a database for games played by a program

[Rikasi]

Firstly should I read/write to files using c++?

I'm starting to learn SQL but I haven't reached a level at which I can evaluate if it is a necessity for this program given everything I desire can more or less be solved using c++.

Is there a difference in terms of read speed between the two languages?

[Golden Lizard]

Firstly should I read/write to files using c++?

Yes, C++ is a lower level language, so it's closer to hardware, it compiles directly into machine code. Therefore it is quite fast to write files and so on. SQL is more server-oriented, so if you need to write them on a server, SQL is the way to go.