I am REALLY bad at math but I want to do game programming, is there still hope?

Question

To be a bit more clear I know how to program already, in fact I am pretty good at it, but when it comes to the math aspects like the game physics or AI I get stumped.

Answer 1

I'm really good at math and i have trouble making games. I suggest you try to learn C++ first. if you start with qbasic or something, it'll be hard to go to c++. I've tried making text based games but those can be hard. I sugest you study the programming language more than math though.

Answer 2

It depends on what kind and what part of the programming you want to do. If you just want the ability to make some fun games, there are tools that take some of the hard/technical work out of game programming. One of the best I know about for side scrolling games (incidentally made by my brother) is available for download at http://gamedev.sourceforge.net/ and it provides some help on how to get started and there are many sample games to play with if you're interested. Also, my brother is very responsive to requests for help.

There are others out there too. You can even make your own 3D games by modifying other 3D games like Quake or Doom. A game created in this way is called a mod. If you have a 3D game (say doom), look up "doom mod" or whatever your game is and the word mod to see what you can find. http://www.moddb.com has a lot of mods available as well as some tutorials on how to make them.

These kinds of game programming do require a logical mindset, but not so much mathematics as programming your own games from scratch. And after you get the hang of that, maybe you could get involved in some of the more basic programming with the knowledge you will have gained.

Answer 3

Absolutely YES. You are not bad at math really (you did get through school, right) you just are rushing through it and not taking one step at a time. You may also have a mental block like I did for years. A good tutor (in less than an hour) can give you back your confidence. As long as you are determined you can be a programmer. I made it through my "bad math" phase now I deal with numbers everyday in my work. The fact that you are in the top 20% of spellers on this site catapults my faith in your ability to accomplish your dream. ;-D

Answer 4

Unless these are non-graphical games you are talking about, no, there is no hope at all. I'm a 2D page description language programmer, and there's no getting away from it even in that. Now considering how important the positioning of a character in a 3-dimensional wireframe is, and how that character's every move plays out on that canvas - how could you hope to avoid math in determining how that's going to act out? I just don't see how.

Answer 5

Learn math. You need it for life, not just game programming.

Answer 6

yep because all of that extra stuff like algebra II and trig will not be used in the real world. I know top programers and stuff who said they don't use any of that math pass like 8th grade. Something like that.

Answer 7

yes there is. you really don't have know to much math to do programing! for html programing (websites) get an editor like Nvu! its free

Answer 8

You lose

Answer 9

not really