12 Games of Christmas

Finally, a book that treats game development with the care it deserves.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with game development.

A worthwhile addition to my shelf, with realistic expectations.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. Four stars, and I suspect a second edition could easily push it to five.

Exactly the book I needed. Straight to the point and genuinely useful.

This is the third book I have read on game development this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.