I started programming on an Atari 400 XL when I was 12.  Taught myself BASIC, then 6502 Assembler (there's nothing like moving things around in memory 1 byte at a time).  That lasted me until high school where I learned Pascal and dBase.  Pascal in its various Borland incarnations sustained my career until about 10 years ago when I switched over to database programming using MS SQL Server.   Other languages I've used include x86 Assembler, C++, RPG, COBOL, IBM 370 Assembler (nothing like moving things around in memory 256 bytes at a time), PHP, and probably a few others I'm forgetting.  And of course, C#, which I have to say has become my favorite.

I'm 41 now, so that makes 29 years of programming.  There are days I'm sick of it, but most of the time not.  Fixing a tricky bug, or slapping an algorithm around until it does what I want it to still makes me a happy man.  We've come a long way from interrupts and TSRs and 640K memory limits and all the other fun things we used to have to deal with.  You young wippersnappers have it easy ;).  I can't wait to see what the next 29 years have in store.

My first introduction to any sort of computer-programming was writing 'soft code' on text-based MUSHes, which was a fairly simple functional language, with not a great deal of room for growth. I then moved onto making small modifications to the source code (which was written in C) to add a new function here and there. That was when I was about 12-13 (around 9 years ago now, as I'm currently 21). A couple of years later I started doing websites in PHP & MySQL, again not exactly complex stuff. I left it there for a while, then a couple of years ago (perhaps 3 or 4, come to think of it) I began playing with C and C++, usually to do monotonous tasks relating to work.

I've just now completed the first year of a Software Engineering degree, in which we covered some of the .Net languages, and also a brief introduction to C which consisted of nothing I didn't know before. My experience of C# is quite limited, and I think I've done more today when I began playing around with XNA than previously. I've got to admit, Visual Studio makes a nicer environment to work in than a bunch of terminals running nano. :)

What a nice thread! In a very nice forum I must add.

Born 1971. Wrote my first Basic programs on a Commodore Vic-20 about 1980 something, as well as the Sinclair ZX81. Got my ZX Spectrum 48K when I was 13-14 something - but I also fiddled around a bit with the Texas Instrument Ti99/4A, as well as the Oric 1, Dragon 32 etc. Started coding Z80 assembler for the ZX Spectrum in 1984 something, working on a 3d isometric thingie called Ragnar (which I picked up again a couple of years ago, this time called Ragnar Revival. Was apparently demonstrated on a show in Spain in 2004 something).

In 1991 (1990-1992) I got a Sam Coupe, a spiced-up version of the ZX Spectrum - went into assembler there as well and did a couple of playable proto-games: an arkanoid clone (Global ball breaking) and a 3d-isometric game (Faith). Then I went into the army, started uni and got old...

But now I'm a child again, having found XNA! I'll just finish off my PhD thesis (within the social sciences) but AFTERWARDS - heck, I wanna be a game programmer! Once again...

I began programming when I was 10, I'm 15 now.
I started in Gamemaker, I could NOT stand the stupid drag and drop idea, too inflexible...you couldn't do anything! So I quickly started using the built in GML that satisfied me for about a year, then I got too bored and it wasnt powerful enough so I started using VB.NET, I hated the syntax though (no offence VB lovers!) so I tried C++ and felt like gouging my eye out...with a spoon. So I drifted from language to language and now I only ever use C# and PHP, mostly C# though, I LOVE C# :D

I was 11 when I started programming, and I'm 36 now. My first language was BASIC on the VIC-20. Learned binary more or less by accident while I was reverse-engineering alternate character sets to make my own games. Ahh, young love.

I'm almost completely self-taught. I took a one-year course at a small technical college, but I didn't learn much there from the instructors. I now recognize I have certain gaps in my knowledge when it comes to the "engineering" part of programming (I program pretty much by the seat of my pants, so to speak), but I'm at an age where I need to be making money, not spending it, so I doubt I'll be going back to university.

I've worked with about a dozen programming languages, but I've done the most work with Visual Basic, PHP, ActionScript 3, and now C#. C# is a beautiful, elegant language! I hope to do much, much more with it.

Nice idea to open up this thread ;)

Well, I'm 50 now and I was 19 when I actually began as a developer, that's makes 31 years in the field (29 as a freelance). I began writing C code on PDP 11/45: C and COBOL have been my main development languages for 10 years, thereafter my mainstream language was just C/C++. In the last 7 years I fucused on the .NET Framework (mostly C#). I'm a R&D team leader and CSO (see my website to get an idea about me).

I never had much interest in game development because till XNA I couldn't afford to enter this market. I've been watching XNA and when GS3.0 has been released I decided that it was mature enough to give it a try... so here I am... a true newbie in game development ;)

Cheers,
Pino

I am now 16, and I started when I was 9.  I picked up HTML/Javascript, and got interested in games, so I moved on to BlitzBasic.  I dabbled in that, and then moved away from games and towards C# for other applications, and then made it to middle school.  There, I got my TI-83+.  That got me back into game programming (and got me a D in math), and started on XNA.  Now, here I am!

I'm 19 and I started when I was 12-13 so it's 6-7 years of programming experience. I started with HTML and then got interested in Javascript (actually I never liked it, but I had to try stuff to make webpages better looking) and learned a bit of PHP + MySQL (I even wrote a forum on my own, but it sucked, really..). Then I started Highschool (14 years old here in Italy, don't know about american school system..) and they taught us how to program with Pascal. That's when I focused mainly on school and almost abandoned all my self-development projects. Three years later we moved on to Java but I was (and still am) horrified by it. I can't like it, though the syntax is nice and it's easy (similar to C#) I can't like it, so I began self-learning C/C++ languages till 6 months ago. I worked on some projects around the web, just for fun, like private servers of mmorpgs and wrote some little applications.

Till then I never actually had a Microsoft OS, I was (and still am) a Linux user, so I was horrified by Microsoft's attempt to monopolize everything with .NET languages.
However 6 months ago I decided to buy a new computer that came with Vista Basic inside, so I gave it a go and tried .NET framework with C# and... It completely changed my point of view. I like it, it's easy to write and understand (syntax similar to Java.. and I liked that) and is actually what I was looking for. Then a couple of months later I stumbled upon XNA and started using it.
That's where I am now.

33 - started with good intentions at 32 as long as you do not count Basic in grade school on computers - well I am not even sure what they were... C64's maybe? I think what kept me away is my father trying to teach me binary before my ABC's! Maybe that is why my first project is an ABC game, go figure.

Right now I'm 16. I began programming when I was 14, working on a Visual Basic 6.0/DirectX 8.0 game.

When I was about 13 (c. 1981) I got one term of 'Computer Studies" we played some educational games.
I can only remember one where a word would cross the screen and you had to shoot from the bottom and hit the spelling error in the word.
Then you had to type the missing letter (I am probably deperate enough to ressurrect it).
This was on the BBC micro computer but we also had a 380Z which was pretty cool at the time.
We did some programming in basic and it seemed to come naturally to me.

The following year my choices were limited and I hadn't enough time to decide about computers so I did not continue.
Fast forward to 1988 and University Physics..... I had to pick another subject so I chose computer science.  It seemed to be the same course that the software engineers were on.  We did Pascal, Assembler on the Motorola 68000, Prologue and had some exposure to Transputing (connecting PC's together to do parallel precessing).  I got on OK but eventually had no more timetable space for non-physics subjects so again I had to drop it.

Fast forward to 1991 and I got a Masters project to make holograms electronically using a computer.
So I started using a basic and controlling a printer using the Hewlett Packard PCL language.

The following year I started learning C in my spare time then C++, xlib mode-x graphics library on the PC
I started 5 different games but none got finished and my last serious effort was a Bust A Move type game on the Net Yaroze (PS1) but that program started to die before I could finish it (I heard the community still existed until recently).  I did very little for about 10 years (I'm a full-time physics teacher) until I heard about XNA and so I got an XBOX and got started with C#.

Published 'Meet UR Match' last month.... OK it's only a pairs game but it's the best damn pairs game out there (my wife's game actually)
It was a fair amount of work and I only released it because the ideas just kept coming and it was going to drag on forever if I didn't just let it go.

It isn't setting the world alight but this month I have a fairly respectable 10% conversion rate so I am quite pleased!

Now I'm 41 and have far more ideas for projects than I have spare time to do anything about them (and I'm too old to work through the night like I used to).

P.S. XNA is what Net Yaroze should have been...... Thanks Microsoft and 'Up-Yours' SONY ....... what a total waste of money.

17 is a great age because you have all the math skills and the drive to find out stuff when you get stuck........go for it now while you are young!

I first started "programming" when I was maybe 8 or 9, with BASIC on an Atari 800XL.  I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but it gave me a sense of accomplishment (easily amused at that age) nonetheless.  I'm 30 now, and after a long gap (mostly messing around with scripting languages in the meantime) I'm learning the ins and outs of C#.

Samuel H. Potter
"Darkeil"

Began at 18 years old with pascal. I'm 25.
From there it was C, C++, C#, Java, C#

I began when I was 14, same age as I am now. I have been programming for 3 months and find it very tricky. I have only done C#, so I can't really say which language is the best.

Started when I was about 12 using Visual Basic for only a year, last year (I'm now 19) I started programming a bit using Flash and some basic html (to get my own portfolio online) And I've recently started using C#/XNA (About 2 months now) Diving right into 3D as it was a requirement for a school assignment. Now my second project has to be done by Wednesday (prototype, not the full game) it will feature 3D including JigLibX which is a great help. CoreRacing is the second project, should probably get more visuals online showing the actual game instead of plain text :) Just take a peek if you like.

I was 16 and now I am 21. I started with java, but have learned many since then including C, C++, C#, VB.NET, Pascal, Fortran, Assembler, and a few more that I have forgotten. I mostly stick to C++, C# and VB

I was 12 when i first started with Java. Im now 17 and at college studying software development using C#. The second year (which im just going into) involves XNA too so that will be good.

Started with justBASIC when I was 12, started with C# about 4 months ago, just turned 15 a couple weeks ago.

Technically started when I was about 12, Basic on the C64 (at high school, and parents brought me the C64 family pack)
I'm now 37
School changed to BBC Masters at some point, so more Basic on those.
The school upgraded to IBM XT clones in '89 and my parents bought me one of those as well. Worked in Turbo pascal at that point. My first structured programming. I remember thinking that having no line numbers was just being difficult and pointless.
Off to College, still with the XT doing GWBasic, C, 6800 Assembler and 8088 Assembler
Was working in electronics so didn't do any programming for 4 years (didn't even own a computer for 3)
Back in to it doing far too much VBA
Back to Uni / School doing VB6, C++, Java, 6800 Assembler.
1st look at .NET in around 2002
VB.NET predominantly and then into C# more recently. Into XNA very recently - few months

I started programming when I was 16, if you count the little programs that run on TI-83 calculators.   I started with C++ in high school and mainly focused on C++ all the way through college.  I have learned (and forgotten :-) ) many languages while studying computer science.

Im 21 now and a senior at University of Massachusetts as a Computer Science Major.  I started progamming my freshman year.  The major is pretty intense, I have learned to program in Java, C, C++, Asssembly and PHP while in school.  Wasn't until a few months ago I found out about XNA, and it took me only about a few days to teach myself C# and XNA framework.  So far development with XNA is great, and hope to make an impression with my game next year!

Wow, I feel so out of place. I'm 28 but I actually didn't start programming until I was 25 so I've only been at this for the last 3 years rather than most of you life long types. I'm actually kind of jealous, it took me forever to decide on what I wanted to do with my life. I've had a lot of experience dealing with the hardware side of computers up to this point, but didn't really settle on the desire to be a game programmer until my mid 20's. I've actually just finished my third year of school at DigiPen where I've mainly been focused on C/C++ programming, specifically my interests lay in graphics programming... but really anything involving working on games is enough for me. Thankfully using C# and the pretty incredible framework that is XNA has made development of the project I'm working on fairly swift. I hope to be ready for peer review in 2-3 weeks for my very first XNA project, which is really exciting. This is slightly off topic, but I have to say that I really like these forums a lot. This place is an awesome resource for locating answers, I've had hundreds of little questions that have all been answered by searching these forums, The Shawn Hargreaves blog, and the sites of the various MVPs cruising the forums. So I just thought I would say thanks to everyone that's gone through the growing pains with XNA as well as the XNA team for making my coding experience a breeze... This is so much more relaxing than when we have to write all this stuff ourselves for school.

My dad started teaching me TI-BASIC when I was around 7 on our TI-99. I remember I'd sing a song about quotation marks whenever I used one. In Junior High I was writing games in QBasic really simple trivia games but it was still fun. In HS I turned to the darkside with Turbo Pascal. I somehow figured out to create TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs that I'd leave running on random PCs in the computer lab. Fun things like every time you type a letter a random letter would pop up next to it. Apparently I frustrated a few girls into tears with this stuff. The funny part is my Pascal teacher knew I was doing this and just told me to not leave them running.

I'm 31 and have been a software engineer for almost 9 years I work in the digital imaging industry. For the last 6 years I've been doing application development almost exclusively in C#. It's good to get back to my roots and try game programming again!

In 1984 when I was 10 y/o, I learned BASIC and a little Assembler on the Amstrad CPC464, then played with DevPac Assembler on the Amiga A500 when I was about 14 y/o. Then I had a big break up until 2000, that was when I discovered DarkBasic in a PC magazine.

In 2001 I discovered BlitzBasic in a PC Plus Magazine, and played with that for a few years until I purchased Blitz3D. I also got my hands on DarkBasic Pro, but never really took to that (but maybe later).

I recently got into XNA, and I'm now enjoying the buzz !