Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius [Paperback]

Ian Cinnamon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071497528 | ISBN-13: 978-0071497527 | Publication Date: February 29, 2008 | Edition: 1

IF EVIL'S YOUR NAME, THEN THESE ARE YOUR GAMES!

Always wanted to be a genius game creator? This Evil Genius guide goes far beyond a typical programming class or text to reveal insider tips for breaking the rules and constructing wickedly fun games that you can tweak and customize to suit your needs!

In Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius, programming wunderkind Ian Cinnamon gives you everything you need to create and control 57 gaming projects. You'll find easy-to-follow plans featuring Java, the most universal programming language, that run on any PC, Mac, or Linux computer.

• Illustrated instructions and plans for an awesome mix of racing, board, shoot 'em up, strategy, retro, and puzzle games
• Gaming projects that vary in difficulty-starting with simple programs and progressing to sophisticated projects for programmers with advanced skills
• An interactive companion website featuring a free Java compiler, where you can share your projects with Evil Geniuses around the globe
• Removes the frustration-factor-all the parts you need are listed, along with sources

Regardless of your skill level, Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius provides you with all the strategies, code, and insider programming advice you need to build and test your games with ease, such as:

• Radical Racing
• Screen Skier
• Whack an Evil Genius
• Tic-Tac-Toe Boxing
• Snake Pit
• Space Destroyers
• Bomb Diffuser
• Trapper
• Oiram
• Java Man
• Memory
• Ian Says

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ian Cinnamon is a 15-year old phenom who has been programming for over 7 years, and is certified in both Java and C++. He is currently a sophomore at Harvard-Westlake School.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics; 1 edition (February 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071497528
• ISBN-13: 978-0071497527
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Game Programming

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginning programmers, June 28, 2008

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius (Paperback)

This is a great book if you know what you are getting - a text that teaches you the basics of Java in parallel with simple game programming. In that sense it is somewhat mislabeled. This is great for high schoolers and up who are interested in both subjects, and is particularly good for people who don't have the patience to go through Core Java(TM), Volume I--Fundamentals (8th Edition) (Sun Core Series), which is the best book on Java programming on the market, in my opinion. The games are pretty simple, so you won't get bored with the details, but there is enough meat here that you will learn something. However, don't expect to get excited by the results of the simple games that you write either. When you're through, you'll have some idea of how to think like a game programmer and have a basic understanding of Java. Once you do understand Core Java and this book, you might want to check out Killer Game Programming in Java, which is the best book out there on game programming specifically in the Java language, even three years after it was published.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Seed for Big Thinking, January 23, 2009

By 

Willaim Vikelle - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius (Paperback)

Praise to Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius!

This is the only Christmas gift that my boys (a junior and freshman) are still using. For the life of me I could never understand the inner workings of Java, but I know the results of this book have created a great deal of excitement about computer programming for both of them. My oldest is even considering a major in this field.

This is proof positive that a single book can have a very big influence.

(In case anyone is wondering, it does work on a Mac)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun witrh Son, March 22, 2008

By 

Hendrie D. Weisinger - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius (Paperback)

This is a great book for parents to share with their kids who love video games and have an interest in computer programing. The design of the book is perfect and the conent is easy to apply, even for a computer programing novice. In fact, schools would do well to incorporate it into their computer curriculum as I never met a kid who didn't want to beat the game. I "used" the book with my son and we had a lot of fun developing a program together.