What are the main differences between procedural and object-oriented programming, and when would you use one over the other?

During my final year in college, I worked on a group project to create a simple text-based game. We decided to use procedural programming for this task because it allowed us to quickly implement game mechanics like scoring, player moves, and game rounds without the complexity of OOP. Each function we wrote handled specific tasks, making it easy to see how the game flowed. By the end of the project, we had a working game that was straightforward and efficient, demonstrating how procedural programming can be effective for smaller-scale applications.

While volunteering for a local non-profit, I helped organize community events. We utilized a procedural approach to plan each event since it involved a series of steps like booking venues, scheduling activities, and managing attendees. By breaking down the tasks into functions for each event, we were able to streamline our planning process and quickly adapt when changes occurred. This experience taught me the value of procedural programming in project management, where clear, linear processes are essential for success.

In my first job as a junior developer, I was tasked with enhancing a small inventory management application. The original codebase was written in a procedural style, which made it hard to manage as the application grew. I proposed transitioning to an object-oriented approach, allowing us to encapsulate related functions and data into classes. This change not only improved maintainability but also made it easier to add new features in the future. My experience highlighted that while procedural programming can be effective, OOP can provide significant advantages in larger, more complex projects.