What is the best programming language for game development in 2020? There are many factors to consider when asking this question. Will you make 2D or 3D game? What platform do you plan to publish the game (desktop (Win/Mac/Linux), console (Xbox/PS), mobile phone, etc.)? What features will the game have, e.g. physics, high-quality graphics, networking support, etc.?
There are no simple answers to these questions, and it is very hard to predict what language will be most popular in 2020. Today there is no dominant language on any platform.
HTML
HTML5 is one of the most popular platforms for creating cross-platform and cross-browser applications and games, according to game developers. It can also be used interchangeably with JavaScript.
The language is simple to learn and does not need extensive programming understanding of algorithms, making it a popular choice among game creators. SQL is used to access the player’s account and does other tasks on the server’s backend database. We can easily predict HTML5 becoming one of the finest programming languages for games in the near future, given how well things are going for it.
C++
Despite its high entry barrier, C++ is one of the most popular and commonly used programming languages for game designers. It offers a high abstraction level for both fine object-oriented programming and generic programming, providing direct control over hardware and graphical processes.
Additionally, C++ allows the optimisation of special parts to a very high level– a feature almost impossible to achieve with other languages.
C++ is used to build most big console and Windows games. Apart from that, popular games built using C++ include Counter-Strike, Football Pro, Starcraft, Master of Orion III.
Java
Given Java’s versatility and rich collection of open-source material, it is popularly used for the development of indie and mobile games. It is easy-to-use, is beginner friendly and can write a range of reusable system-agnostic code. When compared with C++, Java offers easy writing, debugging, learning and compiling.
Games including the likes of Mission Impossible III, Minecraft, FIFA 11, and Ferrari GT 3: WOrld Track, have all been created using Java.
Java is an object-oriented programming language for general computer programming that was established in 1995. The language was created with the goal of having as few dependencies as possible, especially in comparison to other programming languages at the time and even now.
Java programmes run on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and are converted into generic bytecodes that may be executed on any machine. As a result, Java is one of the few game programming languages that allow developers to create games for every platform. It is one of the most popular game development languages.
Java has been used to build games such as Mission Impossible III, Minecraft, FIFA 11, and Ferrari GT 3: World Track. (source).
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Cg
Short for C for Graphics, Cg is a high-level shading language developed by famous GPU manufacturer Nvidia with collaboration from Microsoft. It’s based on the C programming language and shares many similar syntactical components. The language is now deprecated, meaning no additional updates will come.
However, you shouldn’t leave this language unexplored if you want to tackle complex problems associated with GPU programming. Cg has fueled many famous games such as Farcry, Hitman, Battlefield 2, and Doom 3. Sony used this language for developing different graphical components of the PS3.
UnrealScript
One of the revolutionary game programming languages of the past decade, UnrealScript is a native scripting language for the infamous Unreal engine. It supports all major gaming platforms like Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, SteamOS, Android, and PlayStation VR.
The language combines complex features like OOP and multiple inheritances and fueled games like Arkham City, Fortnite, Bioshock, and Devil May Cry. Learning this language is a must if you want to develop your games on the popular Unreal Engine.
Squirrel
It tackles complicated problems like tail recursion and exception handling in a pragmatic way. The language has been used extensively in popular games like Left 4 Dead, Portal 2, and Counter-Strike.
A high level, an imperative language with object-oriented programming abilities, Squirrel was another the latest game design programming language to learn in 2018. The language itself is influenced by C++ and Lua and aims at solving complex real-time problems that require high levels of bandwidth.
HTML5
HTML5 is one of the top choices by game developers to build cross-platform and cross-browser apps and games. Further, it can be interchangeably used with JavaScript.
HTML5 is widely preferred for game development for its ultimate gaming engines. Game Frameworks including Construct 2, ImpactJS, Phaser, Turbulenz and Booty5 have taken the responsibility of the HTML5 Game Development process.
Some popular games built with HTML5 include Cookie Clicker, Gods Will Be Watching, World Cup Penalty 2018.
JavaScript
JavaScript is one of the best programming languages for interactive online games. It integrates with web technologies including CSS and HTML, allowing the development of cross-platform mobile games.
JavaScript is often used along with HTML5 since the latter cannot create animation or interactivity. Additionally, contributing to its popularity is JavaScript’s humongous online community and large number of frameworks.
According to GameDev Academy, One of the most well-known cornerstones of web development is JavaScript. Despite the fact that it was not designed for large-scale game development, JavaScript is becoming the trend as time progresses on. It’s one of the most used web languages, and it’s simple to integrate with any web application.
Online games are getting more and more common as we move closer and closer to a web-based economy. For creating interactive internet games, JavaScript is without a doubt the greatest video game programming language. The ability to quickly integrate JavaScript scripts with traditional web technologies such as HTML and CSS is also contributing to the rapid growth of cross-platform mobile games.
Some popular games made with JavaScript include Hangman, HexGI, Little Alchemy, Swoop and Polycraft.
Python
Although not as popular as Java or C++, Python is used for game development. Its PyGame library is developer-friendly, easy to use for building games and enables developers to prototype games quickly. Additionally, just like Java and C++, Python also runs on OOP principles. Its simple learning curve makes Python a go-to option for many game developers.
Some popular games built using Python include Battlefield 2, Disney’s Toontown Online, Eve Online and Frets on Fire.
UnrealScript
Unreal Engine has developed the programming language UnrealScript or UScript. Like Java, UnrealScript is object-oriented without multiple inheritance. Major gaming platforms including the likes of Microsoft Windows, Android, Linux and Playstation use UnrealScript. SEE ALSO
However, in 2014, Epic Games had announced that Unreal Engine 4 would not be supporting UnrealScript.
Some popular games developed using UnrealScript include Advent Rising, America’s Army, The Wheel Of Time, Batman- Arkham Knight and its series.
Lua
Lua is a light weight, high level and multi-platform programming language that is easy to run, making it fun and efficient to be used for video game development. It can be designed to embed into many applications, making it convenient for developers and players to alter the game.
Game engines including the likes of Gideros mobile, Corona SDK, and CryEngine, use Lua as its primary programming language.
Some popular games developed using Lua are Age of Conan, American Girl, Angry Birds, and Aquaria.
C#
C# is currently one of the well-known programming languages for usage in a variety of gaming engines. It’s one of the most trending programming languages among game designers. It is difficult to learn as a novice. It’s possible that completing your homework will be difficult. You might look for C++ homework assistance online in this case. The structure of the language is XNA. This framework consists of a set of tools and a runtime environment that surrounds Microsoft. As a result, C# is best suited for Xbox or Windows games. Monogamy is the finest language for allocating the game on virtually any platform if you choose to utilize it
C# is a strong language, despite being regarded as simpler than C++. Microsoft designed it in the year 2000 with the primary purpose of working with their .NET framework. Given the popularity of C++ and Java, it was created to integrate the finest features of both programming languages into a modern, incredibly simple object-oriented programming language with excellent cross-platform capabilities.
Its XNA foundation makes it ideal for creating Windows and Xbox games. Furthermore, the Unity3D and Xamarin game engines in C# allow developers to create games for all platforms, including iOS, Android, PlayStation, and Windows. It became the standard programming language for the popular Unity engine, with all contemporary Unity libraries being written on top of it.
Because Unity is utilized by such a big part of the gaming business, it has a stronghold in this area. It also has the ability to write in an Object-Oriented manner, which is essential for quicker rendering.
Because of its efficiency and scalability, C# is quite popular in the gaming business.
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Clipper
A powerful general-purpose programming language, Clipper was initially developed for solving database problems under the MS-DOS platform. It quickly gained traction for solving complex computational problems that include game programming. Clipper was used in building the first game engine to feature the MegaTexture technology and fueled games like Rage and Wolfenstein.
ActionScript
The best programming language for games on the earlier flash-based systems like Blackberry, iPhone, and Adobe Air; ActionScript takes an object-oriented, imperative approach to game programming.
Macromedia delivered ActionScript based on JavaScript, and it was among the earliest implementations of out-of-the-box JavaScript supersets. It’s behind every other flash game you can remember from the time they were popular.
Conclusion
I guess you came here looking for a tutorial about the best programming language to make games. Well, this is an informative article you can refer. So there you have it, the best programming language 2020.