Where should a Newless Clubie start?

Newbie & Debugging Questions
#1

Hey! I’m Red Irony, and I’m new to JavaGaming so I thought I’d introduce myself.

I’ve been programming with Java on and off over the last year or so. I think I’ve got the basics and a bit of OOP, but I’ve got a weak grasp of Swing and ActionListeners 'n such, and I don’t know much about Threads. What sort of game would you recommend I start with, given my abilities or lack thereof?

Thanks!

#2

Start simple, think Atari 2600. Games like pong, space invaders, pitfall, etc. This should teach you some basics like the game loop, drawing, collision detection, and input handling while avoiding more advanced areas like path finding and AI.

I personally learned a lot from the book Killer game programming in java, and the java doc. I have seen the slick space invaders tutorial linked a lot here but I haven’t read it so I can’t comment on it.

Java doc
http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/api/
Killer game programming in java
http://fivedots.coe.psu.ac.th/~ad/jg/

#3

Awesome, thank you very much!

#4

One of my favorite questions. One that I repeatedly ask myself over and over, hehehe.

This is one of the best articles I’ve read on the subject and it definitely gave me the focus I needed.
How do I make games? A Path to Game Development, by Geoff Howland