Today, video games are one of the most influential and fast-growing industries in the world. The market value of video games is approximately 178 billion US dollars in 2021, and it is estimated that in 2025 this figure will increase to 268.8 billion US dollars.
Another interesting fact is that there are more than 2.7 billion gamers around the world. For home consoles, computers, or mobile devices, 25 new video games are released every day.
Video games like any other software have a programming code behind them. If you are interested in knowing which are the most used programming languages for video game development, keep reading this blog.
Most used programming languages for video game development
C ++
It was released in 1985 and for many years was the only language used for video game development. Although today programmers can choose between different languages, C ++ is still a favorite.
Memory management is one of the most important features in video games and C ++ is an optimized code that allows you to manage it well. Not only does it have a very low execution time, but also is compatible with most programming environments.
Most of the time you see a high-end game it was probably made with C ++ code. Game consoles like PlayStations and Xbox use a lot of C ++ as a programming language for video games.
Some video games developed using C++ are World of Warcraft, Assassin’s Creed Serie, Call of Duty Classic, and Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame.
C #
This language was released in 2000 by Microsoft and was created to be an alternative to C++ for better integration with Microsoft’s platforms.
Although it is easier to learn than C ++, it is a bit more limited and not very flexible. Despite this, engines like Unity allow programming with it, and it is considered one of the most widely used languages in the Windows environment.
Some video games developed using C# are Angry Birds, Hearthstone and Bastion.
Python
Even though it is not the most used programming language, Python does support game development. In one of our previous blogs, we talked about 4 Reasons to Learn Python in 2021, and having a Pygame framework is definitely one of them. This framework allows you to quickly and easily prototype games, making the game development process smoother.
Some video games developed using Python are Pirates of the Caribbean, The Sims 4, and Battlefield 2.
Java
This language earned a place among the programming languages for video game development. It has been one of the main languages used to develop games for Android devices. This language also allows programmers to use the same object-oriented programming (OOP) principle as C ++, however, it offers a wider range of systems to play with.
However, modern consoles do not support games developed in Java so it will be very rare to find large AAA games written in Java code. Therefore, it will be more common to see Indie Games and Mobile Games using Java codes. In addition, Java does not run on iOS so you will be limiting yourself to the Android market. In a nutshell, regarding video games, you should be aware that Java is usable but not preferable. So, if you are looking to succeed in video game development, you should choose languages that have more extensive support for designing games.
Some video games developed using Java are Tetris and Los Sims 3.
In short, C ++ is a fast, efficient, and easy-to-learn language that is primarily used for high-end video games played on consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox. If you are looking to get into video game development, you should consider learning C ++.
However, there are some other programming languages that have been used for video game development such as C#, Python, and Java, of course, there are many more.
But in the end, choosing which language to use will always depend on the type of video game you want to create.
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