Hello, Everyone

I'm new to the world of programming, as I've just recently taken an interest in it and I've made a few leaps into some of the languages. For the longest time, my dream has been to work with a large game development company, however, I understand the distance of my current knowledge from achieving that goal.

I'm posting this thread because I was hoping some experienced vets out there can help start me on a path as to what I should be doing, as just stepping into this world is quite daunting with all of the choices. I would like to learn the basics of a language and then be able to apply it to a small project like creating my first simple game down the line. So far, I've fiddled with Python, Java, and MATLAB (for engineer courses). I wanted to learn C# so I start in Unity, but I can't seem to find any free tutorials to the language that are good. 

I don't have my mind dead set on what game engine or language I want to be using. I'd just prefer ones that pair well together.

Best advice I can give is to pick one of the above, and stick to it for a while.

Unity + C# is probably the quickest route to building polished games, but there are arguably fewer materials aimed at learning the basics of programming in that environment.

I'm personally fond of Pyglet + Python. Mostly applicable to 2D games, although 3D is possible in that environment. PyGame is also an option, and a tad more polished.

24 minutes ago, swiftcoder said:

Unity + C# is probably the quickest route to building polished games, but there are arguably fewer materials aimed at learning the basics of programming in that environment.

Are there any sources you'd recommend using for learning C#?

This didn't belong in the Writing forum. Moving to a more appropriate forum.

When you're just starting to learn programming and want to do so while making games, why not give LÖVE a try.

It's a very powerful but relatively basic and easy to learn 2D game engine.

It just takes a few minutes to understand the basics and get an image on screen and a few more to make the image move.

It used Lua as its user programming language, which is a very small language that will allow you to focus on the basic principles of programming. But don't think it's a beginner language, it is tremendously powerful when used skillfully.

I've started off with what swiftcoder recommended, using C# for Unity since it allows you to make both 2D and 3D games and offers a variety of options. I have also started following beginner tutorials by Brackeys on Youtube. He guides the audience through the construction of simple games to provide a foundation of understanding. 

It seems like this is the best FREE approach I could find and I've already almost finished my first game along with him! 

I'd still like to hear any recommendations anyone has regarding the process of learning and challenging myself while using Unity. i.e. What type of games should I make, what are some other sources of guided learning, when should I try starting my own independent project and how challenging should I make it.