215 Free Ebooks & Resources on Game Development and Graphics Programming

Getting started in game development is easy. If you can code, you can develop games. It takes a few tools and some time, but it’s a useful skill, even for app developers. Knowing how to develop games, even simple ones, can build your skill set. Sometimes game development is a challenging, painful process — but nothing compares to seeing the pure elation of someone experiencing your game for the first time. The process breaks down to the following five stages: Prototyping, progress, ship, watch, and repeat.

Graphics programmers are dedicated to ensuring the game looks as good as it possibly can. This means making the graphics as detailed as possible without impacting on the speed and playability of the game. The job is all about maths, rendering and optimisation. A graphics programmer usually reports to the lead programmer and works with the rest of the programming team.

This is a comprehensive lists related to game development and realtime graphics programming. Resources include free ebooks, magazines, talks, podcasts, blogs, tutorials and guides on specific areas such as rendering, ray tracing, colors, lighting, shapes and many more. If you’re game developer, graphic / web designer, new or experienced, we hope this list will benefit you in various ways.

Game Development Ebooks

1. The Nature of Code by Daniel Shiffman
   This book focuses on a range of programming strategies and techniques behind computer simulations of natural systems, from elementary concepts in mathematics and physics to more advanced algorithms that enable sophisticated visual results.
2. Game Programming Patterns by Robert Nystrom
   Game Programming Patterns is a collection of patterns I found in games that make code cleaner, easier to understand, and faster.
3. 2D Game Development: From Zero To Hero by Penaz
   This book aims to be as in-depth as possible, so you can create your own game either from scratch or using one of the many engines available.

Free Game Dev Magazines

1. GameDaily Connect
2. GDC Vault
3. Indie Mag
4. Making Games
5. Indie O Rama – Spanish

Gaming Dev Talks

GDC Talks

1. Overwatch – The Elusive Goal: Play by Sound by Scott Lawlor, Tomas Neumann (Blizzard) – 2016
2. How to Make Your Game Just Completely Hilarious: The Stanley Parable by William Pugh (Roberts & Co Bunsen Outlet Limited) – 2015
3. Classic Game Postmortem: Loom by Brian Moriarty (WPI) – 2015
4. Hearthstone: How to Create an Immersive User Interface by Derek Sakamoto (Blizzard) – 2015
5. Scroll Back: The Theory and Practice of Cameras in Side-Scrollers by Itay Keren (Untame) – 2015
6. A Live Art Demonstration of Creating Worlds through Design Thinking by Feng Zhu (Feng Zhu Design) – 2015
7. Hearthstone: 10 Bits of Design Wisdom by Eric Dodds (Blizzard) – 2014
8. Level Design in a Day: Decisions That Matter – Meaningful Choice in Game and Level Design by Matthias Worch (2K Games) – 2014
9. There and Dad Again – The Octodad: Dadliest Catch Postmortem by John Murphy, Phil Tibitoski (Young Horses) – 2014
10. TwitchPlayedPokemon: An Analysis of the Experimental Interactive Phenomenon by Alex Leavitt (USC) – 2014
11. Narrative Legos by Ken Levine (Irrational Games) – 2014
12. Antichamber: An Overnight Success, Seven Years in the Making by Alexander Bruce – 2014
13. Antichamber: Three Years of Hardcore Iteration by Alexander Bruce – 2014
14. A Study in Transparency: How Board Games Matter by Soren Johnson (Mohawk Games) – 2014
15. Hearts and Minds by Frank Lantz (NYU Game Center) – 2014
16. Interpreting Feedback and Maintaining Your Vision by Andy Nguyen (Pocketwatch Games) – 2014
17. Why Is Gone Home a Game? by Steve Gaynor (The Fullbright Company) – 2014
18. Jiro Dreams of Game Design by Brenda Romero (UC Santa Cruz) – 2014
19. Preserving a Sense of Discovery in the Age of Spoilers by James Crawford (Twinbeard Studios) – 2014
20. Animation Bootcamp: An Indie Approach to Procedural Animation by David Rosen (Wolfire Games) – 2014
21. Super Time Force: Solving the Time Travel Paradox by Kenneth Yeung (Capy Games) – 2014
22. Enhancing Sportsmanship in Online Games by Jeffrey Lin (Riot Games) – 2014
23. The Art of The Witness by Luis Antonio (Thekla Inc) – 2014
24. Building the Content that Drives the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Economy by Bronwen Grimes (Valve) – 2014
25. Classic Game Postmortem: Myst by Robyn Miller (Zoo Break Gun Club) – 2013
26. #1ReasonToBe by Annakaisa Kultima, Auriea Harvey, Brenda Romero, Zuraida Buter, Henrike aka Riker Lode, Siobhan Reddy, Leigh Alexander (Panel) – 2013
27. Obsessive-Compulsive Development: Retro/Grade Postmortem by Matt Gilgenbach (24 Caret Games) – 2013
28. The Western Games That Conquered China by Henry Fong (Yodo1) – 2013
29. Designing Journey by Jenova Chen (thatgamecompany) – 2013
30. AI Postmortems: Assassin’s Creed III, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and Warframe by Daniel Brewer, Alex Cheng, Richard Dumas, Aleissia Laidacker (Panel) – 2013
31. Building the Touchy-Feely World of Tearaway by Rex Crowle (Media Molecule) – 2013
32. A Theory of Fun 10 Years Later by Raph Koster (Playdom) – 2012
33. Attention, Not Immersion: Making Your Games Better with Psychology and Playtesting, the Uncharted Way by Richard Lemarchand (Naughty Dog) – 2012
34. Classic Game Postmortem: Harvest Moon by Yasuhiro Wada (Toy Box, Inc.) – 2012
35. The 5 Domains of Play: Applying Psychology’s Big 5 Motivation Domains to Games by Jason VandenBerghe (Ubisoft) – 2012
36. Creating a Sequel to a Game That Doesn’t Need One by Chet Faliszek, Erik Wolpaw (Valve) – 2012
37. How I Got My Mom to Play Through Plants vs. Zombies by George Fan (PopCap) – 2012
38. Design in Detail: Tuning the Muzzle Velocity of the Plasma Rifle Bolt on Legendary Difficulty Across the HALO Franchise by Jaime Griesemer (Bungie) – 2011
39. Dynamics: The State of the Art by Clint Hocking (LucasArts) – 2011
40. Life and Death and Middle Pair: Go, Poker and the Sublime by Frank Lantz (Zynga) – 2011
41. The Road Ahead by Cliff Bleszinski (Epic Games) – 2011
42. Truth in Game Design by Jonathan Blow (Number None, Inc.) – 2011
43. Design in Detail: Changing the Time Between Shots for the Sniper Rifle from 0.5 to 0.7 Seconds for Halo 3 by Jaime Griesemer (Bungie) – 2010
44. Everything You Know is Wrong by by Sid Meier (Firaxis Games) – 2010
45. Everything I Learned About Level Design I Learned from Disneyland by Scott Rogers (THQ) – 2009
46. Helping Your Players Feel Smart: Puzzles as User Interface by Randy Smith (Tiger Style) – 2009
47. Indie Prototyping by Jonathan Blow (Number None, Inc.) – 2007
48. Innovation in Indie Games by Kyle Gabler, Jenova Chen, Jon Mak, Jon Blow (Panel) – 2007
49. It’s Great to be Back! Fast Code, Game Programming, and Other Thoughts from 20 (Minus Two) Years in the Trenches by Michael Abrash (Rad Game Tools) – 2000

TED Talks

1. Physical Therapy Is Boring — Play A Game Instead by Cosmin Mihaiu – 2015 (TED)
2. Play This Game To Come Up With Original Ideas by Shimpei Takahashi – 2015 (TEDxTokyo)
3. Massively Multi-Player… Thumb-Wrestling? by Jane McGonigal (Institute for the Future) – 2013 (TEDGlobal)
4. The Game That Can Give You 10 Extra Years Of Life by Jane McGonigal – 2012 (TEDGlobal)
5. Your Brain On Video Games by Daphne Bavelier (University of Geneva) – 2012 (TEDxCHUV)
6. Gaming For Understanding by Brenda Romero (Loot Drop) – 2012 (TEDxPhoenix)
7. How Games Make Kids Smarter by Gabe Zichermann (Author) – 2011 (TEDxKids@Brussels)
8. 7 Ways Games Reward The Brain by Tom Chatfield – 2010 (TEDGlobal)
9. The Game Layer On Top Of The World by Seth Priebatsch – 2010 (TEDxBoston)
10. Meet Milo, The Virtual Boy by Peter Molyneux – 2010 (TEDGlobal)
11. Gaming Can Make A Better World by Jane McGonigal (Institute for the Future) – 2010 (TED)
12. The Art of Puzzles by Scott Kim (Discover Magazine) – 2009 (EG)
13. Play is More than Just Fun by Stuart Brown (National Institute for Play) – 2009 (Serious Play)
14. Games for Girls by Brenda Laurel (California College of the Arts) – 1998 (TED)
15. Spore, Birth of a Game by Will Wright (Maxis) – 2007 (TED)
16. Are Games Better than Liife? by David Perry (Gaikai) – 2006 (TED)