   New to all of this, I want to design the ideas/stories/etc.
  Names Bill, I'm 18, living in New York. I am a long time gamer. I would love doing creative work in gaming. Stories, characters, that kind of thing. I know knowing someone in the business helps, which I do, he recently became a level designer or w/e for Insomniac. But really "getting" there, I'd have to know programming, mainly C++.I've read a couple tutorials, the "Hello World" getup is no problem. But the more I read into it, the more my head spins. I know you learn by doing, but these tutorials aren't really helping me "Get" this stuff. Is there an easier way to get where I want to be, and is there an easier way to learn C++?But yeah, like I said, I want to "produce" games, but I can't just get to the "I come up with the story/plot/etc, and have people help me make that a game." point, I have to do some work myself. Which is why I am trying to learn C++. I've got alot of free time, so if anyone is willing to help I would appreciate it.   
  If you have a desire to become a game designer you should read Tom Sloper's website Sloperama.com. He has a ton of sagely advice.First thing up, what are your plans for college?   ;Quote:But yeah, like I said, I want to "produce" games, but I can't just get to the "I come up with the story/plot/etc, and have people help me make that a game." point, I have to do some work myself.The fact that you realize this puts you ahead of the game :) You'd be surprised how many people think ideas, interest in the field, and/or experience playing games is all that's needed to break into the industry...The only advice I'd offer here to is reconsider your language choice. C++ is still more or less standard in the industry, but these days there are many other options as well - you can write games in C#, Java, Flash/ActionScript, Python, VB, etc., or by using a pre-existing game authoring tool or engine with a custom scripting language.Most (actually, probably all) of the languages/frameworks I mentioned are much easier to learn than C++, and lend themselves to much quicker development cycles. If you're interested in getting up and running quickly, I'd recommend trying something other than C++. Actually creating something, whether it's a tech demo, game demo, or complete game, will get you much further (IMO) than struggling with C++ for months on end.(Full disclosure: I use C++ myself, but that's mostly because that's what I learned first, and because at this point I have a considerable investment in it. If I were starting from scratch now, I'd probably take a different direction.)   ;  I haven't gotten into dealing with college yet, My school life hasn't been exactly pretty. I was supposed to graduate THIS year. But thanks to my attendance at the other district I went to for years. Where I was treated like dirt to the point where I never wanted to go. I'm behind on a bunch of classes, so i'm going to be stuck in HS for an extra year or two. Before I go to college, i'll have to go to a community college to improve my rapsheet so to speak.   ;  This may sound a bit weird, but programming != game design.  I think you need to be more precise about what exactly you want, and I don't mean explain it to us more precisely, I mean to yourself.  Are you looking for a career in the game industry?  Are you looking to design some fun games as a hobby?  Do you have one idea that's floating around in your head that you'd like to see as a game and that's it?  Do you enjoy programming?  Are you addicted to programming?  Why do you want to make games?  How does one go about designing games? etc.  Slam away on those types of questions until you're happy with your answers.Someone asked Gene Wolfe (famous sci-fi author) about getting into writing books and he told them, don't do it!  He only wrote because he had to.  He had ideas and they had to come out.  Personally, I'm the same way with programming.  I enjoy lots of things, but I have to program.  I do it in my free time, on weekends, on holidays, whether I'm paid or not.  I can't not do it.  Programming ideas just keep filling up in my head.You're 18, so you may not know yet what exactly you find really great.  It's even a good idea to try stuff out that seems possibly interesting so you can figure out if you like it.  However, the train of thinking I read from your text is roughly as follows.  I like games => I'd like to work in games => I should try programming since it's the closest fit to me.  The trouble is liking games != liking programming games.Initially you stated you'd like to do 'creative' work, stories, characters, etc.  That's writing, not game design or programming.If you're more interested in game design, I'd suggest a different route.  Forget about C++.  Go learn some simple scripting type language (flash action-script, python, maybe c#/xna) or get a game maker type engine.  Get the basics down and implement a few games.  And then start focusing on the game design.  Write a design document for a game.  Keep asking yourself the obvious questions like, why is this fun?  Try to implement it.  Look for other young/new people who want to make games and try working with them collaboratively (teamwork is an important part of most jobs, so having those skills is good).  And finally, very important, don't try to make the next super, epic, great MMO.  You want to be in the donkey kong/pac man area.Ah yes, and go to college.  You might discover what you really like is organic chemistry.  You never really know until you get there and experience it.[edit: I just saw your school comment.  I wouldn't stress being a bad high school student.  I failed out myself and then went to community college and finally a famous 4 year university.  The main thing is, make sure before you go that you're ready to take it seriously.  If you're skipping class/not doing work at the uni, then you're wasting your time.]   ;  Ok, since programming is most likely too time consuming on my end, if I want to get straight into making games, where do I start? What "Game Maker" game engine is the easiest to learn/start with. And how would I work my way up, I know a few programmers who I could work with.   ;  Well, there are plenty of other fields in the games industry, why does it have to be programming? I consider graphics and music to be the next main fields in games, if your interested in one of those, why not pick them up. To be honest to be a games programmer, you need to actually like programming, otherwise you will lose motivation and it will be a waste of time BUT, you dont know if you will like programming yet ( if your interested, at first i didnt like it, but it grew on me so much! im getting married next weekend to C++ [lol] )Besides game design, pick a field that actually involves hard graft like those mentioned above. Im not trying to suggest that other fields arnt hard, but it is plain to see programming is harder than most of the other aspects in the multi-media industry that is game development.If you would like serious work in the industry, game creation tools wont get you very far if thats all your ever going to use. They are great for home-brew but not industry standard. Thats not to say that you should steer clear of game creation tools all together, not at all, they are great for first timers wanting to get thier feet wet before swimming in the deep-end. But eventually you going to have to learn C++ ( or the language that over takes C++ in the future )and a graphics API such as Direct3D or OpenGL.Anyways, those are just my thoughts, take them or leave them, whatever you decide, good luck! [smile]( I HAVE HAD NO INDUSTRY EXPERIANCE )Try gamemaker, it was my first creation tool and i have no regrets using it!   ;  Learning C++ definitely interests me, only problem is finding a tutorial/something that will help me learn it easier, the tutorials I've used arehttp://www.learncpp.com/http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorialI'm pretty sure they cover all of what a beginner needs to know, I just can't seem to grasp everything. The deeper I read into them, they lose me.Is there an easier way to learn everything?   ;  Take a class? No, really. I got rather lucky here, since high school students can take classes at the community college here for free (I'm 16), and the teachers I had tried to make it really easy. And having an actual teacher to ask  questions to can help.Other than that, you can also try getting a book. I like "C++ Without Fear" by Brian Overland, not only does it go over the concepts step by step, but it has exercises at the end of each section that you can (and should) run through to be sure you understand the material. It's got a decent price tag too: my copy cost me $25."Is there an easier way to learn everything?" - Shortcuts make long detours, as they say! Nobody ever said programming (read: C++) was easy, but once you grasp the basics it gets better. You can ask questions here of course. [smile]   ;Quote:Original post by GraySnakeGenocideIs there an easier way to learn everything?For learning stuff outside of school, I recommend the 'iterative project' model.  If you just try to read a book, you'll get bored quick.1. Read a little of the theory.  It might not make much sense, but have an idea what it's trying to say.2. Generate a project for yourself that seems at the edge of your understanding.  Don't pick anything too easy or way too hard, and never pick anything that will take a long time.  In the beginning your projects should be 10 minutes.  As you get better, your projects might take you a week.  Don't be afraid to venture into new territory and have trouble.3. Attempt to implement your project.4. Review why your project failed or what you could do better about it.  Try to connect the theory you're learning with the problems you came across implementing.5. Return to step 1.