The A* pathfinding algorithm

Game development introduced me to programming when I was around 10, and I've loved it ever since. One of the first formal algorithms I learned before entering university was A* (pronounced A-star), and I really had a great time doing so. It is one of the most widely used pathfinding algorithms and it's likely the one you'd be introduced to first when approaching the subject of pathfinding. A pathfinding algorithm takes a start point (also referred to as a node) and a goal and attempts to make the shortest path between the two given possible obstacles blocking the way.