Beginning C++ Game Programming: Learn C++ from scratch by building fun games

This is a great book for people wanting to get into game development. Experience with C/C++ is definitely helpful, although not mandatory for the book to be useful.The book walks you through several basic 2D game builds. Instructions in the book are well-defined, and explained. The book doesn't just tell you to "write this code here", but it tells you WHY you write that code there, and what that code does.The sample programs in the book are easy to follow. The instructions make it easy to hack the code yourself and make personal modifications, seeing how they alter the performance and functionality.If I were to give any gripe or critique to the book, it would be that the book focuses on MS Visual Studio. That being said, the instructions are written in such a way, that you can definitely use the book with Linux, but you just need to know the steps to setting up the libraries and dependencies in your IDE or Makefile.

This book is really good for people who want to learn C++/Game Development as it's title suggests, the explanations in the book are very well done, abstracting subjects so that the beginner can gradually learn harder concepts, I will definitely recommend this book if you're a beginner.

Great for beginners still trying to learn stuff from this.

Did not finish this text @ 50 pages in with lots and lots of skimming through the rest of the book.A few brief points:-Mac & Linux users are left in the wind as this text focuses on Windows OS & Visual Studio.-C++ fundamentals are sidelined as the author favors jumping into SFML (which is a mess of an experience for folks to set up in general).-There is a clear focus on “just doing”, not in-depth comprehensionWhile I have experience with Swift, this is one of my first brushes with C++ in the context of game dev. I don’t think I’d recommend it. It’s wild to me that this is reviewed so highly on Amazon with someone giving it 4 stars even though with their background/degree in CS, they state that they still struggled with this text.Largely, I found that the book is inconsistent with info/definitions & oversimplifies a lot in order to get folks making “end products”. Rather than focusing on learning how to think, problem-solve & interrogate things like a programmer, this text prioritizes instant gratification. I found that the author does an incredible disservice to folks by “holding back necessary information” in the hopes of not overwhelming readers.My favorite (sarcasm) part is where at the end of the first chapter, the author answers the likely question of “what if I don’t understand this function stuff?” by beginning with “it doesn’t matter”. The author more or less states how repeated exposure will clear things up. While yes, repeated exposure is helpful, I think it actually does matter whether or not the description of functions is clear to readers. It absolutely does matter if folks understand functions as this is such a fundamental foundation for all programming.Maybe this will work for some folks, but as an educator I was left wanting.

This book is perfect. The examples are well-explained and the hands-on approach keeps you engaged. Plus, if you buy the book, you get a free PDF version as well.

If you're new to game programming and want to dive into C++, Beginning Game Programming with C++ Third Edition by John Horton is a solid choice. This book is written with beginners in mind, and John does a fantastic job of breaking down complex concepts into digestible, easy-to-follow instructions.The book assumes no prior experience with C++ or game development, making it ideal for complete beginners, and starts from the very basics, covering everything from variables and loops to more advanced topics like OOP and pointers. What sets this book apart is the way it integrates game-specific content, like working with graphics, sound, and user input, as part of the learning process. You’ll quickly be able to apply the programming principles you’ve learned by building actual games.Mr. Horton’s writing style is clear and approachable, and the pacing of the material strikes a good balance between theory and practice. The projects in the book are fun and practical, and by the end, you’ll have created some simple games using popular libraries.No book can teach every topic one needs to know, though, and development on Linux and macOS are beyond the scope of this work, though the libraries used mean that it’s probably just the build process and the implementation details within those libraries that change from platform to platform. The choice of Visual Studio makes perfect sense for the use case covered by this text, but one shouldn’t be limited to working with a single IDE or compiler and I strongly encourage anyone who learns C++ from this excellent book to continue developing their proficiency with a broader perspective than this work provides.Beginning Game Programming with C++ is a spectacular resource for anyone looking to get started with C++ or game development. It’s well-written, hands-on, and provides a solid foundation for beginners. Highly recommended for aspiring game developers and people wanting an easy introduction to C++ development.