Impotant! Books to start learning video game programming ! I need it FAST!

If you are not a good programmer then you might want to get books that teach the languages themselves, not game architecture.

edit:
To other readers, please don't downvote beginner questions. It frightens them into not wanting to ask questions.

You need it fast? Like it should be propelled in some fashion?

...

I guess I could build some form of catapult. There is that tree in the back yard I still need to limb.

(Did you try searching by category on Amazon?)

(btw, does anyone know if Amazon can do Dewey Decimal lookups?)

I am not going to hold your age against you, but I am going to tell you what I tell everybody who has started getting into game development. There is this thing called Google. I taught myself how to program without any books at the same age as you. The internet is such a great thing, there are so many resources out there (this site included) that will pretty much tell you everything you will need to know to make a game. Why do you need it so fast? Unless you are doing it for a project, patience will help you out here. You can't just learn how to program in a week, or a month, it took me two years to learn enough of programming to make anything that wasn't a clone of something else and was remotely fun. If you are set in looking for books, I would highly suggest a book about C++, not game programming. Game programming will not teach you the ins and outs of a language, you will learn a lot, but I suggest learning the language before learning game programming. Best of luck with your future endeavors! Also, if you do persist, you will find the immensely rewarding and awesome world of programming, which is amazing in its own right.

I wouldnt recommed you read those books. They are kinda advance for a beginner. Seriously, get to know your language first. If you have no foundation what will you build on?

For c++ I recommend this book
http://www.amazon.com/All---One-Desk-Reference-Dummies/dp/0470317353/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353092288&sr=1-1&keywords=c%2B%2B+for+dummies+reference

after that i recommend you read
data structures for game programmers
focus on sdl
beginning game programming
advance 2d game development

but it will be a while before you get through these

You need a good understanding of how to write decent programs, before delving into game creation.
HERE is a good ( easy to understand ) tutorial series for C++ .

You have to think about your long-term goals. Do you want to
a) make games quickly (the goal is important),
b) learn a programming language and make a game with it (the goal and path to it are both important),
c) learn a programming language to understand how the computers work and then, maybe, start making a game one day in the distant future (the path is important)?

Look at those options and try to answer honestly. Now, let's see:
a) Use some of the "makers" available. It depends on which genre should the game be. Unity 3D is good for large-scale 3D. UDK (Unreal development kit) is good for indoor FPS games like Doom or Unreal. I've liked RPG Maker when I tried it (the target genre should be apparent ). Game Maker is most suitable to 2D games.
b) I would suggest C# as it isn't AS (notice the capital letters) difficult as low-level languages like C++. You should be able to do "something" in 2 years.
c) ANSI C or C++ seems like a good entry point for this. You will need a lot of time and patience, but after a 5+ years, you should be able to program almost everything you wish (but be aware that the time needed to do it will still be in years).

Abandon the idea that you will be able to code a game in a short amount of time; you will fail. A game (engine) programmer should have 5+ - 10+ year experience with programming.

On the other hand, you are still young, so if you persist, you will find a new and interesting world of programming. The one where everyone bows to your every command (unless it's invalid, of course)

I am not going to hold your age against you, but I am going to tell you what I tell everybody who has started getting into game development. There is this thing called Google. I taught myself how to program without any books at the same age as you. The internet is such a great thing, there are so many resources out there (this site included) that will pretty much tell you everything you will need to know to make a game. Why do you need it so fast? Unless you are doing it for a project, patience will help you out here. You can't just learn how to program in a week, or a month, it took me two years to learn enough of programming to make anything that wasn't a clone of something else and was remotely fun. If you are set in looking for books, I would highly suggest a book about C++, not game programming. Game programming will not teach you the ins and outs of a language, you will learn a lot, but I suggest learning the language before learning game programming. Best of luck with your future endeavors! Also, if you do persist, you will find the immensely rewarding and awesome world of programming, which is amazing in its own right.

If you are not a good programmer then you might want to get books that teach the languages themselves, not game architecture. edit: To other readers, please don't downvote beginner questions. It frightens them into not wanting to ask questions.

So can you say whether this book is good.

I wouldnt recommed you read those books. They are kinda advance for a beginner. Seriously, get to know your language first. If you have no foundation what will you build on?

For c++ I recommend this book
http://www.amazon.co...mmies reference

after that i recommend you read
data structures for game programmers
focus on sdl
beginning game programming
advance 2d game development

but it will be a while before you get through these

Thanks i will try reading the book tooo.

You need it fast? Like it should be propelled in some fashion? ... I guess I could build some form of catapult. There is that tree in the back yard I still need to limb. (Did you try searching by category on Amazon?) (btw, does anyone know if Amazon can do Dewey Decimal lookups?)

There is this thing called Google.

I searched amazon and google but there are many books and i culdn't choose the best one. In google there are many advises like last time I asked a question how to create , so i a game engine and some said create a game engine and some said just program a game, so i am just confused in that things

Make a game not a engine. But even before making a game just program anything. Game programming is generally considered a more advanced subset of general programming.

I am 17 but when I started programming (around your age) I messed around with WinForms in VB.net then did the same in C#, I created auto clickers/typers by googling on how to do such things. Only at the beginning of this year I bought 2 books. I haven't even started on the 3D side of graphics programming yet, you don't need to rush

Make a game not a engine. But even before making a game just program anything. Game programming is generally considered a more advanced subset of general programming.

I am 17 but when I started programming (around your age) I messed around with WinForms in VB.net then did the same in C#, I created auto clickers/typers by googling on how to do such things. Only at the beginning of this year I bought 2 books. I haven't even started on the 3D side of graphics programming yet, you don't need to rush

Thanks, i won't do it fast as many as advised me to first start with normal programming, for now i am just going to learn programming

I started learning when I was about 12. And the most important thing to remember is that you are NOT going to make a Halo or a Call of Duty or a World of Warcraft for your first game. Too many people (myself included at that time) bite off way more than they can chew and end up giving up on their project. My favorite book for C++ as a beginner was Beginning C++ Through Game Programming by Michael Dawson (that's for the latest edition anyway). I also think that if you aren't ready to learn C++ you might want to try Unity 3D for a little bit to get used to scripting before going for full on programming. If you want to see a Unity project I've finished a game using it and could show you how everything works. PM me if you're interested.

You will need a lot of time and patience, but after a 5+ years, you should be able to program almost everything you wish (but be aware that the time needed to do it will still be in years).

5+ years, That's ridiculous. I started programming not much older than him and I picked up C++ in a year, a year later I was writing full blown 3d games in C++. My advice is skip C# and spend a while getting to know C++ and you should be able to program almost anything in 2+ years if you work hard.

I started learning when I was about 12. And the most important thing to remember is that you are NOT going to make a Halo or a Call of Duty or a World of Warcraft for your first game. Too many people (myself included at that time) bite off way more than they can chew and end up giving up on their project. My favorite book for C++ as a beginner was Beginning C++ Through Game Programming by Michael Dawson (that's for the latest edition anyway). I also think that if you aren't ready to learn C++ you might want to try Unity 3D for a little bit to get used to scripting before going for full on programming. If you want to see a Unity project I've finished a game using it and could show you how everything works. PM me if you're interested.

Ya, i hv already tried with Unity, CE3, UE3, after that i had a idea on doing my own engine then i posted it on gamedev, many said me to write a game not a engine. Now i am interested on writing a game.

By the way i sent you a message please check it and send a reply

I searched amazon and google but there are many books and i culdn't choose the best one. In google there are many advises like last time I asked a question how to create , so i a game engine and some said create a game engine and some said just program a game, so i am just confused in that things

I'm pretty sure he meant that as an alternative to buying books to read on game programming, you could instead research game programming through the internet.

Which I highly recommend. The internet is a richer source of knowledge than any handful of books can be. And the best part is- it's interactive! You can go to forums just like this one and ask for advice or help! The same can't be said of a book. Furthermore, books can be out of date, and base their code on old technology.
If you still intend to buy books, at least buy recent ones.

I'm pretty sure he meant that as an alternative to buying books to read on game programming, you could instead research game programming through the internet.

Which I highly recommend. The internet is a richer source of knowledge than any handful of books can be. And the best part is- it's interactive! You can go to forums just like this one and ask for advice or help! The same can't be said of a book. Furthermore, books can be out of date, and base their code on old technology.
If you still intend to buy books, at least buy recent ones.

I need books for learning programming, i leaned Vb myself with just searching the internet. I thought that u could also learn c++ in the same way but i was wrong, thats why i am searching for books. I know that old books have old technologies so i will only buy the books which came this year or last year.

Im not sure if this was said already but a good book, that i personally learned c++ from, is called beginning c++ through game development. Its cheap and very easy to understand. And when it says through game development, its using simple text games as examples for learning c++. As many will say to stay away from c++ if you are just learning how to program since it is complicated, i say go for it. I learned c++ first, and it was challenging, and i don't recommend it, but it can be done.

http://www.amazon.ca/Beginning-Through-Game-Programming-Second/dp/1598633600/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353226851&sr=8-2

Also, there is c++11 out, and i haven't looked into it, and i really don't want to right now, but maybe you should look for something that explains that. Now don't quote me on anything, but c++11 is the new version of c++ and people will probably start moving towards that.

Im not sure if this was said already but a good book, that i personally learned c++ from, is called beginning c++ through game development. Its cheap and very easy to understand. And when it says through game development, its using simple text games as examples for learning c++. As many will say to stay away from c++ if you are just learning how to program since it is complicated, i say go for it. I learned c++ first, and it was challenging, and i don't recommend it, but it can be done.

http://www.amazon.ca...6851&sr=8-2

Also, there is c++11 out, and i haven't looked into it, and i really don't want to right now, but maybe you should look for something that explains that. Now don't quote me on anything, but c++11 is the new version of c++ and people will probably start moving towards that.

thanks, i am using c++ which come with visual studio 2012, if m correct it is c++11

edit:
To other readers, please don't downvote beginner questions. It frightens them into not wanting to ask questions.

I voted it down since i consider marking topics as "important, urgent, etc" in order to divert attention to it (and away from other questions) to be very rude. His questions are no more important than those posted by other people.

[quote name='Mathew Bergen' timestamp='1353227489' post='5001983']
Im not sure if this was said already but a good book, that i personally learned c++ from, is called beginning c++ through game development. Its cheap and very easy to understand. And when it says through game development, its using simple text games as examples for learning c++. As many will say to stay away from c++ if you are just learning how to program since it is complicated, i say go for it. I learned c++ first, and it was challenging, and i don't recommend it, but it can be done.

http://www.amazon.ca...6851&sr=8-2

Also, there is c++11 out, and i haven't looked into it, and i really don't want to right now, but maybe you should look for something that explains that. Now don't quote me on anything, but c++11 is the new version of c++ and people will probably start moving towards that.

thanks, i am using c++ which come with visual studio 2012, if m correct it is c++11
[/quote]
Actually it looks like VS 2012 has default support of cxx11 (just another one way to write c++11).

Hm... I suggest next book as base of programming - Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2012. This book is really nice to a novice showing all basic stuff: variables, loops and so on. But I'm warning you - C++ is difficult. It's much complicated than C# and Java, because it haven't memory manager as it's in Java and C#.

Did you make a final decision? Probably it would be better to you to start with C# and XNA? It's allow you to do some simple games in near future.