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Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

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Re: Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

#181

Post by chris_p »

ceol wrote: post #44
ruswick wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. If you've made a good app, its merit will stand on its own. The fact that people believe their age to be the most remarkable aspect of the development of their product raises flags. If any things, it just seems like an attempt to artificially lower standards. Your age doesn't matter. Your product does.

I'm pretty sure your age matters if it drastically deviates from the norm. What were most of us doing at 14? Playing videogames, trying to survive high school and puberty... This kid publishes a freakin' iPhone game— a good one, at that!— and people are shitting on him for it? C'mon.

> I'm pretty sure your age matters if it drastically deviates from the norm.

No, it doesn't. Most people deviate from the norm on something. Age, gender, disabilities. So what?

As a teenage programmer, I can say that teenage programmers aren't that uncommon any more. It's not remarkable, age really doesn't matter. Anyone over the age of 10 can learn programming by taking programming courses from world-renown universities nowdays. I'm 16 and I've been programming for years. That's only because I had a chance to learn programming and I took it, not because I'm more intelligent than a someone who's 20 years older than me and only got a computer when he was 18. Other people at my age didn't have such chances, and I'm thankful.

Re: Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

#183

Post by nnnnni »

mjcohenw wrote: post #113
mhuffman wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was 14, the only easily available microcomputer was the TRS-80. You couldn't save your programs (unless you owned a tape-player that saved files), it got 40 rods to the hogshead and that was the way we liked it!

When I was 14, I had to push the electrons around by hand. It was painful getting clobbered by those massive protons and neutrons. I eventually got around the problem by converting the particles to waves, so that they only tickled.

When I was 14, butterflies.

( http://xkcd.com/378/ )

Re: Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

#184

Post by qw »

olgeni wrote: post #130
mjcohenw wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was 14, I had to push the electrons around by hand. It was painful getting clobbered by those massive protons and neutrons. I eventually got around the problem by converting the particles to waves, so that they only tickled.

When I was 14, time had not yet been discovered so I didn't even know I was 14.

When I was 14, I had to create the universe and wait billions of years before it assembled the first computer

Re: Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

#185

Post by xtc »

tomatohs wrote: post #85
maneesh wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heh, when I was 14, I published my first book: Game Programming for Teens, which eventually became an international best seller in 6 countries. I even got a monthly tv spot with Leo Laporte on what was then called Tech Tv. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdh5dqbvrDE And still...none of my games have ever been as cool as OP's. Great work man

Your book was the first I ever bought about programming. I don't think I ever wrote a line of code from the book but it illustrated basic programming concepts that inspired me to continue development. Very impressed to read that you were only 14 when you wrote it, as I was probably only 14 when I bought it.

...I'm not alone.

I had no idea the author was 14 when he wrote it. I was reading it when I was only three years younger as my first programming book. Unfortunately it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it definitely helped me get started in the world of programming.

Re: Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

#186

Post by chenster »

gnarbarian wrote: post #30
pooriaazimi wrote: post #24

I was writing/learning HTML with FrontPage 2003 and Flash 5 (6? 7? I thankfully don't remember anymore) when I was 14 - while knowing almost no English (thus, not understanding even what the menu items and controls mean!) and without a manual or teacher and just clicking around and seeing what happens to the code :-( Hard, hard times it was. But I enjoyed it nevertheless. But still, I'm jealous of you. If you were to…

Get off my lawn. I first learned HTML and JavaScript using Notepad in 96 when I was 14.

Man, I feel old.

Re: Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

#187

Post by johncoogan »

nnnnni wrote: post #183
mjcohenw wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was 14, I had to push the electrons around by hand. It was painful getting clobbered by those massive protons and neutrons. I eventually got around the problem by converting the particles to waves, so that they only tickled.

When I was 14, butterflies. ( http://xkcd.com/378/ )

Instantly searched to see if someone posted this... so glad you did.

Re: Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

#188

Post by ceol »

chris_p wrote: post #181
ceol wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure your age matters if it drastically deviates from the norm. What were most of us doing at 14? Playing videogames, trying to survive high school and puberty... This kid publishes a freakin' iPhone game— a good one, at that!— and people are shitting on him for it? C'mon.

> I'm pretty sure your age matters if it drastically deviates from the norm. No, it doesn't. Most people deviate from the norm on something. Age, gender, disabilities. So what? As a teenage programmer, I can say that teenage programmers aren't that uncommon any more. It's not remarkable, age really doesn't matter. Anyone over the age of 10 can learn programming by taking programming courses from world-renown universi…

You just argued against yourself, here.

> Other people at my age didn't have such chances

That's my point. Being a 14 year old who knows Objective-C and has published a video game is still rare. I don't see how you can argue otherwise.

Re: Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

#189

Post by chris_p »

ceol wrote: post #188
chris_p wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm pretty sure your age matters if it drastically deviates from the norm. No, it doesn't. Most people deviate from the norm on something. Age, gender, disabilities. So what? As a teenage programmer, I can say that teenage programmers aren't that uncommon any more. It's not remarkable, age really doesn't matter. Anyone over the age of 10 can learn programming by taking programming courses from world-renown universi…

You just argued against yourself, here. > Other people at my age didn't have such chances That's my point. Being a 14 year old who knows Objective-C and has published a video game is still rare. I don't see how you can argue otherwise.

I meant older people didn't have that chance when they were my age. 15 years ago computers weren't that common. Nowdays, almost every child in the western world has access to a computer from a very young age.

Even if you're right, even if it's something rare, we're missing the point. It's not about how rare it is, or how wonderful he is. It's about the product/game. Or at least it should be, in my opinion.

Re: Show HN: I'm 14, I learned Objective-C, and this is my first iPhone game

#190

Post by xenonysf »

When I was 14 I was crying for a computer, but I had to wait until I was 17... I never had a commodore, although I wanted so much... I don't have stories about those days, like some talk about commodore disks and etc... were poor days... still luckily I am Software Engineer ...

Good job man! Keep going with your passion!

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