Beginning C++ Through Game Programming

by Michael Dawson

BEGINNING C++ THROUGH GAME PROGRAMMING, THIRD EDITION approaches learning C++ from the unique and fun perspective of games. Written for the beginning game developer or programmer, the book assumes no previous programming experience and each new skill and concept is taught using simple language and step-by-step instructions. Readers will complete small projects in each chapter to reinforce what they've learned and a final project at the end combines all of the major topics covered in the book. Featuring twenty five percent new material, this third edition covers all the latest technology and advances.

Genres: Programming, Computer Science, Nonfiction, Reference, Computers, Technology, Games

432 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 2004

Reviews

[Alex Camilleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is really clear but it's also much more basic than I imagined. With the exception of the last two chapters about pointers and more complex programming tools, the book doesn't really delve into game development basics (having a sprite on screen, having different classes on separate files) since the author considers these things out of scope. If you want to have an introduction to programming in c++ in general, the book is great. If you hope to make a digital game perhaps you should consider something different.

[Katelyn Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book.
Goes heavily into examples of C++ program, directly through the DirectX framework.
Gives practical examples and page-size code blocks to type and practice, but I do not see an aspiring programmer, especially in game design, to get their best footing with this book.
I kept asking myself "what is going on?"

I recommend a rudimentary, foundational, education in C, then C++, and then using sources online and on YouTube, maybe even Lynda.com, to go along with this book if anything. This,

This is a primer, not a lesson.

[Bao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book if you want to learn C++. The author gives great examples and has a interesting way of teaching that makes it interesting and informational.

[Alinse · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author tried to make C++ learning fun, and in some extend he succeeded. But sometimes as a beginner you need to review a line containing an important point , its content table make it impossible to find that line.it makes it hard to Suggest this book as beginner guide, but as a fun c++ tutorial book, Yes sure!

[Victor Dimitroff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to learn the basics of C++ through application. Technical and conceptual knowledge is very important for anyone wanting to learn programming or computer science in general. However, I feel that tangible applications are critical to cement and apply one's understanding. Each chapter in this book has a small applications and projects to apply the concepts discussed and to combine new concepts with old. However, this book is not a magic bullet; reading just this book will not be sufficient to get the reader from beginner to expert. There are many advanced (and even some foundational topics) which are outside the scope of this book that will require additional practice and research. Nonetheless, Dawson's book is a great place to start.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good introduction into the concepts of game programming using C++. Includes all necessary and essential concepts. Topics include pointers (dreaded by all!), references (very useful aliases for variables), inheritance and polymorphism. All useful concepts that are used in the development of games.

However, I wish there was more of a focus on the use of animated sprites and 2D game development since this book does not delve into that realm. The book focuses on command line outputs and games and provides a solid foundation into C++ programmig constructs.

[Bryan Ma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid beginner's book.
The "game programming" angle is really very thin - out of necessity for beginner's programming - its just learning the basic principles of programming and OOP with a layer of game context.

[Ahmed Elsherbiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went throw the book to refresh my C++ knowledge. It is very simple and clear. It doesn't really went into game programming in the real sense. It's perfect selction for a beginner, as it assumes little or know experience about programming, still discusses topics into a reasonable detailed level.

[Daniel Pottenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for beginners.
When introducing new subjects, Michael does not waste time before showing an implementation, like you can get with other beginner programming books.
A short book that offers a good introduction but readers should seek knowledge elsewhere to strengthen what they know.

The reason I knocked a star off is because for some reason the book doesn't discuss header files, which Michael mentions is 'out of scope'. It is not a tough subject by any means, but is important for beginners. He already forward declares methods within the main class itself, so creating a header file shouldn't make the book THAT much bigger.

Regardless of that point above, I think this book is an entertaining way to introduce yourself to C++, allowing you to make a few little 'games', such as Blackjack. Though it should be mentioned that all the games are text-based, and you shouldn't expect to be programming Minecraft by the end of such a short book.

[Ruby Mellinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in an interesting, thought provoking, very project oriented style perfect for an introductory coding book. The only reason that I give it 4 instead of 5 stars is that it is a few years old now and the directions for how to set up the IDE were written for a very specific IDE which has since changed to a new version. Once I got that set up, everything worked like a charm.

[Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Book

This book overrides most of the lectures I’ve gotten on C++. It exceeds the bar on a lot of other books. Generally, a lot of books on coding could be better, but this was easier to read and understand.

[Michelangelo Rubino · Rating 4 out of 5]

It must be taken for what it is, a book for beginners with no or very little knowledge of c++. It’s not about real game programming, but it’s about implementing simple games in this language. Anyway enjoyable.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Взял книжку повторить синтаксис, а она даже с этим не может справиться.

[Arjun Satheesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Functional

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple explanations with helpful exercises.

[Sandra Dögg]

Does the code still work even if this book was created in 2004

[André R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basics of c++

[Flanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like programming? Are you just starting C++? Then you should be reading beginning C++! Basically this book covers the starting point for basic programming knowledge for C++ like coding basic programs, creating simple games, and creating object oriented classes. This book is like a ¨Guide¨ to help make coding more simplex. It covers step by step on how to program. To be honest, I had very little knowledge on coding but this book helped me a lot. What i like about this book is, they give you a indepth explanation of what you need to do and you can follow what they are doing. I give this book a 9/10 for the following circumstances, There is very little that i dislike about this book one is if you had no prior knowledge on programming this is not the book for you. There are also complex words that some people may not understand. I recommend this book to the masses who wants to learn about C++

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book having already spent a bit of time working with C#. It worked well as a transition into C++, although there were a few situations where he did something basic (such as using \n for new lines) without explaining what he did. Not a big deal when you can google anything you don't quite get. Some of the hints and tips are also a little ahead of themselves (with many pointing to a future chapter) or just repetitions of what was said a few paragraphs ago. It could also could have used a final "where to go next" chapter, as it leaves without ever explaining what needs to be done to move from text based games into 2d/3d games. Overall, it felt like a good place to start, though.

[Cynbel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a required text for C++ Programming 1. This book, coupled with the class projects helped me to understand C++ for games very easily. Every chapter adds onto what was previously learned, building bigger examples as you get farther through the book. Chapter 9 on Dynamic Memory was the hardest to grasp at first, because the examples weren't strong, but once I started working on an RPG project using classes it made much more sense. I would recommend this book for anyone starting C++ in games or not.

[Bryan Ma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the second edition in 2012 - this time just went through the third. Very solid beginner book, and got much more out of the nuances than I did the first time I read it, when I was totally new to C++. Only thing - pedagogically speaking I like an approach that allows and encourages for more experimentation with making mistakes - instead of "don't dereference a null pointer!", why not "let's dereference this null pointer and see what happens?"

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

11 years ago, when I was only 12 or 13 years, my father bought this book for me. I taught myself how to program using this book, and now I've been in the software development field professionally for 5 years. This book was a great introduction to programming for me, and I am glad to have been exposed to it so young.

[Brian Salehi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Over simplified reference. This is not a game programming tutorial, it's actually a C++ reference and it's not as good as a real C++ reference. There are just a few lines of basic C++ programs that the author named them as games, don't get too excited by the title of the book. As a C++ reference you might want to study "Sams teaching yourself C++" which is the best C++ reference I have ever read.

[Allen Hołik-smith]

I enjoy this book immensely, I originally purchased it as a companion to the C++ book I had gotten by the SAMSTEACHYOURSELF company, but it failed to come with an IDE. However, this comes with bloodshed dev- an amazing environment to practice in.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn the basics of C++ by learning to code basic fun games. If you have experience in C++ then this book won't teach you anything new, it's only good for beginners. However, if you're a beginner, I think this is one of the best ways to start to learn.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting approach to learning C++ as a programming language - by means of teaching it pertinent to game programming. This approach teaches both the language itself, along with the means to understand its use in game programming.

[Dmitry Demidov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Неплохо, чтобы освежить базовые знания.
Но, например, Tier One: C++ Beginner's Guide мне кажется более фундаментальной и полезной.

[Ana Camille]

it help me a lot about creating games or simple games in dev c++

[Adam Sparks]

I suppose I am now a C++ king.