No doubt, the IT sector all over the world has evolved beyond imagination whereas keeping up the pace with all the latest trends and changes is a huge challenge. Smarter, sharper and more talented workforce is required to meet the many different IT-relevant jobs to keep things moving forward and bring forth new breakthrough solutions, especially in software, mobile apps and website development plus design.
All that said, smartphone technology has come a long way ever since its origin way back in the late 90s. This is where the fad for mobile games also emerged, prompting game developers to take user-experience further by constant enhancement, refinement and interactivity. Android and iOS became the major operating system for smartphones with Android-based games and mobiles taking the lead based on flexibility, user-friendliness and constant updates.
As for game development programming languages, there’re many different ways and frameworks. Let’s have a detailed look into mobile game development guide and many other programming languages to rule in 2024.
Mobile App & Game Development Programming Languages
JavaScript
You might be sceptic about it but even today, JavaScript is still web’s most preferred and #1 programming language. Its popularity doubled ever since the emergence of frameworks such as jQuery, Angular, Vue, React.JS and Svelte. Because everything today depends on mastering the digital world and the internet, learning JavaScript should be your first priority.
Just in-case you aren’t using ReactJS or AngularJS, there’re still various libraries such as jQuery that’s also based on JavaScript. That said, it’s also a preferred client-side language for validating development projects being a full-stack programming language for developing frontend GUI, backend server and many other mobile apps.
Then there’s React Native; another popular JavaScript framework which also supports development of cross-platform apps to run on both iOS and Android OS.
Java
Yet another powerful, effective and renowned programming language is Java which is originally a server-side programming language, used for creating stronger and secure backend servers as well as to create super amazing Android applications.
Swift
Best known as the programming language for iOS-based applications for Apple’s official devices, learning Swift has always been a definite must that’s also one of the finest alternatives to Objective C that was previously one of the most preferred programming languages for iOS.
All that said, Swift also features an amazing IDE known as the XCode that’s independent and includes a library. It’s also type-safe which means developers who’re using the programming language for the first time can also track any error in coding in real-time before execution.
Kotlin
Taking the competition as one of the best Android App Development languages in 2024 is Kotlin which is also deemed as the next best thing ever to happen in the Android world. Kotlin also supports native IDEs like Android Studio and IntelliJ IDEA for development. Some of the most prominent features of Kotlin is being clear, concise and has all the latest features you need for mobile games and app development.
Developers can also perform functional programming with lambdas through Kotlin further backed by good tools and community support. Kotlin is also touted as super amazing and next-generation to Java however, its compilation speed is quite slow, two-to-three times slower.
Kotlin is also supported and constantly promoted by Google being the official Android app development language.
Dart
Originally developed by Google in 2011, Dart is object-oriented based open-source and most common programming languages as of today. With Dart, the C-style syntax can also compile the language into JavaScript that can be used for both client-and-server-side web development. As for mobile app development, Dart is used for both Native and Cross platform. Even if someone’s aiming to learn Flutter, start by learning Dart programming language first because code is shareable across both web and mobile apps whereas it’s user-friendly and has a large support community.
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C#
Old but never obsolete, none other than C# that has always been one of the best programming languages for game development. Originally developed and maintained by Microsoft, this particular programming language is a general purpose and runs on .NET framework and gained momentum being preferred for game and website development as well as machine learning.
C++
Yet another general-purpose programming language that’s close to computer’s hardware is C++ that’s used for development of high-end, secure and robust software solutions. The language also allows fast and accurate calculations that, on the contrary, are difficult to manage with many other programming languages.
Python
Python is another renowned and one of the best programming languages used largely in developing super amazing, user-friendly and appealing websites, machine learning AR/VR applications as well as games for smartphones. As for game development with Python, you will need a Python-specific library known as Pygame that comes with all the relevant tools and functions that are particular to game development. With Python, you can also develop amazing 2D and 3D games as well.
Lua
A light-weighted yet high-level performance and multi-platform support programming language is Lua that has brought a revolutionising change in game development industry. Games designed and developed with Lua can be embedded into many different applications allowing both developers and users to alter the game as per their preference. Particular game engines like Gideros mobile, Corona SDK and CryEngine take advantage of Lua as a primary game development language.
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The choice between all these and many other programming languages for game development depends on factors including the game type, console and the extent of interactivity.