New to Game Programming, Where do I Begin?

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Hi there!

I'm currently interested in learning programming for games, but I have no idea where to begin. If this is the industry I want to try and get into, where should I start? I'm going to be honest here and admit that I don't know much about it and that I suck at math...
What programming language should I learn first and where can I learn it? Are there any good websites for learning programming? Would you recommend taking a class or going to college for programming?
How did you learn programming if you're a programmer? Do you have to be good at math to be a programmer?
Finally, do you think this would be a suitable job for a person with AS?

As for why I'd like to learn programming...Well...I've always had a casual interest in games and computers. Though I've never studied anything nor have I tried to gain employability skills in these areas. I'd like to give it as a go as I'm running out of options and I need to find something that just clicks with me so I can finally get a job....

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you!

Python is the general starting point for beginners. This site offers free, interactive programming courses for Python and many other languages:
https://www.codecademy.com/

I also like these YouTube videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D48iCw3WWpI

Good luck.

My recommendation is to talk to someone else in the industry. This is a good first step but you are shooting in the dark meaning you may find someone who is in the industry but likely not since they have not look at this post. Find the gaming companies in the
Your area and see if you cannot talk to a recruiter for an informational interview. This is where you ask them what they are looking for in a candidate. Ask them what are the educational requirements..what is the coding requirements,etc. Also ask for a coder who would be willing to talk to you, be extra friendly since they are giving you there time.
A couple of things that I know about the industry :
Many video games are like movies and require a lot of different skills...graphic designers, art directors, music composers, quality control checkers, etc so don't limit your search to just coding
How are you working in groups? Most companies require that you work in teams
It is a churn and burn industry. Games need to turn out quickly and we'll and as a result there are many 80 to 100 hour weeks that will be required. At first you may not care but you will and quality of life is a factor and the gaming industry has a high turn over rate as a result
The gaming industry is very cyclical and there for can and will be laid off
Coding in C++ is the standard but also Java and Python. Math is not a requirement but you should be good at logic and have attention to detail
Pick up a book that will teach you coding seewe if you like it then take a class

Indie game development is a bit different to the mainstream studios. You get to be your own boss and it's possible for two or three people to make a game and sell it. Come up with an idea, get funding from Kickstarter and you could be the next Minecraft.

Might be an idea to try a bit of open source development first to gain some experience before asking for subsidies from Joe Public. You will ultimately be judged by the things you've done rather than the things you promise to do so if you have a portfolio of previous work you'll have a lot more credibility.

Point and click games would be a good way to get the basics I think.

Im a indie developer but pretty new at it. And yes aspergers general stereotype is being a programmer. You can learn coding on youtube or something just as easy as you can in a college. Its simple and taught to elementary students. Get an idea of it at code.org. A saying in the industry is experience is as good as education cause education can be a huge waste of money.

You should start with the basics on reading what the different programming languages are all about so you can pick one. Also programming is not the main but a very small part of the process of game development, and programming knowledge is not really even required in making games, but alot of other things are if you are working alone.

You will need an understanding of organizing game mechanics and have something pretty solid on paper, an artistic side to model characters and a world, and creativity to simply come up with something good enough to pay off.

You should take a look at Unity or Unreal engines, they are free but if you pay them monthly you dont really have to learn programming as they will fix all of your bugs for you. But its still best to have an idea of how it works before laying it down in script.

Good Luck and let me know if you need any help but I will only be around about 3 weeks.