If you only have one year to learn about game programming, you’ll do a lot more with XNA in C#. Unless you’re extremely proficient in C++, you’ll spend more time wrangling with the language and its common pitfalls than you will with C# pitfalls.

If your goal is to make some simple games to learn something about game design, then XNA and C# are the fastest ways to do that. If your goal is to gain experience that might get you a job at a major game studio, C++ and DirectX /may/ be a better use of your time (be sure to research your target studio(s) first!).

Unfortunately, like many questions, the answer to this one is: it depends. If you get more specific with your intentions, I can give you better insight.

Thanks, talk to you soon!

I’m just getting started with game programming, still learning the basic concepts of how you set up a game engine. Would it be better for me to start with C++/DX or C#/XNA?

I know C++/DX is more detailed and advanced, and obviously if I learned that then XNA would be easy… However I’m on a one year time limit and would like to learn it ASAP.

If I learn XNA, would learning C++/DirectX become much easier?

I’m not *extremely* advanced in ether C++ or C#, but I know them both pretty well.