Can Java be used to create real 3D games?

The answer is yes. There are many complaints people will make against Java like: it is to slow, Java has memory leaks, Java is too high-level, Java application installation is a nightmare, Java isn't supported on game consoles, and no one uses Java to write real games.

Well, all of those complaints are wrong. Java is pretty close to being the same speed as C++ since Java 1.4. You can resolve any memory leaks by using profiling. Java allows access to the graphics hardware and external devices and many of the rendering for graphics is using OpenGL and DirectX.

The games that were created using Java are: Law and order II, Ultratron, Roboforge, IL-2 Sturmovik, Start Wars Galaxies and many more.

If you are interested in creating games in Java, you might want to use the OpenGL binding for Java called Jogl.