I often had to force myself to do/learn game programming, but it still could be very enjoyable and motivating.
it became something that was both productive (relatively, because it taught me general programming skills) and fun (enough that I could do it all day for several days straight, driven by excitement rather than willpower)
This is a near-perfect description of it. Around 5-7 months in I was skilled enough to start working on more difficult projects. I often became completely obsessed with what I was working on, trying desperately to maximize my time spent working on it. This ranged from being super exciting to painfully disruptive. It allowed me to get things done, but often made it hard to continue studying after I finished the project.
As for including AI in games, that’s something important that I have considered. I won’t be giving up game development completely, partially for that reason. There are books like ‘Programming Game AI by Example’ that could greatly increase my programming skill and knowledge of AI-related topics. Also, having a portfolio of completed game projects, especially ones with AI in them, would be highly favored by colleges.
I linked the recommended MIRI courses page in my discussion; you must have missed it (that’s okay, it was in the most boring part.) I have already considered that several other topics, aside from programming, are essential to know about when dealing with the creation of AI. So I already plan to learn functional programming; I will begin dedicated study of it within a year, whenever it will fit into my short-term studying plans.
I often had to force myself to do/learn game programming, but it still could be very enjoyable and motivating.
This is a near-perfect description of it. Around 5-7 months in I was skilled enough to start working on more difficult projects. I often became completely obsessed with what I was working on, trying desperately to maximize my time spent working on it. This ranged from being super exciting to painfully disruptive. It allowed me to get things done, but often made it hard to continue studying after I finished the project.
As for including AI in games, that’s something important that I have considered. I won’t be giving up game development completely, partially for that reason. There are books like ‘Programming Game AI by Example’ that could greatly increase my programming skill and knowledge of AI-related topics. Also, having a portfolio of completed game projects, especially ones with AI in them, would be highly favored by colleges.
I linked the recommended MIRI courses page in my discussion; you must have missed it (that’s okay, it was in the most boring part.) I have already considered that several other topics, aside from programming, are essential to know about when dealing with the creation of AI. So I already plan to learn functional programming; I will begin dedicated study of it within a year, whenever it will fit into my short-term studying plans.