The gaming industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. This industry was valued at $173.7 billion in 2020 and it is expected that by 2026, the gaming market will reach a value of $314.4 billion. Behind every game out there, there is a huge pile of codes that make it possible for the users to play the game seamlessly.
To develop a game, game developers have to use different programming languages and then gather all different codes to create a full-fledged game. There are different programming languages available and the choice of programming language to be used for game development depends on different factors including what type of game it is, for which platform the game is being built, and the extent of interactivity. With that being said, let’s have a look at some of the major programming languages for game development:
C++
C++ is one of the most commonly and popularly used programming languages among game developers. The benefit of C++ is that it provides direct control over hardware and graphical processes due to a high abstraction level for both fine object-oriented programming and generic programming. In addition to this, C++ also allows very high-level optimization of special, which is something that is not achievable with other programming languages.
C++ is mostly used for the development of consoles and Windows games. Notable mentions include Counter-Strike, Starcraft, Master of Orion III, etc.
Java
Java is a rich and versatile programming language that consists of a huge amount of open-source material. Generally, Java is used for the development of mobile games mostly since it is user-friendly, easy to use, beginner-friendly, and has a lot of open-source material available.
If we compare C++ with Java then we find out that writing, debugging, learning, & compiling are much easier in Java than they are in C++. Games like Minecraft, FIFA 11, Mission Impossible III, etc have been developed using Java. Java is widely used language to develop both games and software applications. Applications such as GBWhatsApp is built using Erlang on server side and Java at client-side which can be installed on your Android phone through GetApps.
HTML5
For the development of cross-platform and cross-browser apps & games, the programming language of choice is HTML5. HTML5 is a relatively easy language to code in and it can also be interchangeably used with JavaScript, which makes it even more popular. Most of the online browser games that you see including the likes of Cookie Clicker, and Gods Will Be Watching, are built using HTML5.
HTML5 is preferred because of its ultimate gaming engines. Different game engines including ImpactJS, Phaser, Booty5, etc have taken responsibility for the HTML5 Game Development process, and using these, most developers build games with HTML5.
JavaScript
Along with HTML5, JavaScript is another programming language that is extensively used for the development of online games. JavaScript integrates other languages like CSS & HTML, which allow the development of cross-platform mobile games.
Both JavaScript and HTML5 are used interchangeably but the popularity of JavaScript is greater than that of HTML5 because HTML is not able to create animation or interactivity, due to which JavaScript is used so popularly to develop cross-platform online games.
C#
Some people consider C# to be easier than C++ but it is a powerful language that is extensively being used to build games on all platforms. C#’s XNA framework makes it perfect for developing games on Windows & Xbox. Along with XNA, Unity3D and Xamarian allow developers to build games on any platform including Android, iOS, Windows, PS, etc using C#. The popularity goes C# in the game development community is because of its scalability and efficiency.
Python
Python is another programming language that is not as popularly used for game development as other programming languages such as Java, C++, or C# but still it is used for the development of some games out there. Python’s PyGame library is a developer-friendly and easy-to-use game engine for building games. Because of the simple and easy learning curves of Python, many developers prefer to use Python because of its ease.
Disclaimer: Above mentioned article is a Consumer connect initiative. This article does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of IDPL, and IDPL claims no responsibility whatsoever.
