programming

This guy is a true Game Programmer Guru. He is also very clear with his words and code. I don't think there is any other Java Game Programming book that comes even close to this one. The book makes complex topics like multi-player games over the Internet look simple !!! "Let's make a framework for a game server using NIO." Wow !!! If you want to show us that, so let's do it. I don't trust any other book that is not from O'Reilly, but this one is a CLASSIC. O'Reilly should hire this guy to write more game programming books for them.

I have to admit that this book is a very good java game programming book. Probably the best book on the matter out there, perhaps until the new crop of 2004 java game programming books start showing up on the bookshelves. I was able to take the source code provided and get "most" of the projects running smoothly. Most importantly, the side scroller example worked great. Basically, the book does a great job of providing almost everything you'll need to know about getting a fullscreen java game running on your system. I have to agree with most things everyone has said about the book in their reviews. However, that doesn't mean the book warrants 5 stars...

What I don't like about the book is the pages and pages and pages of code plastered in the book. I simply cannot give a book a high rating when so much of the book contains cut-and-paste code. If you want to learn game programming, you should be sitting in front of you computer with code on your screen. I'm fine with some code snippets here and there, but when you're provided with a great downloadable source (which the book has), you don't need the overkill in the text. The book would be much more conducive to focusing on game framework explanations if you weren't flipping through pages of code but rather referencing the book and looking at your screen.

Just my two cents on programming books. Otherwise, the book does contain very good content that all java game programmers will want to know.

I have read countless books on games and Java and all those pale in comparision to this book. It teaches one thing: how to make games in Java. It doesn't walk the reader through the API like some books; it doesn't simply port games from C++. It has a very logical flow starting with threading, going next to 2d graphics, sound, 3d objects, and even much information on AI, scripting and optimization. This is the ultimate book for those who want to know how to program 2D/3D Java games.