I taught myself BASIC on my APPLE IIe when I was 12 and now I'm 22 programming in nearly everything  under the sun(java,php,C#,c++,etc, even actionscript 3). The games industry is crazy. Just did a few quick clones using C# and silverlight 2 beta 2 to play around with that tech.

 

 

 

I did TI BASIC on my TI-82 in 8th grade... 6 years ago? So that would make me 13 then, 19 now. I moved up to the TI-83 where I could use freaking STRINGS!, and then in high school I took computer science and learned Java, since I started the year (or possibly the year after?) the College Board switched the CS AP test from C++ to Java, and of course an AP class needs to teach to the test.

Fortunately, I took to it like a duck to water, quickly surpassed the teacher (and he's still my favorite teacher I've ever had), aced both versions of the CS AP test, and then got Java certified a little over a year ago.

Last year I took Intro to Game Programming in the fall and Advanced Game Programming in the spring for my freshman year at university. The former course was Mathematica/C# (XNA) and the latter was in whichever language you preferred, though my team stuck with XNA for our game.

And now, I've got a summer internship at a game company, currently working with XNA still.

36(ish) / 14

Well I started programming on my Amstrad PC1512. Started with Borland Turbo Pascal v3, moved to JPI Modula-2 (all DOS) then on Windows 3.1 I've mainly used MS VC++ since albeit since the release of the v2 .NET I've been mostly programming in C#. I had a spurt of programming 68000 asm on the Atart ST and the Amiga in the middle of all this.

I hope this is a skill that's never too late to start?

I just started learning C++ about a month ago when I was 30, and now I'm 31.  I start this week taking some college programming classes to develop a solid foundation with programming.  My edge is to attach my professional experience of sound and audio along with these new programming skills for games and apps.  I've done sound for film in Hollywood, but I want to be able to do sound for games and beyond too.  Hopefully I can hook up with some of you guys and your projects in the near future once I become more proficient.  For now I'm just soaking it all in.

BShields: I also started with TI BASIC on a TI-83+ in 8th grade.  I was 13 at the time and I am now 19.  I used it all through high school, making math problem solvers, games, "screen savers", and even a couple of viruses.  One created a 99x26 matrix and then looped archive/unarchive commands on it, which completely locks up the calculator.  The only way to break the cycle is press the On button during a small window every 3-5 seconds when it pauses for garbage collection.

I opted to take an Independent Study in Technology in lieu of taking a Java programming class, and I used the time to teach myself C++ with some books I had gotten for Christmas.

Now I am an undergraduate student at the University of North Texas working towards a BS with a major in Computer Science and a minor in Math.  I am also doing a game certificate they offer, which includes four courses on game programming (2), game math/physics (1), and game development (1).

Right now I am working on an XNA game and in the fall I will be doing some portfolio work to boost my chances at a summer internship somewhere.

Started at 20 while I was in college and switched my major from Mechanical Engineering to Computer Science and never looked back.

I'm currently 31.

Started with C, then C++.  Had to take a Java class and SmallTalk (!!) (to satisfy some requirements), but ultimately wanted to make games so I focused more on the C/C++/asm route.

I've been in the industry for about 10 years (PC, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox 1, 360) and currently code daily in C++ with some C and extremely limited amounts of (albeit hardcore time critical) x86 asm and PowerPC asm & intrinsics.

I'm 18, and I started at 13; 5 years ago.

I'm 14, started at 11. :)

I'm 11 right now and I copy and pasted at 9, but really started at 10. I asked my tech teacher about programing (we had G4 iMacs), and suggested I learn C#. Because we had iMacs, I waited until I got home. When I got home I read a online tutorial, and gave up a hour later. When I was 10, I just heard of the XNA framework, and tried to learn it. I had to re-learn C# and then learn XNA. Now I'm making games for Windows. (I have not made anything yet.)

I was 14 when I started programming. I had an Tandy 1000 HX with DOS version 6.22 and I learned how to program using QuickBasic. Now I'm 24 and I know Visual Basic, C/C++, C#, Java, PHP,  JavaScript,  and a little bit of assembly(x86, MIPS, and PPC).

Started when i was 13 now i am 15.

I learned C# first, then i went onto learn C++ and a couple of web languages(Such as HTML,CSS)...now I am back to C# and loving it..

I had some major trouble with C++ in the beginning but after a month or so it just started to tick...

I use C# to program all of my personal stuff, however I am certain that I have much more learning to do when it comes to programming.

 

By the way I tought myself everything I know about programming.

I would litterarly pulled all nighters everyday to just get this one little problem fixed or how to do it in a better way.........good times good times

I'm 19 and just started to get going in C++ XD

25/13