# Ruby Programming for the Absolute Beginner

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-programming-for-the-absolute-beginner/133381>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 31, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-programming-for-the-absolute-beginner/133381 "2008-03-31T02:48:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![quik77](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/dec6dc/32.png) [@quik77](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/quik77)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-programming-for-the-absolute-beginner/133381/1 "2008-03-31T02:48:49Z")

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My son has just asked me about game programming. He is 9 years old. I  
see a book about Python under the same title that gets good reviews.  
Does anyone have any experience with the Ruby version? Supposedly it  
teaches basics and goes through creating a game. So I can kill two  
birds with one stone.

Robert

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![quik77](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/dec6dc/32.png) [@quik77](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/quik77)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 9:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-programming-for-the-absolute-beginner/133381/2 "2008-03-31T09:59:20Z")

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Robert H. wrote:

> My son has just asked me about game programming. He is 9 years old. I  
> see a book about Python under the same title that gets good reviews.  
> Does anyone have any experience with the Ruby version? Supposedly it  
> teaches basics and goes through creating a game. So I can kill two  
> birds with one stone.
> 
> Robert

There’s Chris P.'s excellent Learn to Program[0], which does go down  
to the basics of programming which incidentally uses Ruby as teaching  
tool (An abbreviated version is on the webpage, but it is available in  
book form).

And then there’s Hackity Hack, a programming environment aimed at  
youngsters.[1] \_why seems to recommend ages 13 and up, but you know your  
son best. 😉

I’d only attempt game programming after he has a more-or-less grounding  
in traditional programming, though, and then look at gosu, Shattered  
Ruby, or Rubygame.

– Phillip G.

[0] [Learn to Program, by Chris Pine](http://pine.fm/LearnToProgram/)  
[1] [http://hacketyhack.net/](http://hacketyhack.net/)