I’ve been mostly programming in C++ as of late, but to be honest I think I need something else I could use. C++ being quite low level requires much more time to make things. It would be nice to know another popular language that is easier to code in. If I were to use C# I’d probably use XNA with it as well, however I’m not quite sure about Java. I know that Java is more cross-platform than C# and that C# is pretty much in Microsoft’s pocket however that doesn’t bother me. I’m mostly gunning for 2D ASCII/Sprite games as opposed to 3D, however 3D is indeed something I’ll eventually move on to.
I want to know what the Stack-overflow community thinks.
XNA is really easy to use for 2D games. Not only does XNA give you content pipeline management within Visual Studio, which makes managing the entire build job quite easy, the framework also sets up a basic game loop and gives you the building blocks to get started. There are plenty of getting started guides and even a growing pile of books on XNA.
XNA works with the free version of Visual Studio and XNA runs on Windows Phone and the Xbox 360 (unfortunately deploying to either of these platforms requires a $100 a year license from MS).
I am sure there are good libraries for Java as well, but I can’t give you any details.