Best Video Game Maker?

What do you mean by "best" and what are you trying to make and how much time and money are you going to put into this?

There are many large companies that license their source engines for people to create games with, and lucky for you they are definately not free, a couple of $100,000 for a license. Anything that runs for a Power PC mac would not be "best" of anything anymore.

XCode.

Okay... What video game makers/creators work on my particular computer?


Can I make video games with Xcode?


Thanks,
Ben

You can write pretty much any language code in that so I would say yes, if you know how to program. I hope you realize that creating a game is not like clicking a few Lego blocks together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xcode

There are quite a few games that have super mod tools they give out free, that will pretty much enable you to create using their engine, the trick is to find one that will work on your laptop. MACs are not known for their gaming ability, you're better off getting a PC and using that.

I don't think that you'll produce good games for a Mac without being able to program. You can do anything with XCode; it is the de facto default programming tool for OS X.

I know. I am really interested in learning how to program.


Not quite what I was looking for, but thanks for the suggestion.


Hopefully, I will be getting (by getting I mean making) a PC pretty soon. If your interested, here are the components that I will be using for my new computer:


Anyways, until then, here are some new question I have for you:
++ What programming language should I start off with, knowing that in the end I plan on creating video games (please don't let the fact that I am currently using a Mac change your decision in any way)
++ Do you know of any good, free guides that I can use to learn that language
++ Is Xcode the best tool for me to use with this programming language


Thanks for the help,
Ben

I would have to say that if I were learning to program games then a Mac is the last platform that I would choose.

However; the best language for this purpose is C (and on a Mac you're going to have to know about a rather obscure variant called Objective-C). I have found a book that may help you, but be aware that you are embarking on a difficult road. There are many, many more resources available on PCs for this purpose.

As for XCode, it's not only the best tool it's about the only game in town as far as Mac programming is concerned. And the good news is - it's completely free.

Do you think that it would be a better idea for me to wait until late November/early December (this is when I will be purchasing the PC (shown above)) to start learning a programming language?


Thanks,
Ben

There's nothing to stop you learning the basics of programming on the Mac. Get one of those "Teach Yourself C Programming in 24 Days" type of book and have a play. It will be just simple text-based applications but at least you will be able to learn the fundamentals. I'm sure if you Google "C Programming" you'll find a number of tutorials on the subject.

We are very lucky nowadays to have all the free programming tools and tutorials available on the Internet. When I started out I had to buy a C compiler for £150 (about $250).

the best place to start learning is C or C++. If you are moving to PC, i would suggest getting Visual Studio 2008 or 2010