3D Game Programming for Teens [Paperback]

Eric D. Grebler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2006 | Series: For Teens

"3D Game Programming for Teens" is a comprehensive, step-by-step introduction to 3D game programming for both teenagers and non-programmers. Organized into three parts, the book begins with an introduction to the game development industry, the game development process, and game engines including WildTangent. Part two covers JavaScript and Web programming and illustrates multiple concepts including variables, loops, and arrays. The final part of the book brings all of the concepts learned together, as the reader incrementally builds a 3D game as each skill is introduced. "3D Game Programming for Teens" assumes no prior programming experience and focuses on teaching the basic skills needed to build a simple 3D game. Once the reader has mastered those basics they can apply them to more complex game engines and game building. Helpful definitions, examples, sample code, and a hands-on tutorial approach make the book a simple yet complete introduction to 3D game programming.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 427 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (May 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159200900X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592009008
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,236,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Teens > Education & Reference > Science & Technology > Computers

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3D Programming for Teens - well, actually for anyone!, July 3, 2006

By 

Ian Price "rockford" (M.K. U.K. OK!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3D Game Programming for Teens (Paperback)

Don't let the run down of this book fool you. Despite what the read-up states, this book appears to concentrate on coding in Blitz3D - a fantastic 2D and 3D program, capable of producing excellent results very quickly.

This book appears to cover all the basics required to get you up and running and creating your very own 3D games using the tools available on the included CD (demo versions of Blitz3D, 3ds Max8 and CorelDRAW). Following the easy to read prose, you will discover how to create a real 3D game from the foundations up, including game design, graphics, sound, modelling and gameplay techniques, hints and tips.

Whilst this book is about programming computer games, it also deals with the history of gaming - although this limited to videogame consoles and ignores home computers completely - something which I find very odd, seeing as home computers such as the ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC, Commodore Amiga and Atari ST and even PCs etc. allow(ed) people to actually create their own games at home - something no consoles ever did.

However, the information contained within the first sections are accurate, up-to-date, but very brief. The author does rightly state that to cover gaming achievements and machines etc. would take a book in itself, but still omitting home computers is strange in a book based on programming.

The book is easy to read, and is squarely aimed at beginners to programming 3D games - whether a teenager or not.

Whilst this book shows you how to code a game in Blitz3D, it does not attempt to actually teach 3D programming, rather it just uses the 3D commands etc. within Blitz3D - you will not be able to create your very own FPS or other 3D game in a different programming lanaguage.

The book contains numerous photos and diagrams which help to describe what you should be seeing whilst working through the book and clearly explains the tools that you will be working with.

Overall, a great book for anyone that is new to programming and/or interested in creating their very own 3D games, no matter what your age. Ideal for beginners.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Learn Basic programming concepts before reading this book., October 14, 2006

By 

Sheryl J. Brown - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3D Game Programming for Teens (Paperback)

In my opinion, this book is very out of order. The author teaches you concepts about 3D programming, before he acually tells you the basics about programming. So throughout the whole book, you don't understand why or what you are typeing. I was able to understand the book very well, only because I have been programming for a bit already. If you'd like to learn basic 3D programming, this is a very good book. Just read a few other books about programming before you read this. It will make understanding this book much easier. I'd recommend "Game Programming For Teens 2E", it's the first programming book I read. And that book is very well put together, unlike this one.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Choice For The Right Audience, June 19, 2009

By 

Bruce Kirkpatrick (the worktable on my boat) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 3D Game Programming for Teens (Paperback)

The intended audience for this book is someone with an interest in Video Game programming with possibly a bit of previous programming experience in any language.

I would imagine that the series title "for teens" is a marketers idea of a synonym for "for dummies" or such. In any case the book does deliver in that the style is light, the learning curve very reasonable, and a substantial amount of material is covered. The author does a very good job of isolating the concept being discussed at each point in the text and in the related code examle presented.

On the downside, there are a small number of problems with the example code (about 5), and I also thought that the start of each example project that started in the middle of a chapter could have been hilited better. These points are a little picky so I only dinged it one star.

While the author could have gone into more depth topics, there is really nothing that could have been cut from the book without harm so more depth would have meant a larger and most likely costlier book. As it is, the book provides a solid enough foundation for an interested reader to extend the concepts to more complex projects.

While C++ or C# might be a great destination for someone with aspirations of being a professional game programmer, the learning curve on those languages is far steeper than the Blitz Basic used here, and the game design concepts one would aquire using this framework will come much faster and be quite transferrable.

For someone at the level of "a little bit of programming experience or ready for a small challenge", this is a fine selection.

If you feel you are beyond this and are looking to jump into a C flavor game environment, I would check out the just released: Microsoft® XNA® Game Studio 3.0: Learn Programming Now! (Pro - Developer) by Rob Miles.
The author also has a free downloadable C# tutorial pdf book that can be accessed through his website verysillygames.com which is outstanding.

If you want to start at a more introductory level I would suggest: The Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners (Technology in Action) by Jacob Habgood, Mark Overmars, and Phil Wilson - a book that is, in my opinion, simply the most well crafted instructional book of any kind I have ever read.

Bruce Kirkpatrick
MCSE, MCSD, MCDBA, MCT, OCP, iNet+, Network+, Security +, A+ ... and so on