How to Start Getting Game Programming Experience

Programming is at the core of every video game; even games built with visual scripting tools generate code behind the scenes. The sooner you get comfortable with programming fundamentals, the faster you’ll be able to bring your ideas to life. As you progress, you’ll gain more control over things like player interactions, physics systems, and score mechanics you design.

Is there a difference between game programming and computer programming?

Not really; a game programmer is still a programmer. The same logic, data structures, and problem-solving skills that power web apps and operating systems power your favorite games. The only difference is the application: game programmers apply programming to real-time rendering, physics simulation, player input, Artificial Intelligence, and audio systems. If you can code, you can learn to code games.

What programming languages do game developers use?

The two most important languages in professional game development are C++ and C#. C++ is the backbone of Unreal Engine and many AAA titles. It’s fast, powerful, and gives programmers deep control over memory and performance. C# is what you’ll work with in Unity, one of the most widely used engines in the world. If you’re just starting out, C# is often the easier entry point because of its cleaner syntax and Unity’s enormous platform and community support.

Python is another great language for learning programming fundamentals, and it’s used in game development for tooling, scripting, and rapid prototyping. Godot, a popular open-source engine, uses GDScript, a language that reads very similarly to Python and is designed specifically with game development in mind.

The most common mistake new game developers make is thinking too big. Your first game doesn’t need to be a 40-hour role-playing game (RPG), it just needs to exist — to actually be finished and playable. Getting started is the hardest part, so here’s a realistic path to your first completed project.

Pick a game engine

A game engine is a software framework that handles the complex, repetitive infrastructure of game development — rendering graphics, managing physics, playing audio — so you can focus on building your actual game. According to Video Game Insights’ Big Game Engine Report of 2025, over 51% of games released on Steam in 2024 were made in Unity, while Unreal Engine accounted for 28% and is growing fast. For beginners, the three most recommended options are:

• Unity (C#) — Industry-standard, massive community, excellent documentation. Dominant in indie and mid-size games. Great for both 2D and 3D.
• Unreal Engine (C++ or Blueprints visual scripting) — Powerful and stunning, used in everything from indie surprise hits to AAA blockbusters. Blueprints let you build game logic without writing code, which is useful for early prototyping.
• Godot (GDScript) — Free and open source. Lightweight, beginner-friendly, and growing rapidly in the indie community. Great first engine if you want to understand every layer of what you’re building.

Don’t waste weeks deciding which engine to use. Pick one, follow a beginner tutorial, and make something small; know you can always switch later.

Start small, then go smaller

Your first project should be smaller than you think. Not a platformer with visuals. Not a survival RPG with manageable inventory systems. Instead, start by building games similar to Pong, Frogger, or Asteroids. Then, you can try your hand at a simple maze game or an endless runner. Once you’ve built a game with one mechanic done well, you can start expanding your skills and knowledge base. The goal in the beginning isn’t to impress anyone; it’s simply to complete the full cycle of making a game: design, build, test, fix, ship. That cycle teaches you more than any tutorial. Once you’ve completed one tiny game, your second will be better, then your third, and so on before your newest will genuinely be good and grounded in the fundamentals.

Follow tutorials, then innovate

A good place to start is with official tutorials for Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot. These are well-designed (and free!), but don’t stop when the tutorial ends. Modify what you built and push the boundaries of what you’ve made. Discover what happens when you change the colors, add a mechanic, or swap out the player character. Breaking a working project teaches you what each piece does in a way that following instructions never quite does.

Build a portfolio

Every game you make is a potential portfolio piece — even the small ones. What studios and industry professionals look for is your ability to take an idea through from concept to completion. A strong game programming portfolio typically includes playable builds (you can upload them to an itch.io account — it’s free and widely used by studios), source code on GitHub, and brief documentation explaining what you built and what you learned. Don’t wait until you feel ready to start building your portfolio; start with the next thing you make.

Network as a student

The game industry runs on passion and professional relationships. Game jams, Discord servers, GDC (Game Developers Conference), and local dev meetups are all genuine opportunities to meet people who might hire you or become your collaborators one day. Champlain’s location in Burlington, Vermont, puts students within reach of game dev scenes in Montreal, Boston, and New York, while providing a tight-knit community on campus.