK...
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Last edited by LoganKing on 14 July 2022 at 8:01 pm UTC
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