Re: What Languages do Programmers use to Write Games?

Tina -

You can write computer game programs in any language you prefer to suit
yourself, but if you are considering marketing your games professionally, a
strong compilable language like C would be a really good choice.

Pascal is a good language also, but many programmers today use C.  Since
you already know Pascal, it will be relatively easy for you to learn C
since the structure is very similar.  If you try C and have trouble, there
isn't anything wrong with Pascal.

HTML is not really a language as much as just a text formatting code.  Some
tricky people have been able to get HTML to do things it wasn't designed
for, but something like Java would be better for web-type games.

Another important consideration is which compiler you select, since some
versions of the same language may utilize different features of the
computer and in different ways.  Decide what you want your game to do and
look like, and then select a programming language that gives you the
ability to do the things you want.  Often, you may end up in a situation
where you will want to do something with the computer that NO language will
let you do.  In cases like this, you may have to write in Assembler code,
which can be VERY difficult.

What I have done in the past is write a simple version of a game program in
a simple language (like BASIC or something) to work out the details of the
game logic and math.  Then, transfer it to a more sophisticated language
for the finished product.

Game companies often have many software tools in place to make game
creation easy for their programmers.  These tools are usually not available
to the public, but sometimes you can find useful computer code out on the
Internet from time to time.  To get the program to do what you want, you
may have to be inventive and/or do some research.  It won't be easy, but
when it finally works, it will all be worthwhile.