What programming skills do I need for computer game design?

I have a couple of ideas for computer games. One is a turn-based, web interface, city-building game. The other is a real-time, resource-gathering "defend your base" type of game.



I have very limited programming experience (an intro college course taken several years ago).



Hypothetically, if I wanted to work on designing these games myself, what programming language should I study now?What programming skills do I need for computer game design?
You'll have to use a language like C++, C#, Java, or VB.NET. You'll have to build a server system, you'll have to build a game engine, graphics (if needed), game content, and then you'll have to build the client that people will use to play the game.



Given your admission of very limited programming experience, it will take you probably around 2 to 3 years to develop your skills to the point where you can build this type of system. Then, if you are working alone, probably another year or two to build the game.What programming skills do I need for computer game design?
If you're creating small flash-based web games, you would probably need to learn how to use Adobe Flash (the software) and ActionScript (the Flash language). A new method that is coming into place to create web games is HTML5, which some people suspect will soon replace Flash.



If you'd like to create games for the computer that can be run as software, you'd probably have to learn a high-end language like C++ or Java. These languages also have a few popular libraries that provide functions to make learning how to create games easy.What programming skills do I need for computer game design?
Design is the art work, no programming. Programming is development. First you'd learn programming http://www-old.oberon.ethz.ch/WirthPubl/鈥?/a> Learning a language to do programming in when you don't know programming is a waste of time and effort. (Figure about 6 months to learn the basics of programming - thew stuff you didn't learn in that intro course.)



For web-based games, HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP and SQL. For a desktop-based game, C++ may be enough.