Introduction to Game Development

by Steve Rabin

Based on the curriculum guidelines of the IGDA, Introduction to Game Development is the first book to survey all aspects of the theory and practice of game development, design, and production. The book, which might be used as a text for introductory courses or as a comprehensive reference for game developers and designers, is divided into seven independent parts: Critical Game Studies, Game Design, Game Programming (Languages and Architecture), Game Programming (Mathematics, Collision Detection, and Physics), Game Programming (Graphics, Animation, Artificial Intelligence, Audio, and Networking), Audio Visual Design and Production, and Game Production and the Business of Games. Twenty-seven of the leading game developers, programmers, and designers have contributed chapters that discuss state of the art principles and techniques from the game development industry. The accompanying CD-ROM covers tutorials, animations, images, demos, source code, and Microsoft PowerPoint lecture slides that reinforce the concepts presented in the book. This is a must-have resource for anyone looking to understand the entire game development process.

Genres: Game Design

1008 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2010

Reviews

[Rob Bakie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I'm one of the contributors to this book, having written the chapter on the history of video games as well as the chapter on games and society. Still, I'm proud of it, and we got email from a professor that said that my chapter on history was her class' favorite. Woot!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got very little out of it. Only the first couple of chapters really applied to what I'm doing. I can see beginning developers getting a lot out of it, though.