Why Are Most Games Coded in C++?

Written By
Published on September 29th, 2022

Table of Contents [show]

Table of Contents

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what programming languages are used to create well-known AAA games like Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, and Counter-Strike?

Today’s billion-dollar gaming business is dominated by renowned game production studios, staffed by gifted designers and developers, and adored by a huge following of fervent players.

The gaming industry is expected to reach $314 billion by the end of 2026 [1] compared to $173 billion in 2021. As the gaming market grows, new game development studios enter the gaming ecosystem yearly to deliver more advanced and immersive gaming experiences.

In today’s game development ecosystem, C++ is crucial. Many popular game engines, including Unreal and Unity, incorporate C++ in their source code, enabling developers to produce games with greater power.

Let’s examine why C++ is a superior programming language for the creation of video games.

What is the History of the C++ Programming Language?

One of the original high-level programming languages was C++. Bjarne Stroustrup created the C++ programming language in 1979; it is based on the C language and adds object-oriented programming features.

Initially known as an extension of the C Programming Language, it was called “C with classes” rather than C++ until 1983. Since then, C++ has gone through many evolutionary changes.

The initial C++ standards also referred to as C++98, were released in 1998. Initially, the language reported several issues later addressed by the C++ Standards Committee in 2003, and the standards were updated to C++03.

Shortly after that, the C++ Standards Committee announced language upgrades implemented later in 2011 known as C++11. Slow development upgrades have been a significant problem for developers around the world. After 2011, updates to C++ became more frequent, allowing it to compete with other high-level languages.

Why is C++ Programming Language Suitable For Game Development?

Game development is resource intensive and requires a programming language to have certain features. The C++ programming language is considered suitable for game development due to the following features:

The C++ programming language is exceptional in memory management, providing greater control, flexibility, and optimization of game resources.
Popular game engines are compatible with the C++ programming language (such as Unity and Unreal).
C++ is continuously updated to meet the requirements of contemporary games.
Assembler and low-level C are compatible with C++, making it simpler for game creators to communicate with hardware-level components.
C++ is a compiled language that provides better runtime performance than other high-level interpreted languages.
C++ has many libraries that support game development, making it easier for developers to create high-performance games.

Our Learners Also Read: C++ Functions: Syntax, Types, and Call Methods

C++ Vs other Common Game Programming Languages

Compared to other languages used for game development, C++ is powerful. Python, Java, C, and C# are some additional common languages for creating video games. Even though C is a low-level language also utilized for game programming, our comparison will concentrate on higher-level languages in the struggle against C++. They are C#, Java, and Python.

Let’s evaluate the effectiveness of these languages in a general program: Binary Trees: A binary tree program allocates, traverses, and frees several binary trees, which are tree data structures. C++ beat Java, C#, and Python with the fastest runtime of 1,129 milliseconds.

C++ maintains good performance due to its machine code compilation and the flexibility provided by its low-level components. As a result, C++ programs can operate at nearly machine speed. Higher-level languages, on the other hand, need to be converted into machine code. Even though C++ code requires a little more time to write than code written in high-level languages, this is a reasonable compromise for performance.

Solving Game Development Challenges in C++:

Security and Coding Time

Two common concerns that developers have when learning C++ are 1.) Handling the hardware is risky, and 2.) It takes too long to write C++ code. Many people had reservations about C++, as the language saw very few updates between 1998 and 2011. However, C++ has fixed a three-year release cycle since 2011. Since then, C++ has been continuously updated with improvements that broadly address C++ security and coding time concerns.

C++ gives you a lot of power that can lead to unwanted results if mishandled. Historically, C++ programs that beat the hardware crashed or even resulted in the dreaded “blue screen of death”. To allay these worries, C++ has added a number of security features during the past ten years. Large portions of your application can employ safer techniques that don’t involve hardware manipulation using C++11, C++14, and C++20. Although these security precautions have some overhead, as usual, C++ still outperforms other languages.

Although C++ has been updated to provide high-level abstractions, writing code in it takes longer than in a high-level language. Coding can be done relatively rapidly using these high-level abstractions. Writing is notably quick when using C++ 14, C++ 17, and C++ 20.

Which recreation engines use C++ programming?

Recreational engines play a significant function in creating rich gaming experiences. They provide a wide selection of built-in options such as physics, input, asset processing, and rendering that help accelerate the growth of the recreation.

Builders use completely different recreational motors according to their reasonable needs. However, most recreation engines use C++ programming in some type as a result of versatile reminiscence management and machine-level code compatibility. Here is a list of recreation engines that help with C++ scripting or have a C++ compatible code base.

Unreal Engine
Unity Engine
CryEngine
Engine 4A
Antiyard Gx 3D
C4 engine
Godot
Torque 3D
OGRE

Why You Should Learn C++ For Game Development

Learn C++ if you’re serious about working in the video game industry. With C++ code, you may interact directly with the hardware and optimize your programs in ways that are not feasible with higher-level languages. Your capacity to assume responsibility for hardware elements will increase your agility and competitiveness as a game programmer.

You should learn C++ even if game development isn’t your thing. Whether you’re a software engineer or new to software development, learning an intermediate language like C++ has a lot to gain. Low-level language components help you understand a lot more about how computers work.

Conclusion

C++ is a top-notch programming language for creating video games. You may control the hardware using its low-level language components, which also guarantee a very responsive gaming experience. While writing in higher-level languages is quicker, C++ offers you more performance and versatility. Even if you have no interest in learning game Programming, understanding C++ has several advantages.

About The Author: