Best Programming Language for Mobile Games

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Best Programming Language for Mobile Games – If you want to learn programming language for mobile games then this article is for you. This has been creating ripples in the industry and was the most expected topic in the marketplace.

As there are a number of languages available to developers out there, developers can pick up their favorite code and start developing their apps.

Web Languages : Best for Browser Games

If you see yourself making games for browsers, you’ll need to know a couple of different programming languages to be able to offer a complete user experience. You could always specialize in one single language, but you’ll probably need to know:

  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • SQL
  • JavaScript 
  • Java
  • C++
  • C#

Making games for browsers is very different from making games for consoles. You’ll also need to SVG or WebGL if you need 3D graphics, or complex graphics, and a content management system.

Flash animation using the programming language ActionScript has been common in the past for browser games, but the rumor is that Flash is dying, or dead. Google Chrome is already, in the words of many, beating it to death with a shovel.

Javascript : Best Programming Language for High Quality Android Games

Javascript is a well-known mobile game development language used by numerous developers to build high-quality Android games.

Many prominent emulators employ Javascript including:

  • Impact.js
  • Babylon.js
  • Cocos2d
  • Phaser
  • Unity

It is implemented as a scripting language in Unity for programmers to write code to define the behaviour of graphical interfaces.

When there is a 3D character prototype in the game display, for example, developers build the code in Javascript to make the character travel or leap in response to prompts such as player communication, interplay with another element and so on. The scripts establish the gaming experience, state system, and so on.

When integrating Javascript in Unity, developers must be familiar with the Unity-specific Javascript API as well as JavaScript language and structures.

Once developers have graphically laid out the gameplay, they link all of the Javascript codes to virtual objects, and their program is complete. Some popular Android games created with Javascript, including:

  • HexGL
  • Angry Birds
  • Bejeweled
  • 2048

JavaScript is commonly known as one of the core pillars of web development.  It first appeared in 1995 and was designed to suit the new ECMAScript specifications that were attempting to standardize the web and web browsers.  While HTML informs web layouts and CSS informs web aesthetics, JavaScript is the true computer programming language that breathes life into websites, adding most amounts of interactivity you see on a day to day basis.

However, with the emergence of HTML5, JavaScript has also become the core pillar of HTML5 game development in terms of programming languages.  As it was originally designed with both object-oriented and event-driven systems for web user interaction, this made it the perfect choice to extend for games.  Additionally, with Flash now being obsolete, it also made way for these sorts of HTML5 games to rise up and become the mainstay of browser-based game development.

Babylon JS solar system scene

Pros

  • As HTML5 games are based on the web, JavaScript makes it easy to make browser-based games and mobile games.
  • Given JavaScript is a core part of the web, it’s easy to integrate such games with JavaScript-based frameworks and libraries, like Node.js and Express, for multiplayer game creation.
  • HTML5 games are generally the easiest to share since they can be hosted directly on a website for anyone to visit.
  • JavaScript is generally less resource-intensive for game development, meaning it’s great if you don’t have a powerful computer to develop games on.
  • Since JavaScript is an extremely stable programming language due to its need for the web, HTML5 games are easier to maintain and don’t require the same sort of updating games made with engines do.

Cons

  • Options for 3D graphics are limited to specific frameworks, generally forcing most people to rely on 2D graphics for their games.
  • It is a rather high-level programming language, so it isn’t as efficient as other programming languages on this list in terms of how fast it performs tasks.
  • Due to not being as efficient, HTML5 games have more limits in terms of scope and size of the games you can make.
  • While JavaScript itself receives lots of support for web development, HTML5 game communities are a bit smaller compared to other popular programming languages and engines.
Turn-based RPG map screen made with Phaser

Relevant Engines & Frameworks

Games Made with JavaScript

Where to Learn JavaScript

C# PROGRAMMING

C# is a modern object-oriented programming language and is widely used for mobile games that are mostly programmed using Unity game engine. C# is a high-level language and developers are at ease using it as it abstracts away many of the most complex tasks. Since the language itself is statistically-typed, the code is checked before it is turned into a game application. So, it becomes easier to find errors which in turn saves time. Talking about C#’s syntax, it is more consistent and logical than C++, but as C# is more on the side of a complex language,  it may take some more time to master C# than some other simpler languages like Python. For how popular C# is, approximately 31% of all developers are using it regularly.

C# is a general-purpose programming language created in 2000 by Microsoft with the specific intent of working with their .NET framework.  Given the popularity of C++ and Java, it was designed to take the best of both programming languages and combine it into a new, easy-to-read, object-oriented programming language that had great cross-platform capabilities.  However, it also strove to keep businesses in mind so that it could be easily used for software development.

As for games, C# also found a home in the industry due to its relative efficiency and scalability.  In particular, it became the default programming language for the popular Unity engine, with all modern Unity libraries being built around the language.  Given Unity is used for a large percentage of the game industry, this has given it a tight hold in this regard.

City building game made with Unity and C#

Pros

  • Comparatively, C# is a very beginner-friendly language with fairly easy to read code.
  • Automatic memory management means you don’t have to do a deep dive into those aspects and can focus more on just developing your game.
  • As a language developed by Microsoft, it is a top choice for games on Windows PCs.  However, it is capable of working on most modern systems.
  • C# is a type-safe language, meaning your games will have more security and won’t exhibit tons of unexpected behaviors.
  • It is relatively efficient and scalable, meaning it’s well-suited when used to create game projects.

Cons

  • With some exceptions, outside of game engines, C# isn’t widely used for games.  Thus, an engine is almost required in this case for community support.
  • While more efficient than JavaScript, it isn’t as efficient as C++ or Java, meaning game performance can suffer if the game is sufficiently complex.
  • As the language was designed to work specifically with Microsoft’s .NET framework, it isn’t as flexible as other programming languages on the list.
  • In the business world, while in high-demand for general business applications, it isn’t as demanded for game developers as C++ is.
2D RPG made with Unity

 

Objective-C : Best Programming Language for iOS Games

When developing applications for OS X and iOS, the primary programming language is Objective-C. It is an object-oriented programming language with a flexible runtime that is a superset of the C programming.

The syntax, primitive types, and flow control instructions of C are carried over to Objective-C, along with sentence construction for declaring classes and functions.

It also provides additional functionality for object structure control and object literals.

Objective-C and Swift can coexist fairly well; Apple intended it to make the transition from Objective-C to Swift as easy as possible for engineering teams.

iOS provides more options for developers, such as:

  • Cocos2d
  • SpriteKit
  • Sparrow

C++

C++ has long been the best programming language for game development, and for good reason. It’s reliable, time-tested and has a large body of knowledge to support it.

Here’s what makes it the best gaming language for you to learn. We’ll also offer a few other languages you can use to make your game.

Or if you’d rather outsource game development so you can focus on marketing it, why not hire a freelance game developer to build it for you!

Why is C++ the best coding language for games?

Since C++ is a high-level language that will teach you the basics of object-oriented programming, it’s a good idea to learn it. It’s also the language used to build most big console and Windows games. 

C++ is complemented by C in these games, and assembly languages for creating low-level engine modules.

Scripts like Python, Lua, UnrealScript, or some in-house scripts will thread through the code. Plus, shader code for graphics uses OpenGL, or a similar framework.

But for tackling big games in the larger gaming companies, knowing C++ is critical. It’s benefits include:

  • It’s fast
  • The compilers and optimizers are solid
  • You get a lot of control over memory management.
  • It has extensive libraries, which come in handy for designing and powering complex graphics. 

HTML5 PROGRAMMING

HTML5 is popular for creating browser games that can be played on any device. Many HTML5 games have also been converted into cross-platform game apps by using tools like Cordova. Developers only need to do a bit of personalization in the code for each platform and make the game cross-platform. HTML5 goes very well with Javascript and CSS for creating wonderful Android games. Some popular games built using HTML5 are Gamentio, Crosscode and Gods Will Be Watching. These games can be played on major browsers or through mobile apps available on Playstore and the App Store. Game developers quickly shifted to  HTML5 after Flash stopped offering support. HTML5 mobile game development has quickly gained steam and developers are now widely using it for games to describe web documents such as forms.

KOTLIN PROGRAMMING

Kotlin is a relatively new language and a good alternative to Java. Kotin is a smooth and concise language that allows developers to modify the code more efficiently with less time-to-market. Developers can do problem-solving in fewer lines of code compared to Java which not just saves time but also mitigates the risk of error. Support maintenance needs also go down. Developers are using Kotlin with the LibGdx library to create not just Android games but for cross platforms as well. Apart from Java, Kotlin is the most supported JVM language in the Android ecosystem. Jetbrains, the creator of Kotlin, also created Android Studio for game development to address the pain points of developers. Android Studio is now the standard IDE for Android development. Kotin Android game development has risen to popularity for 100% interoperability with Java and great IDE and tooling support. 

Relevant Engines & Frameworks

Games Made with C#

Where to Learn C#

Conclusion

I think the best programming language for mobile games is a topic many developers want to know about. We all want to develop a game in a language that can be easily deployed in a wide variety of platforms.

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