Where to go from here?

Currently i am a Computer Engineer major at college but mostly for the reason because that is the only way programing classes were offered. The main focus i am learning programming is for making games. With that said, I have learned a majority of the 'C' language over the past year and i feel comfortable with it. I guess my question is where is a good step to go from here? What language should i learn (C++,C#,or others) and i am very comfortable with the modeling and animation aspect of it, i just have no clue how to implement that into me code lol. So i guess i want to take a step to making robust games, not just the little ones. I know, i know, I should learn by starting small but for me sometimes its easier to take on a huge project and learn over time by making lots of errors. So please if you could guide me anyway, offer some books or anything of that nature.

Writing a whole game from scratch by yourself is a big task for all but the simplest of games.

A progression might be for tic-tac-toe
- simple console program (no clrscr() or anything) with input for 2 players
- Add platform-specific screen handling to make it look better
- Add single player with dumb (picks random location) computer AI
- Add average AI (blocks opponents winning move)
- Add good AI (seeks winning moves)
- Add menu option for the above as "difficulty" levels
- Add sound effects
- Add proper graphics (still 2D)
- Add 3D graphics or animations
- Add network play for two remote players

Each step should build on the previous step (a lot of code re-use). You might end up re-writing it over the entire sequence, but each transition should have recognisable re-use. This will test your ability to plan ahead and design accordingly.

Or get yourself onto an open source games project.
SourceForge.net: Software Search


NeHe Productions: Main Page
GameDev.net

Originally Posted by Salem

Writing a whole game from scratch by yourself is a big task for all but the simplest of games.

A progression might be for tic-tac-toe
- simple console program (no clrscr() or anything) with input for 2 players
- Add platform-specific screen handling to make it look better
- Add single player with dumb (picks random location) computer AI
- Add average AI (blocks opponents winning move)
- Add good AI (seeks winning moves)
- Add menu option for the above as "difficulty" levels
- Add sound effects
- Add proper graphics (still 2D)
- Add 3D graphics or animations
- Add network play for two remote players

Each step should build on the previous step (a lot of code re-use). You might end up re-writing it over the entire sequence, but each transition should have recognisable re-use. This will test your ability to plan ahead and design accordingly.

Or get yourself onto an open source games project.
SourceForge.net: Software Search


NeHe Productions: Main Page
GameDev.net

Thank you for your input, I will use those guidelines to start on a small game like that.