Video games have always been a source of entertainment for people of all age groups, whether they be kids or adults. Exponential growth is seen in the video game development industry, and it is expected that it will keep growing with time. The video game development industry has been considered to be one of the high profit-making career options. Juniper Research has published a report stating that the video game industry has made a revenue of $155 billion in the year 2020, and it is expected to make a revenue of $ 260 billion in the year 2025. With such an advancement in the industry, many are choosing the gaming industry as their career. To enter the game development industry, you need to learn some programming languages.
Best coding languages for game development
Video game developers use different programming languagesand have to even deal with multiple Coding languages at a time as per the requirement. The selection of the Coding language depends on various factors like the type of the game, such as a mobile game, computer game, or console, and the level of interactivity.
Here is a list of some of the best programming languages useful in video game development:
1] C++
It is a general-purpose and object-oriented programming language. It has wide applications in the gaming industry. It is mainly used for developing game engines. Game engines provide a platform for game designers and developers by eliminating the requirement of starting from scratch each time.
Pros:
- It is highly supported by game development kits and frameworks.
- C++ language has close proximity to computer hardware.
- It has high performance and is even fast.
- It is an open-source code.
- It also helps game programmers to optimize the exceptional portions of their games.
Cons:
- It is not a beginner-friendly language, as it is difficult to learn
- Many game developers have switched to other programming languages
Some examples of game engines that are developed with the help of c++ language are Godot, Unreal engine, Lumberyard, and Cryengine.
2] Javascript
Javascript is a versatile language of the internet. It is widely used for the development of games. However, the game developers also make use of HTML and CSS with javascript for game development on different game engines. Many Java powered HTML5 games are available on android and iOS mobile devices and even on web browsers. HTML5 is the core web technology. HTML5 makes it easy to handle online games.
Pros:
- It is a beginner-friendly language as it is easy to learn
- Online games become easy to maintain due to the inbuilt stability of Javascript.
- Popular among game developers
- Animated and interactive elements can be created with javascript
- Many pre-built elements are also available
Cons:
- It has maximum utility in software development
- It is slower compared to other programming languages
Some examples of popular games developed with javascript are Angry birds, Aquaria, and American girl.
3] C#
It is an all-purpose game development language having more flexibility compared to other programming languages. It is used as an alternative to C++ language. It has wide applications in game design and development. In fact, this game scripting language is used as a default language by a popular game engine, i.e. Unity 3D. Unity was the most favoured game engine in 2021. The games that it powers are Temple run, Super Mario Run, and Pokemon Go.
Pros:
- Preferably used for mobile game development
- This scripting language supports many PlayStation and Xbox console games.
- It is more efficient and fast.
Cons:
- It is difficult and complicated to learn as compared to other languages like Javascript and Python.
- C# is a back-end language when it comes to web development.
Examples of the game development system where C# is used are Godot, Unity, and Heroengine.
4] Lua
It is a general-purpose language. It is not a well-known language, but it is used in many video games. It is usually used as a scripting language for easier games where in-depth programming or intense visuals are not needed.
Pros:
- It is easy to learn
- Known for mobile game development.
- It is very fast.
Cons:
- It lacks certain capabilities when compared to other bigger game-coding languages
Some of the game engines that are supported by lua are Corona SDK and Gideros Mobile. Examples of video games developed with the help of lua are Civilization V, Angry birds, Baldur’s gate, Age of Conan, and the Elder scrolls online.
Game development systems where lua is used are Craft studio, World forge, and cocos2D.
5] Swift
This new language is developed by Apple company. It is popularly used in game development for the iOS operating system of mobile devices. However, it has high utility in the development of many mobile apps. It is very much preferred by many game programmers as it is a new programming language and has thus become a popular programming language.
Pros:
- It gives higher performance
- It is beginner friendly as it is easy to learn
- Swift language has greater utility for iOS video game programming.
Cons:
- It cannot be used for any other mobile applications except for iOS mobile applications.
Examples of the game development systems where swift is used are Scenekit, SpritKit, and ARKit.
6] Python
Python offers easy-to-learn and writes syntax, and so it highlights code readability. Here the English keywords are used as the syntax, which makes it easy for beginners to learn. It has less utility in a mobile game or web-based game development and is famous amongst data scientists and researchers. Though low-level utility in game development, it gives a jump start for new learners of the Coding language.
Pros:
- It is a versatile language and can be used for the development of many apps.
- It is easy to learn, so it is a beginner-friendly language.
- It has installers for Windows and macOS
- Consists of mix-and-match core modules.
Cons:
- It is a slow language when compared to other game programming languages.
Examples of game development systems that use Python are Godot engine, Ren.py, and Pygame.
Conclusion
The aforementioned are the best programming languages that are helpful ingameplay development. So if you are planning to become a game programmer in the future, you need to learn these game coding languages. These languages can be learned from scratch with the help of many online tutorials available and help you develop your own games.
