I'm familiar with some of the recommended programming books, such as Code Complete and The Pragmatic Programmer, but I was wondering if there were books with similar reputation that are focused on Game Development.
+1
A:
It really depends on what you want to do. If you want to make games as a hobby, then any general purpose programming book will do for starters. You can make games that are entirely text based. Beyond that, you will need references for the OS you're developing for.
If you want to get a job for a studio making games for a living then I suggest:
- Don't. (from personal experience)
- If you really want to do it, then you need to specialise. Games consist of many parts - rendering, gameplay, AI, audio, networking, concurrancy, tools and so on and no one person can master all those elements. Choose an area you're interested in an focus on that. You will need demos if you're going to find work so a understanding of other areas will help.
Another website to try is gamasutra.com.
Skizz
Skizz
2009-05-27 08:32:15
Thanks Skizz.Basically my aim is to start small and create a few demo style games, and just put them up on a website for free, or for a small fee, just as a hobby kind of thing.I've also got a couple of ideas of bigger project's that i'd like to work on, but that stuff might be a while off, considering it's a side project.
Benny Hallett
2009-05-27 08:39:34
+3
A:
There are plenty of good game programming books, but it depends on your level of expertise and what you're looking for. Some are introductionary texts to many subjects, while others are more advanced and focused on certain technologies. Any recommended programming book is a recommended game programming book, so stuff like Code Complete or the Pragmatic Programmer will still help you become a better game programmer. Even something like The C++ Programming Language is recommended if you program in C++.
That said, you should check the Game Programming Gems series for a variety of articles written by notable game programmers. Game Coding Complete is a good read, although I'm not sure how relevant it is today. Core Techniques and Algorithms in Game Programming offers a more advanced review of many game programming topics. If you're interested in 3D math then Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics is what you need. For an advanced book on computer graphics, check Real Time Rendering. There are many more great books, but like I said, it depends on what you want to learn about.
Firas Assaad
2009-05-27 08:49:29
I would second the Game Programming Gems series (although the earlier books are dated in places, they are still useful for beginners). And I'm pretty sure the 3rd edition of Game Coding Complete is worth reading too, though the original poster should note that it's nothing like the Code Complete book, despite the name.
Kylotan
2009-05-27 14:55:24