Vitor Cantão

Game Development Blog

Code

Game Engine Architecture

Image

If you are an intermediate game dev, this book is the one that you should put right now on your desk. By the time you finish it, game engines may not be a magical black box anymore, but a wonderful world that you’ll start to understand. This knowledge will be invaluable when exploring more advanced topics later on.

Game Programming Patterns

Image

Hey, Game Developer!
Do you struggle to make your code hang together into a cohesive whole?
Find it harder to make changes as your codebase grows?
Feel like your game is a giant hairball where everything is intertwined with everything else?
Wonder if and how design patterns apply to games?
Hear things like “cache coherency” and “object pools”, but don’t know how to use them to make your game faster?
I’m here to help! Game Programming Patterns is a collection of patterns I found in games that make code cleaner, easier to understand, and faster.

There is a free web version, go read it!

Clean Code

Image

My favorite book about coding, and gladly, my first book on code design. It made me realize we don’t write code for computers, but for other programmers (ourselves too). Sometimes a little extreme, nonetheless, a great book that taught me not simply to write correct code, but good code!

Maybe not so great for my college friends… as they don’t really like it when I summon this book unto their codes.

Code Complete

Image

I think Code Complete is a book that every developer should read. There are so much content and experience throughout the pages, and not only about programming per se, but dealing with you as a programmer and with your team.

There are hard data, code horror, and real-life sections that are hard to find somewhere else. Also, the recommendations provided are great, leading you in the right direction.

Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C#

Game Design

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses

Image

This book will probably change your life, or at least, how you perceive game design. It’s so fun to read even if you are not into creating games. It really is a magical book that will inspire you.

The Design of Everyday Things
Rules of Play
Game Design Workshop