I asked this question on yahooanswers and people were saying BASIC. There seems to be alot of programmers on Vgchartz so could anybody tell me where to start and how to learn by myself. I just want to make little programs and maybe some games. Nothing really big. I've been wanting to do this for months now just didn't have enough time to learn.

All I know is Java and it does the trick for what I need to do. I haven't done any games but I'm sure with enough knowledge you could pull off some pretty interesting stuff.

I first learned with quick basic. Taking a class is advisable. If you teach yourself expect to spend many hours getting frustrated over some stupid mistake that no one is there to point out for you.

Learn php and/or python. Obviously javascript would be useful too!

I started with QBasic, then learned Java, and now I'm learning C/C++/C#

Also are these really hard to learn. What can I do with them.

Oh I forgot I want something that would make it easier to learn the other languages too.

I'd learn how to make web pages with html and javascript. If you have fun with that, then you can move up to more advanced programming.

It really depends on what your goal is. As for simplicity and ease of learning QBasic is a good place to start. Just don't expect it to be representative of other languages as it is now mostly used for teaching concepts.

Once you get into Java, C++, PHP, etc.. you will see that things work a bit differently but the fundamentals are all still there...just with added functionality and at first quite a bit of confusion as well.

Start with QBasic and the basics:

Basic Output Functionality
Variable Types, & Sizes
Variable Declaration & Naming Restrictions
Assigning & Retrieving Values to/from Basic Data Types
Basic Input Functionality
Basic Math with Variables & Constants
Basic Boolean Algebra
"If - Then - Else" Statements
Array Declaration, Addressing, & Sizing
Assigning & Retrieving Values to/from Arrayed Data Types
For Loops
While & Do Loops

Thats a good start on the basic knowledge you will need to start getting into basic techniques.

Some good program Ideas to help you along.

1) "Hello World!" - The program simply prints to the screen "Hello World!"
2) Input/Output - The program should request input of the name and age of the user and then print it back out to the screen.
3) Addition Only - The program should request two numbers and add them together outputting the final result.
4) Basic Math - The program should ask what type of operation the user wants to perform and then accept two numbers and perform the selected operation. Operations should include multiplication, division, and subtraction. For extra credit include exponentiation as an additional operation without the use of loops.
5) Loopy Primes - Utilizing skills covered in all topics I've listed create a program that finds the first 100 prime numbers utilizing both arrays and loops. This program will likely require you to do some research to find good ways of determining what numbers are and aren't prime. For extra credit avoid having to hard code '2' as the first prime on your list.

Note that these programs ramp up in difficulty very quickly and that all of them are well within the grasp of a fledgling programmer.

Good Fundamentals:

Spending some time learning about sorting algorithms is also important but without someone to teach you it can be tricky...especially if you try quicksort for your first time out. I highly advise you try to get involved in programming classes as there is simply so much you can miss by learning on your own. The stuff I've provided is a good start but there is simply far too much to cover to be sure that you get a good coverage without going through a well thought out curriculum...and quite simply what I've laid out falls well short of that.

 I already know html.