How long until I can start making "games"?

[Ly59GNh0]

I've only recently started getting into C++ programming. I've made some attempts in the past, but due to the language being so complex and not really allowing you to create anything of value after just a few hours (obviously I can see why that is), I've had trouble keeping up the interest.
Now, however, I've been accepted into a game programming school, and since I bought the course litterature about a month in advance I haven't been able to keep myself from getting into the basics again.

I love learning the language, I really do, but I would still want some sort of time-frame for how long it will take until the possibilities to create start expanding.
I mean, as it is now I could theoretically create some sort of choose-your-own-adventure game, but other than that it's just having the user input numbers and the computer adding them to vectors and stuff like that.

So, using standard litterature that doesn't skip any of the basics, how long does it take until I could create.. say, a roguelike, or a Pong clone?
By "long" I don't necessarily mean "a year" or "a week" since it should vary depending on how much I study each day (about an hour a day right now, but school hasn't started yet). Rather, something like "when you start grasping the concepts of [looking at random topics in the table of contents of C++ primer] basic algorithms and how to create your own classes".
Anything to give me something to look forward to, really.

[Bazzy]

To create a simple Pong-like game, you just need to know something about a graphic library and how to use variables.
If you need a quick guide for the C++ basics, see this tutorials: http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/ they don't take much time and after you've finished them, you'll know everything you need to write simple programs

[Ly59GNh0]

Thanks, though I'll probably keep on using C++ Primer to keep my learning structured.

[Return 0]

Out of curiousity what school are you attending? The time it will take you to get to the point where you can build a simple pong game really depends on how much you study C++ and apply it. If you're only spending 1 hour a day, it's going to take you a very long time. My recommendation is always take 2 weeks per chapter (or at least the more difficult ones) and spend your time experimenting, asking questions, etc... until you have a mastery of the topic. Most courses though will not provide 2 weeks for a single chapter. Creating games is very difficult, even a pong game can be frustrating for someone new to graphics. In addition to C++ you will need to understand a graphics API. Since we are talking about pong you would probably be learning SDL for 2d graphics. The API in its entirety is relatively small in comparison to say... opengl. It would probably only take about 3 weeks (2 - 3 hours a day) to learn all the API has to offer just through experimentation. So just figure those stats and you should have your estimated time to start a pong game. Granted, with a simple pong game, advanced C++ skills will most likely not be put to use.

[Ly59GNh0]

Ahh, I read some tutorial on how to use 2D graphics in C++ like a year ago, but it really didn't explain what anything did which managed to scare me away.
Do books that focus on the core of C++ even touch upon the subject of graphics?
So what about roguelikes, the ones that don't even use graphics?

I'm attending a school in the south of Sweden called The Game Academy which was started by the Swedish gaming industry partially due to the other high level educations on the subject being sub-par.

As I said, the reason I'm just studying for about one hour a day now is because school has yet to begin and I want to use the time I have left to actually play games too.
Once the real studying begins the tempo will increase tenfold. The course is only 2.5 years, and in that time we're supposed to learn everything we need to get a job in the industry.

[chrisname]

A good website for learning SDL is sdltutorials.com.

[Bazzy]

Do books that focus on the core of C++ even touch upon the subject of graphics?

C++ doesn't have built-in graphics so you have to get books on graphic libraries

So what about roguelikes, the ones that don't even use graphics?

To get 'cool' effects you would still need external libraries, you can't do much more than a text adventure. The only standard thing which may help you are stream manipulators

[vishant]

For a simple msdos game without graphics, a good 6 months to learn.
For a 2d game with graphics and sound libraries, 1 year to learn.
For a fully functional 2d game, 2 years.
For a 3d game, 3+ years.

[Ly59GNh0]

Well, I guess thi'll just mean that I'll learn together with the rest of the students. The ones who just finished their first year has already made three graphic based games, so I'm guessing the pace is rather... extreme...

[Bazzy]

Learning a 3D library isn't really harder than learning a 2D library, the only thing that changes is the math used

[kbw]

You can do simple board games like tick-tack-toe, checkers or backgammon without worrying about fancy graphics. You can do some of this stuff with a rudimentary understanding of the C++ language.