From: John Joyce <dangerwillrobinsondanger@...>
Date: 2007-10-24T23:27:05+09:00
Subject: Re: Need advice on Ruby and game dev

Don't be afraid to try another language to use or learn a game library.
Unfortunately, intro books all start with C, C++,  Java, or Python,  
and not much else.
But most of them use some sort of library, and that really makes  
things easier by abastracting away a lot or by teaching you the  
language as you go. It's far less painful than sitting through one of  
the usual dry C++ books or something.
Work through several of them even, and you start to learn the  
concepts you will need for almost any game library.

Everyone is right, with game programming you (we!) really do have to  
start small and simple. It is surprising how much can go into even  
Pong or Space Invaders or Missile Command. Starting with simple 2D  
stuff will get a lot more into your head than you think. Then as you  
go along, you start to put parts together and the ideas begin to sync  
up.

Many types of games really do mostly follow certain patterns  
(platformers, shooters, FPSs, 2D RPGs) and once you get a sense of  
how they're done and how they could be done, you find your way and  
get back to the hard part: designing fun.