Book List One of the most important aspects of becoming a game developer is to keep up to date on the current state of the industry. One of the most effective way to do that is to read the books that other game developers read.

Categories   Game Design Game Art Game Programming Graphics Programming AI Programming Audio Programming Math and Physics XP Series Programming & Theory Game Producing Academics, History      & Fiction

Game Design

General Design

Chris Crawford on Game Design
by Chris Crawford
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 0131460994

Game Design: Theory and Practice
by Richard Rouse III
Wordware Publishing
ISBN: 1556227353

Game Design: Secret of the Sages
by Marc Saltzman
Brady Games
ISBN: 1566869870

Game Design : The Art & Business of Creating Games
by Bob Bates, Andre Lomothe
Prima Publishing
ISBN: 0761531653

Gender-Inclusive Game Design : Expanding the Market
by Sheri Graner-Ray
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502398

Rules of Play : Game Design Fundamentals
by Katie Salen, Eric Zimmerman
MIT Press
ISBN: 0262240459

Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering
by David Freeman
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 1592730078

Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design
by Andrew Rollings, Ernest Adams
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 1592730019

Game Architecture and Design : A New Edition
by Andrew Rollings, Dave Morris
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 0735713634

Game Development and Production
by Erik Bethke
Wordware Publishing
ISBN: 1556229518

Ultimate Game Design : Building Game Worlds
by Tom Meigs
McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
ISBN: 0072228997

Postmortems from Game Developer :
    Insights from the Developers of Unreal Tournament, Black and White, Age of Empires,
    and Other Top-Selling Games
by Austin Grossman
CMP Books
ISBN: 1578202140

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
by Edward Tufte
Graphics Press
ISBN: 0961392142

Envisioning Information
by Edward Tufte
Graphics Press
ISBN: 0961392118

Visual Explanations : Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative
by Edward Tufte
Graphics Press
ISBN: 0961392126

Industry

Game Creation and Careers : Insider Secrets from Industry Experts
by Marc Saltzman
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 0735713677

Game Plan :
    The Insider's Guide to Breaking In and Succeeding in the Computer
    and Video Game Business
by Alan Gershenfeld, Mark Loparco, Cecilia Barajas
St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 0312275048

Get in the Game : Careers in the Game Industry
by Marc Mencher
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 0735713073

Break Into The Game Industry : How to Get A Job Making Video Games
by Ernest Adams
McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
ISBN: 0072226609

Specialty

The Indie Game Development Survival Guide
by David Michael
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502142

Developing Online Games : An Insider's Guide
by Jessica Mulligan, Bridgette Patrovsky
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 1592730000

Designing Virtual Worlds
by Richard Bartle
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 1592730000

Designing Games in Java
by David Brackeen
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 1592730051

Designing 3D Games That Sell!
by Luke Ahearn
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584500433

Swords & Circuitry : A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games
by Neal Hallford, Jana Hallford
Premier Press
ISBN: 0761532994

Awesome Game Creation: No Programming Required
by Luke Ahearn
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1886801487

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Game Art

General Game Art

Creating the Art of the Game
by Matthew Omernick
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 0735714096

Game Art: The Graphic Art of Computer Games
by Leo Hartas, Dave Morris
Watson-Guptill Publications
ISBN: 0823020800

The Art of Final Fantasy IX
by Dan Birlew
Brady Games
ISBN: 0744000505

Designing Arcade Computer Game Graphics
by Ari Feldman
Wordware Publishing
ISBN: 1556227558

Game Art Elements F/X & Design
by Luke Ahearn
The Coriolis Group
ISBN: 1588801004

A Field Guide to Digital Color
AK Peters, Ltd.
ISBN: 1568811616

Game Art for Teens
by Les Pardew
Premier Press
ISBN: 1592003079

Texturing

Texturing & Modeling: A Procedural Approach, Third Edition
by Bill Mark, John Hart
Morgan Kaufmann
ISBN: 1558608486

Digital Texturing & Painting
by Owen Demers
Pearson Education
ISBN: 0735709181

The Dark Side of Game Texturing
by David Franson
Premier Press
ISBN: 1592003508

Modeling & Tools

2D Artwork and 3D Modeling for Game Artists
by David Franson
Premier Press
ISBN: 1931841330

3-D Human Modeling and Animation
by Peter Ratner
Wiley
ISBN: 0471215481

Digital Lighting & Rendering
by Jeremy Birn
Pearson Education
ISBN: 1562059548

Animating Real-Time Game Characters
by Paul Steed
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502703

Advanced RenderMan: Creating CGI for Motion Pictures
by Anthony A. Apodaca, Larry Gritz
Morgan Kaufmann Publishers
ISBN: 1558606181

Game Modeling Using Low Polygon Techniques
by Chad and Eric Walker
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584500557

Stop Staring : Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right
by Jason Osipa
Sybex Books
ISBN: 0782141293

Digital Animation Bible :
    Creating Professional Animation with 3ds Max, Lightwave, and Maya
by George Avgerakis
McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
ISBN: 0071414940

The Animator's Survival Kit :
    A Manual of Methods, Principles, and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games,
    Stop Motion, and Internet Animators
by Richard Williams
Faber & Faber
ISBN: 0571202284

Lightwave

Essential Lightwave 3d 8
by Timothy Albee
Wordware Publishing
ISBN: 1556222262

LightWave 8 Killer Tips
by Dan Ablan, Randy Sharp
New Riders
ISBN: 0735713715

Inside LightWave 8
by Dan Ablan
New Riders
ISBN: 0735713685

LightWave 3d 8 Texturing
by Leigh Van Der Byl
Wordware Publishing
ISBN: 1556222858

LightWave 3d 8 Lighting
by Nicholas Boughen
Wordware Publishing
ISBN: 1556220944

LightWave 3d 8 : 1001 Tips and Tricks
by Steve Warner, Robin Wood
Wordware Publishing
ISBN: 1556220901

3ds max

3ds max 6 Bible
by Kelly L. Murdock
Wiley
ISBN: 1556220820

3ds max 6 Fundamentals
by Ted Boardman
New Riders
ISBN: 0735713855

3ds max 6 Killer Tips
by Jon A. Bell
Pearson Education
ISBN: 0735713863

3ds Max 6 Animation and Visual Effects Techniques
by Sanford Kennedy
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584503343

Model, Rig, Animate! with 3ds max 6
by Michele Bousquet
Many Worlds Prod
ISBN: 0970683081

Modeling a Character in 3ds max
by Paul Steed
Wordware Publishing
ISBN: 1556228155

Maya

Maya 5 Fundamentals
by Jim Lammers, Garry Lewis
New Riders
ISBN: 0735713723

Maya 5 Killer Tips
by Eric Hanson
Pearson Education
ISBN: 0735713731

Inside Maya 5
by Max Sims, Mark Adams, Erick Miller
New Riders
ISBN: 0735712530

Introducing Maya 5 : 3D for Beginners
by Dariush Derakhshani
Sybex Inc
ISBN: 0782142397

Learning Maya 5: Foundation
by Alias, Sybex
Sybex Inc
ISBN: 1894893425

Learning Maya 5: Dynamics
by Alias, Sybex
Sybex Inc
ISBN: 1894893425

Learning Maya 5: Rendering
by Alias, Sybex
Sybex Inc
ISBN: 1894893433

Learning Maya 5: MEL Fundamentals
by Alias, Sybex
Sybex Inc
ISBN: 1894893441

Learning Maya 5: Character Rigging and Animation
by Alias, Sybex
Sybex Inc
ISBN: 1894893417

The Art of Maya
by Alias Wavefront
Alias System Distribution
ISBN: 1894893131

Maya Character Creation : Modeling and Animation Controls
by Chris Maraffi
New Riders
ISBN: 0735713448

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Game Programming

General

Core Techniques and Algorithms in Game Programming
by Daniel Sanchez-Crespo
New Riders
ISBN: 0131020099

3D Game Programming All in One
by Kenneth C. Finney
Course Technology
ISBN: 159200136X

Game Programming All in One
by Bruno Miguel Teixeira de Sousa
Learning Express
ISBN: 1931841233

Patterns in Game Design : Advanced Design Patterns for Games - Made Easier
by Andrew Rollings
The Coriolis Group
ISBN: 1576108732

Game Programming for Teens
by Maneesh Sethi
Muska & Lipman/Premier
ISBN: 1592000681

Game Programming Golden Rules
by Martin Brownlow
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584503068

Game Programming Gems
by Mark DeLoura
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584500492

Game Programming Gems 2
by Mark Deloura
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584500549

Game Programming Gems 3
by Mark Deloura
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502339

Game Programming Gems 4
by Mark Deloura
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502959

Infinite Game Universe, Volume 2 : Level Design, Terrain, and Sound
by Guy Lecky-Thompson
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502134

OS Specific

Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus
by Andre Lamothe
Sams
ISBN: 0672313618

Windows Game Programming for Dummies
by Andre Lamothe
For Dummies
ISBN: 0764516787

Tricks of the Mac Game Programming Gurus
by Jamie McCornack, Ingemar Ragnemalm, Paul Celestin
Macmillan Computer Pub
ISBN: 1568301839

Mac Game Programming
by Mark Szymczyk, Andre Lamothe
Premier Press
ISBN: 1931841187

Programming Linux Games
by John Hall
No Starch Press
ISBN: 1886411492

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Graphics Programming

General

3D Game Engine Design : A Practical Approach to Real-Time Computer Graphics
by David H. Eberly
Morgan Kaufmann Publishers
ISBN: 1558605932

Real-Time Rendering
by Tomas Moller, Eric Haines
A K Peters Ltd
ISBN: 1568811012

Real-Time Shader Programming
Morgan Kaufmann
ISBN: 1558608532

Graphics Programming Methods
by Jeff Lander
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502991

GPU Gems: Programming Techniques, Tips, and Trick for Real-Time Graphics
by Randima Fernando
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0321228324

3D Games, Volume 1 : Real-time Rendering and Software Technology
by Alan Watt, Fabio Policarpo
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201619210

Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques : Theory and Practice
by Alan H. Watt, Mark Watt
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201544121

Complete Maya Programming : An Extensive Guide to MEL and C++ API
Morgan Kaufmann
ISBN: 1558608354

Programming Dynamic Character Animation
by David Paull
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584500573

DirectX

Beginning DirectX 9
by Wendy Jones
Course Technology
ISBN: 1592003494

Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 9.0
by Frank D. Luna, Rod Lopez
Wordware Publishing
ISBN: 1556229135

Managed DirectX 9 Kick Start : Graphics and Game Programming
by Tom Miller
Pearson Education
ISBN: 0672325969

OpenGL

Beginning OpenGL Game Programming
by Wendy Jones
Course Technology
ISBN: 1592003699

OpenGL Programming Guide
by Dave Shreiner, Mason Woo, Jackie Neider, Tom Davis, OpenGL Architecture Review Board
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0321173481

OpenGL Reference Manual
by Dave Shreiner (Editor), Opengl Architecture Review Board
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 032117383X

OpenGL Shading Language
by Randi J. Rost, John M. Kessenich, Barthold Lichtenbelt, Marc Olano
Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 0321197895

OpenGL Programming for Windows 95 and Windows NT
by Ron Fosner
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201407094

OpenGL Programming for the X Window System
by Mark J. Kilgard
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201483599

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AI Programming

General

AI Game Development : Synthetic Creatures with Learning and Reactive Behaviors
by Alex J. Champandard
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 1592730043

AI Game Engine Programming
by Brian Schwab
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584503440

AI Game Programming Wisdom
by Steve Rabin
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584500778

AI Game Programming Wisdom 2
by Steve Rabin
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502894

AI Game Programming by Example
by Mat Buckland
Woodware Publishing
ISBN: 1556220782

AI Techniques for Game Programming
by Mat Buckland
Premier Press
ISBN: 193184108X

AI for Game Developers
by David Bourg, Gleen Seemann
O'Reilly & Associates
ISBN: 0596005555

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Audio Programming

General

Beginning Game Audio Programming
by Mason McCuskey
Premier Press
ISBN: 1592000290

The Complete Guide to Game Audio :
   For Composers, Musicians, Sound Designers, and Game Developers
by Aaron Marks
Premier Press
ISBN: 1578200830

The Fat Man on Game Audio : Tasty Morsels of Sonic Goodness
by George "Fat Man" Sanger
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 1592730094

Audio Programming for Interactive Games
by Martin D. Wilde
Focal Press
ISBN: 0240519418

Game Audio Programming
by James Boer
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502452

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Math and Physics

General

Beginning Math and Physics for Game Programmers
by Wendy Stahler
New Riders Games (NRG)
ISBN: 0735713901

Mathematics for 3D Game Programming & Computer Graphics
by Eric Lengyel
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502770

Mathematics for Game Developers
by Christopher Tremblay
Muska & Lipman/Premier
ISBN: 159200038X

Physics for Game Developers
by David M. Bourg
O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596000065

Collision Detection in Interactive 3D Environments
Morgan Kaufmann
ISBN: 155860801X

Infinite Game Universe : Mathematical Techniques
by Guy Lecky-Thompson
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584500581

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XP Series

General

Extreme Programming Explained
by Kent Beck
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201616416

Extreme Programming Installed
by Ron Jeffries
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201708426

Planning Extreme Programming
by Kent Beck, Martin Fowler
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201710919

Extreme Programming Examined
by Giancarlo Succi, Michele Marchesi
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201710404

Extreme Programming in Practice
by Robert C. Martin, James W. Newkirk
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201709376

Extreme Programming Explored
by William C. Wake, Bill Wake
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201733978

Extreme Programming Applied
by Ken Auer, Roy Miller
Addison Wesley Professional
ISBN: 0201616408

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Programming & Theory

General

The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master
by Andrew Hunt, David Thomas , Ward Cunningham
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 020161622X

Introduction To Algorithms
by Thomas H. Cormen
McGraw-Hill Higher Education
ISBN: 0070131430

Design Patterns
by Erich Gamma,Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides, Grady Booch
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201633612

Pattern Hatching : Design Patterns Applied
by John Vlissides
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201432935

Refactoring : Improving the Design of Existing Code
by Martin Fowler
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201485672

UML Distilled, Second Edition
by Martin Fowler
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 020165783X

The Unified Modeling Language User Guide
by Grady Booch, Ivar Jacobson, James Rumbaugh, Jim Rumbaugh
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201571684

Effective C++ : 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Design
by Scott Meyers
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201924889

More Effective C++ : 35 New Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs
by Scott Meyers
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 020163371X

Effective STL: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your Use of the Standard Template Library
by Scott Meyers
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201749629

Large-Scale C++ Software Design
by John Lakos
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201633620

Code Complete : A Practical Handbook of Software Construction
by Steve C McConnell
Microsoft Press
ISBN: 1556154844

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Game Producing

Game Industry

Game Development and Production
by Erik Bethke
Wordware Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1556229518

Secrets of the Game Business
by Francois Dominic Laramee
Charles River Media
ISBN: 1584502827

Game Development Business and Legal Guide
by Ashley Salisbury
Premier Press
ISBN: 1592000428

Game Developer's Market Guide
by Bob Bates
Premier Press
ISBN: 1592001041

Postmortems from Game Developer :
    Insights from the Developers of Unreal Tournament, Black and White, Age of Empires,
    and Other Top-Selling Games
by Austin Grossman
CMP Books
ISBN: 1578202140

General Management

The One Minute Manager Anniversary Ed :
    The World's Most Popular Management Method
by Kenneth H. Blanchard & Spencer Johnson
William Morrow Publisher
ISBN: 0688014291

Leadership and the One Minute Manager :
    Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership
by Ken Blanchard & Patricia Zigarmi
William Morrow Publisher
ISBN: 0688039693

Open-Book Management :
    The Coming Business Revolution
by John Case
HarperBusiness
ISBN: 0887308023

First, Break All the Rules :
    What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0684852861

Software for Your Head :
    Core Protocols for Creating and Maintaining Shared Vision
by Jim McCarthy, Michele McCarthy
Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 0201604566

The Effective Executive Revised
by Peter F. Drucker
HarperBusiness
ISBN: 0060516070

The 17 Essential Qualities Of A Team Player Becoming The Kind Of Person
    Every Team Wants
by John C. Maxwell
Nelson Books
ISBN: 0785274359

The 80/20 Principle :
    The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less
by Richard Koch
Currency
ISBN: 0385491743

Organizing Genius :
    The Secrets of Creative Collaboration
by Warren Bennis, Patricia Ward Biederman
Perseus Books Group
ISBN: 0201339897

Good to Great :
    Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
by Jim Collins
HarperBusiness
ISBN: 0066620996

Parkinson's Law
by C. Northcote Parkinson
Buccaneer Books
ISBN: 1568490151

Project Management

Software Project Survival Guide
by Steve C McConnell
Microsoft Press
ISBN: 1572316217

Rapid Development : Taming Wild Software Schedules
by Steve C McConnell
Microsoft Press
ISBN: 1556159005

Waltzing With Bears : Managing Risk on Software Projects
by Tom Demarco, Timothy Lister
Dorset House Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0932633609

How To Run Successful Projects III :
    The Silver Bullet
by Fergus O'Connell
Addison Wesley Longman
ISBN: 0201748061

Slack : Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency
by Tom Demarco
Broadway
ISBN: 0767907698

Death March :
    The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving 'Mission Impossible' Projects
by Edward Yourdon
Prentice Hall PTR
ISBN: 0130146595

Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering
by Robert L. Glass
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0321117425

Professional Software Development :
    Shorter Schedules, Higher Quality Products, More Successful Projects, Enhanced Careers
by Steve McConnell
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0321193679

Software Requirements, 2nd Edition
by Karl E. Wiegers
Microsoft Press
ISBN: 0735618798

Peopleware : Productive Projects and Teams, 2nd Ed.
by Tom Demarco, Timothy Lister
Dorset House Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0932633439

Effective Project Management : Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme, 3rd Ed.
by Robert K. Wysocki, Rudd McGary
Wiley
ISBN: 0471432210

The Deadline : A Novel About Project Management
by Tom Demarco
Dorset House Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0932633390

The Mythical Man-Month : Essays on Software Engineering, 20th Anniversary Edition
by Frederick P. Brooks
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201835959

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Academics & History

Academics

Rules of Play : Game Design Fundamentals
by Katie Salen, Eric Zimmerman
MIT Press
ISBN: 0262240459

The Video Game Theory Reader
by Mark J. P. Wolf (Editor), Bernard Perron (Editor)
Routledge
ISBN: 0415965799

The Medium of the Video Game
by Mark J. P. Wolf (Editor)
University of Texas Press
ISBN: 029279150X

What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
by James Paul Gee
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 1403961697

Computers As Theatre
by Brenda Laurel
Addison-Wesley Pub Co
ISBN: 0201550601

History

Dungeons and Dreamers : The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic
by Brad King, John Borland
McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
ISBN: 0072228881

Masters of Doom : How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
by David Kushner
Random House
ISBN: 0812972155

Trigger Happy : Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution
by Steven Poole
Fourth Estate
ISBN: 1559705396

Joystick Nation
by J.C. Herz
Little, Brown, & Co.
ISBN: 0316360074

The First Quarter : A 25-year History of Video Games
by Steven L. Kent
B W D Pr
ISBN: 0970475500

High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games
by Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson
Osborne/McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 0072224282

The Ultimate History of Video Games :
    From Pong to Pokemon -- The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives
    and Changed the World
by Steven L. Kent
Prima Lifestyles
ISBN: 0761536434

Fiction

Blue Wizard Is About to Die :
    Prose, Poems, and Emoto-Versatronic Expressionist Pieces About
    Video Games 1980-2003
by Seth "Fingers" Flynn Barkan, Warren Wucinich
Rusty Immelman Press
ISBN: 0974100005

Lucky Wander Boy
by D. B. Weiss
Plume Books
ISBN: 0452283949

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