Why you should learn game programming using C++ in 2024

The title above could also have read, “Why use game programming to learn C++…”, because C++, game programming, and beginners (in my view) are a perfect match. Let’s look at C++ in more detail while also staying focussed on games and beginners:

• Speed: C++ is known for its high performance and efficiency. In game development, performance is important. C++ allows you to write code that can run close to the native languages of both the CPU and the GPU, making it well suited for anything demanding, which includes games. This is achieved because C++ is turned into native executable instructions. This is just what we need when coding games with hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of entities in it. In the final chapter, Chapter 21, we will see how C++ can interact directly with the GPU using shader programs.
• Cross-platform development: C++ works almost everywhere, meaning you can write code that can be compiled and run on various platforms without significant modifications. This book will focus on Windows but everything we learn and write in this book, with minor modifications, will work on macOS and Linux. C++ itself is also used extensively in next-gen console game development and can even be useful on mobile. Compiled means translating our C++ code into binary machine instructions for the CPU.
• Lots of game engines and libraries: Many game engines and libraries are written in C++ or provide C++ APIs. Learning C++ gives you access to the widest range of tools and resources for game development, such as Unreal Engine, as well as the fastest and best graphics libraries like Vulcan, OpenGL, DirectX, and Metal, as well as physics libraries like Box2D, UI tools like IMGUI, and networking libraries for co-op and multiplayer like RakNet, Enet and SFML’s very own networking features.
• Low-level control: C++ provides low-level control over hardware resources, which is crucial for optimizing game performance. In game development, you may need to manage memory, optimize rendering pipelines, and maintain control over the system your game is running on, and C++ offers the flexibility and power to do this. If managing memory and rendering pipelines sound ominous, then I can assure you that things will be fine. We introduce both these topics in a completely beginner-friendly manner in Chapters 10 and 21, respectively. Far from leaving you baffled, knowing how these powerful things can be controlled will leave you feeling powerful and in control of your programming destiny.
• Documentation and support: There is a thriving community around C++ game development, with numerous resources, tutorials, and forums available to help you learn and troubleshoot issues. If you have a C++ problem, I can guarantee you are not the first and a quick web search will almost always yield a solution. ChatGPT is an ace C++ problem solver, too.
• Learning C++ does have challenges but, taken a step at a time, is easily mastered. It is so rewarding to struggle over a problem and finally see it burst into an exciting gameplay feature when you get it right. Game development often involves seemingly difficult algorithms, data structures, and principles but C++ provides tools like the Standard Template Library (STL) and classes through object-oriented programming (OOP) to boil down complexity into manageable chunks. We will be covering OOP and STL in Chapters 6 and 10, respectively.
• C++ is an industry standard: It is because of everything we have just discussed that C++ is widely used in the game development industry. Familiarity with C++ can make it easier to collaborate with other developers, understand existing code bases, switch between game engines, and secure highly paid jobs in the industry.

Critics will say that C++ can have a steeper learning curve compared to some other programming languages and that if you’re new to programming or game development, you might consider starting with a more beginner-friendly language like C# (for Unity development) or Python (for simple game projects) before diving into C++. There is some truth in this, but it is nowhere near as true as it used to be. C++ is constantly evolving, and numerous improvements to simplify learning and dramatically speed up development have been introduced in recent years. For example, new keywords like auto, intriguing-sounding logic operators like spaceship, as well as language constructs like lambdas, coroutines, and smart pointers, were introduced over the last 10 years, which dramatically simplify and speed up C++ development.

In summary, I would suggest that not learning C++ as a first language might be a mistake. And if you want to make learning as fun and rewarding as it possibly can get then learning with games is a no-brainer. Finally, if you want to be an indie game developer or work for a top game studio, unless you have some very specific other path in mind, C++ is the way to go.

But having just stated that C++ is so wonderful and has so many paths and libraries, why would we choose SFML?

SFML

SFML is the Simple Fast Media Library. It is not the only C++ library for games and multimedia. It is possible to make an argument to use other libraries, but SFML seems to come through for me every time. Firstly, it is written using object-oriented C++. The benefits of object-oriented C++ are numerous, and you will experience them as you progress through this book.

SFML is also easy to get started with and is therefore a good choice if you are a beginner, yet at the same time, it has the potential to build the highest quality 2D games if you are a professional. So, a beginner can get started using SFML and not worry about having to start again with a new language/library as their experience grows. And if you want to build 3D games, C++ and SFML is a great introduction before moving on to Unreal Engine. As an aside, you can build 3D games with SFML and OpenGL but most SFML libraries are focused on 2D, as is this book.

Perhaps the biggest benefit is that most modern C++ programming uses OOP. Every C++ beginner’s guide I have ever read uses and teaches OOP. OOP is the future (and the now) of coding in almost all languages, in fact. So why, if you’re learning C++ from the beginning, would you want to do it any other way?

SFML has a library for just about anything you would ever want to do in a 2D game. SFML works using OpenGL, which can also make 3D games. OpenGL is the de facto free-to-use graphics library for games when you want it to run on more than one platform. When you use SFML, you are automatically using OpenGL.

SFML allows you to create the following:

• 2D graphics and animations, including scrolling game worlds.
• Sound effects and music playback, including high-quality directional sound.
• Input handling with a keyboard, mouse, and gamepad.
• Online multiplayer features.
• The same code can be compiled and linked on all major desktop operating systems, and mobile as well!

Extensive research has not uncovered any more suitable ways to build 2D games for PC with C++, even for expert developers, especially if you are a beginner and want to learn C++ in a fun gaming environment. C++, check. SFML, check. Surely we want to steer clear of the big controlling corporations, though, right?

Microsoft Visual Studio

Visual Studio is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Visual Studio provides a neat and well-featured interface that simplifies the game development process while keeping advanced features to hand. Beginners can benefit from features like code completion and syntax highlighting, which help streamline the process of learning C++. Visual Studio is almost unarguably the most advanced free-to-use IDE for C++. Microsoft gives it away, not to seek forgiveness for past transgressions but to get you hooked for the future using a premium version. So, let’s take advantage of the free stuff for now.

Visual Studio offers a powerful debugger with features like breakpoints and call stacks. You can run your game in Visual Studio and have it pause at a point of your choosing. You can then inspect the values held by your code and step through execution a line at a time. This makes it easier for beginners to understand how their code works and troubleshoot otherwise near-impossible issues.

IntelliSense is Visual Studio’s code suggestions and real-time error-checking tool. It can help those new to C++ learn the language more quickly by instantly highlighting mistakes and auto-suggesting what you might be trying to think of. This is not just a great learning tool for beginners but it is also a huge speed boost for professionals.

Visual Studio has a large and active community, and there are many tutorials, forums, and resources available to help beginners with their C++ and SFML projects in Visual Studio.

Visual Studio has many advanced features. As you grow in knowledge and ambition, Visual Studio can grow with you. Visual Studio integrates with popular version control systems (VCSs) like Git, making it easy to get started managing larger projects with multiple programmers. Visual Studio has performance profiling features that allow you to monitor the memory and CPU usage of your game and, therefore, improve and optimize your game.

Visual Studio is almost an industry standard. Being one of the most widely used IDEs for C++, Visual Studio has an enormous number of users. This means that beginners can find plenty of online help and tutorials specific to Visual Studio. As an aside, usually, the last place you will look for Visual Studio support will be Microsoft. Being knowledgeable with Visual Studio could be valuable to a future employer.

Visual Studio hides away the complexity of preprocessing, compiling, and linking. It wraps it all up with the press of a button. In addition to this, it provides a slick user interface for us to type our code into and manage what will become a large selection of code files and other project assets as well.

Having extolled the virtues of Visual Studio, it is also true that any game you can create with Visual Studio, you can also create with open-source tools. Visual Studio will just make your time as a beginner simpler, and if you decide to switch to a more ethical toolset at some point in the future, the change will be smoother than if you had gone straight to these other tools.

While there are advanced versions of Visual Studio that cost hundreds of dollars, we will be able to build all our games in the free Visual Studio 2022 Community edition. This is the latest free version of Visual Studio at the time of writing. If, when you are reading this, there is a newer version, I suggest using the newer version as Visual Studio tends to be highly backward compatible as well as maintaining a reasonably consistent user interface over the years. This means you can probably benefit from the new features and ease of availability of the latest version and still follow along with this book.

In the sections that follow, we will set up the development environment, beginning with a discussion on what to do if you are using Mac or Linux operating systems.

What about Mac and Linux?

The games that we will be making can be built to run on Windows, Mac, and Linux! The code we use will be identical for each platform. However, each version does need to be compiled and linked on the platform for which it is intended, and the tutorials will not be able to help with Mac and Linux.

It would be unfair to say, especially for complete beginners, that this book is perfectly suited for Mac and Linux users. Although, I guess, if you are an enthusiastic Mac or Linux user and you are comfortable with your operating system, you will likely succeed. Most of the extra challenges you will encounter will be in the initial setup of the development environment, SFML, and the first project.

To this end, I can highly recommend the following tutorials, which will hopefully replace the next 10 pages (approximately), up to the Planning Timber!!! section, at which point, this book will become relevant to all operating systems.

For Linux, read this to replace the next few sections: https://www.sfml-dev.org/tutorials/2.5/start-linux.php.

On Mac, read this tutorial to get started: https://www.sfml-dev.org/tutorials/2.5/start-osx.php.

Installing Visual Studio 2022

To start creating a game, we need to install Visual Studio 2022. Installing Visual Studio can be almost as simple as downloading a file and clicking a few buttons. There is nothing challenging about installing Visual Studio provided you choose the correct edition. I will clearly point out the correct edition at the point of choosing.

Note that, over the years, Microsoft is likely to change the name, appearance, and download page that’s used to obtain Visual Studio. They might change the layout of the user interface and make the instructions that follow out of date. My experience, however, is that they try hard to maintain consistency between editions. Furthermore, the settings that we configure for each project are fundamental to C++ and SFML, so careful interpretation of the instructions that follow in this chapter will likely be possible, even if Microsoft does something radical to Visual Studio.

Let’s get started with installing Visual Studio:

1. The first thing you need is a Microsoft account and your login details. If you have a Hotmail, Windows, Xbox, or MSN account, then you already have one. If not, you can sign up for a free one here: https://login.live.com/.
2. At the time of writing (May 2024), Visual Studio 2022 is the latest version, so hopefully, this chapter will be up to date for a while. To get started, visit https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/ and find the Visual Studio download. This next image shows what the page looks like at the time I visited the previous link:

Figure 1.5: Downloading Visual Studio

3. Find the download for Visual Studio and choose Community 2022 from the drop-down options. Note that editions other than Community are premium products that are not free and the Visual Studio Code option, also shown in this image, is not what we want for this book. Click the Save button and your download will begin.
4. When the download completes, run the download by double-clicking on it. After giving permission for Visual Studio to make changes to your computer, wait for the installer program to download some files and set up the next stage of the installation.
5. Shortly, you will be asked where you want to install Visual Studio. Choose a hard drive with at least 50 GB of storage. Various sources on the web suggest you will get away with much less than 50 GB, but by the time you have started creating projects, 50 GB will make sure you have plenty of room for future development. When you are ready, locate the Desktop development with C++ option and select it. Next, click the Install button. This step might take a while to complete.

Now, we are ready to turn our attention to SFML and then our first project.