Question about computer programming

[Martha in GA]

My ds thinks he wants to pursue a career in computer science. I guess what he really wants to do is develop computer games. He has no experience in computer programming, so I want to expose him to it as an elective next year (he will be a junior). *I* have absolutely no experience in this other than learning FORTRAN in the dark ages. I was thinking of signing him up for a class with Potter's School. Which would be better -- Visual Basic or Java? Does anyone have any experience with either of these classes with Potter's School? Or, does anyone have any better plan of attack? I'd love to hear any feedback or get direction from anyone who can lead this blind mom...

Martha in GA

[Harrison_B]

My sons are learning 2D video game software (Gamemaker) at the moment. The games they are creating looks similar to the ones being sold for the Nitendo systems. Check your local community college to see if they offer game programming as a course. We're lucky because our local college has courses for middle/high schoolers to take on the beginners, intermediate and advance levels. I believe you can download the basic software for free and pay for the advance version (google-Gamemaker). He'll need someone to show him how to use the program and then he can take it from there. Also, I'm looking into "Intro to Alice Programming" for my older son to introduce him to computer programming. With summer right around the corner, check out video game camps that are being offerred around the country. Good luck! :001_smile:

[AngieW in Texas]

Do you think Alice would be equivalent to a one-semester course or a one-year course? I want my 16yo to try it, but I'm pretty sure that she'll whip through it, so the amount of time that she spends on it won't necessarily have anything to do with what it's "worth". She's pretty computer-savvy and has already learned how to use some other game production software. I think it was actually Gamemaker, but I'm not sure.

[JanOH]

My son is finishing up the Visual Basic I class at the Potter's School this spring and he has really enjoyed it though it has been very challenging at times. The teacher is very good and has been very willing to give extra help when needed. As far as gaming, I'm not sure which language is the best to learn, but I would think that any programming language would be helpful as part of the process is just learning to think the way a computer "thinks".

Another advantage of my son's experience with VB this year is that I can see his other work, especially writing, becoming more logical and organized. He credits that to the thinking process you have to go through in order to write a program that will work.

You may just want to contact potter's school or one of the instructors in the computer sections and ask them what they would recommend. I know that my son's instructor is offering a VBII class (independent of potter's school) this summer and they are going to concentrate on more gaming applications during that session.

HTH

[Martha in GA]

It sounds like any of the classes might be helpful. For a transcript, would one language be better than another? It sounds like the VB class might be what I'm looking for...

I have another question. I know there are some schools that have computer gaming as a major, but wouldn't that be a little restrictive? Would computer science be a major that he could choose that would allow him to work in the computer gaming industry? Sorry if that's a really dumb question.

Martha

[Brenda in MA]

My son took the Computer Programming I (Visual Basic) course last year from Potter's School. He did not find it super challenging, and the few times he had snags, the instructor was willing to meet with him on-line after class time to give him one-on-one help. He did learn a lot, though, and gained a lot of confidence. The class was a good experience overall, and the instructor wrote one of his recommendations for college.

Brenda

[Harrison_B]

My local community college is offering a A.S.A degree in Computer Gaming and then you can pursue a B.S. degree in Computer Science. Watching my older son program his games, I found that it is a different type of logic than what I know. I have a B.S. degree in Computer Science and I was a programmer for 15 years (COBOL, UNIX/c, Basic, etc.). Game programming requires knowledge of art design and anatomy along with the logical aspects of movement. It also requires LOTS of math - especially geometry, planes, coordinates, dilations, translations, speed, etc. The current video game software makes it easier for the programmer. There is a lot of detail that the programmer must learn - backgrounds, character movement, obstacles, multiple players, objects, etc. I definitely did not learn this when I got my Computer Science degree. The field is evolving. I read about a month ago that they're trying to have 3-D games in the future.

To help out with your decision, I would recommend reading, "What High Schools Don't Tell You" by Elizabeth Wissner-Gross. She outlines two paths for the computer science student. I hope this helps you - :001_smile:

I'm still investigating Alice. I just ordered the book from Amazon, and it is backordered. I believe I'm going to use 1/2 book for a 1/2 credit this year.

[Jenn in CA]

My son is interested in game programming too! Two books that he's enjoyed:

Paid to Play, a book about jobs (all kinds) in the gaming industry
Game Programming for Teens, which came w/a compiler (I notice there's also a Visual Basic version of this book)

The latter he read and worked on on his own... might be fun for summer to test out his interest.

[Mary in GA]

To really learn how to program, you can download the Python programming language for free, and there are good introductory books for it. After learning with Python, it is a lot easier to transition transition to C++ or C#. This is what my son did when he was in high school. He taught himself. I was a computer programmer years ago before object oriented everything and I get lost!

Also, your son can look into modding computer games like Civilization that are made so users can write their own code to create levels and scenarios. Ds had a lot of fun doing that, and their modding community is very supportive. I think Civilization uses Python.

When he was a senior in high school, ds studied some books on math and physics for game programming as well as books on game design theory. I counted all that stuff as electives on his transcript. Since ds has been in college he has had far less time for his hobby! But he is finally transferring into the college of his choice, Georgia Tech, to study computer science.

Good luck!
Mary

[ladydusk]

My husband is a programmer (for a bank, not games, so a grain of salt here) He says you couldn't do wrong with these choices, but he'd probably choose Java and that the python rec above would also be a good choice.

[Momto2Ns]

From a family of computer geeks (dh has a bs in computer science and an MBA with computer whatever :lol: I was a network analyst before I started homeschooling)... VB is a good root language to learn, but wouldn't be used much in gaming. Its always good to have as a base level of understanding and can be used for many things though. Java is a bit more current, he could create more fun little applets with it, but still probably won't be what he uses in the end, so it doesn't really matter which one he chooses.

As far as comp sci or a gaming major. If he really wants to do gaming - go to a school that has a serious gaming major. There are some that teach heavy duty programming, graphic design and integration and he will come out a recruited game producer. If he is toying with the idea, get a comp sci degree where he can be more grounded in his knowledge. However, comp sci degrees tend to be dinosaurs. They teach a lot of stuff that is old and on the way out, not the latest technology and the new wave technology that you need for gaming. It won't really get him where he wants to be in the gaming market without a lot of effort on his part. If he is doing a comp sci degree he'll need to make sure he is doing more on his own to make himself appealing to companies that produce games.