As epiceyebags mentioned, Game Programming is way too wide as a 'field'. Check what makes a complex software such as a game and which part of a game you want to

As epiceyebags mentioned, Game Programming is way too wide as a 'field'. Check what makes a complex software such as a game and which part of a game you want to contribute to. Do some read up on Game Engine (both as a developer and as a library you can use). If you have any programming skills, you might want to check the code behind open-sourced Game Engines as well (such as the Quake Engine line). From my understanding (and I could be wrong), you have roughly three (3) layers: - the Game Engine that contains such things as the Rendering engine, the Net Client, the Physics Engine and the Audio Engine; - the Game Logic where is define how the object in-game interact; - the media who are the images, the sound used in the game. Most modders are making changes only on the Game Logic and/or the media, but find an older Game Engine open-sourced and you will find example of mods that are touching directly to the Game Engine layer. All in all, if you are interested into getting into game development, and after you have acquired some understanding of the structure of a Game as a Software, you want to start creating your game (either a recreation or something totally new). And don't worry right now about not using something that will be relevant in a year, you need to put some experience under your belt, first and foremost.