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The Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners
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Product Details
| Binding: | Kindle Edition |
|---|---|
| EAN: | |
| Label: | Apress |
| Feature: | |
| Publisher: | Apress |
| Studio: | Apress |
Editorial Reviews
The Game Makers Apprentice shows you how to create nine exciting games using the wildly popular Game Maker game creation tool. This book covers a range of genres, including action, adventure, and puzzle games complete with professional quality sound effects and visuals. It discusses game design theory and features practical examples of how this can be applied to making games that are more fun to play.
Game Maker allows games to be created using a simple drag-and-drop interface, so you don't need to have any prior coding experience. It includes an optional programming language for adding advanced features to your games, when you feel ready to do so. You can obtain more information by visiting book.gamemaker.nl.
The authors include the creator of the Game Maker tool and a former professional game programmer, so you'll glean understanding from their expertise. The book also includes a DVD containing Game Maker software and all of the game projects that are created in the bookplus a host of professional-quality graphics and sound effects that you can use in your own games.
Customer Reviews
Vagif Abilov "Vagif @ 2007-03-19 An excellent book for children interested in programming
My 12 year old son got interested in how computers work and especially how computer games get written. Being a software developer myself, I however could not explain him well these topics in a language that would be easily understood by a kid. And I am not a game programming expert, so I simply don't know how this stuff is written.
When I first saw this book, I was not sure if it would be suitable for a kid. But I decided to take a risk, since the book had a lot of illustrations and language did not seem to be very technical. I gave it to my son two days ago, and I can see alredy now that this was an excellent gift: he used all weekend on reading chapters from the book, trying making his first games, calling his parents all the time to show us his achievement. He even found a forum for game development, asked questions, received answers and made improvements in his first programs based on discussion results! And by the way - English is a foreign language for him.
I wish all books for beginners was written in a such entertaining way.
When I first saw this book, I was not sure if it would be suitable for a kid. But I decided to take a risk, since the book had a lot of illustrations and language did not seem to be very technical. I gave it to my son two days ago, and I can see alredy now that this was an excellent gift: he used all weekend on reading chapters from the book, trying making his first games, calling his parents all the time to show us his achievement. He even found a forum for game development, asked questions, received answers and made improvements in his first programs based on discussion results! And by the way - English is a foreign language for him.
I wish all books for beginners was written in a such entertaining way.
#1mom @ 2007-04-11 A Must Have for Game Developer Wannabe's!
The title should be The Game Maker's Master Teacher! This book is very well written with clear, step by step instructions and visual images for reference. After completing a section, the authors provide a graphic of what your computer screen should look like if you followed directions correctly. My son, 9, and I worked through the first chapter over a 2 day period (about 3 hours total) and created our first game. He was thrilled! He immediately had ideas on how to "tweak" the game to make it even better. The great thing with this book and accompanying software is that you have the freedom to do so! The disc provides many images to use in game development or you can create your own. Each chapter adds new skills and details to make more interesting and complex games. However, even the first game is fun!
I would highly reccommend this book to anyone interested in creating your own video games. It is extremely user friendly and perfect for the beginner. My son is able to read through and understand it on his own, but it's more fun to work on it together. (Also, he was more apt to use the visuals to take him through the process but not read the supporting information along the way!) By the end of the first chapter he understood the process fairly well and was able to remember (more than me!) most of the steps as he started creating his own new game. The only improvement I could see is having a "quick reference" page outlining the major steps. With it's user-friendly format, however, it has been pretty easy to flip back through the chapter for reference.
I would highly reccommend this book to anyone interested in creating your own video games. It is extremely user friendly and perfect for the beginner. My son is able to read through and understand it on his own, but it's more fun to work on it together. (Also, he was more apt to use the visuals to take him through the process but not read the supporting information along the way!) By the end of the first chapter he understood the process fairly well and was able to remember (more than me!) most of the steps as he started creating his own new game. The only improvement I could see is having a "quick reference" page outlining the major steps. With it's user-friendly format, however, it has been pretty easy to flip back through the chapter for reference.
Alexander Aris "Alex @ 2006-07-24 Game Making Simplicity and Strength at its Best !
The Game Maker's Apprentice has to be one of my most eagerly awaited Computer Book purchases for quite sometime. The fabulous presentation and great use of terminology, really makes it a joy to read. Each chapter guides you through gently, in order to achieve more confidence into creating your own game or project. Each page is colourful and the beautiful illustrations brings things to life.
The book is accompanied by a great CD with all of the examples, resources and Game Maker itself, which is really easy to get into. Within no time at all, you'll get used to it's interface and workings. The tutorials start you off with the basics and progressively bring you to the wonderfully powerful Game Maker Language (GML). So not only can you create games using a Drag 'n' Drop interface, you can also use a powerful programming language as well. All of this is included in the unregistered version, but by paying an ever so reasonable registration fee, you unlock the full potential of Game Maker.
I used Game Maker to create my first ever PC game, Bugsy. The Game Maker Forum helped me out when I came across a problem or a bug I couldn't resolve. There a lots of games and projects created with this wonderful program. You will also find many other sites across the Internet that provide helpful advice and tutorials. Not forgetting the official Game Maker site run and hosted by Mark Overmars.
The books co-writer, Jacob Habgood, has made a marvellous job along side Mark, to make this a very interesting book indeed.
You might also be interested to know, that another book covering the Game Maker theme, Basic Game Design and Creation by Namu Swamy is available as well. This also brings you to the Game Maker stable to learn some very easy steps into the basics of game design without it appearing too boring or tiresome.
Your gaming ideas and projects start here !
The book is accompanied by a great CD with all of the examples, resources and Game Maker itself, which is really easy to get into. Within no time at all, you'll get used to it's interface and workings. The tutorials start you off with the basics and progressively bring you to the wonderfully powerful Game Maker Language (GML). So not only can you create games using a Drag 'n' Drop interface, you can also use a powerful programming language as well. All of this is included in the unregistered version, but by paying an ever so reasonable registration fee, you unlock the full potential of Game Maker.
I used Game Maker to create my first ever PC game, Bugsy. The Game Maker Forum helped me out when I came across a problem or a bug I couldn't resolve. There a lots of games and projects created with this wonderful program. You will also find many other sites across the Internet that provide helpful advice and tutorials. Not forgetting the official Game Maker site run and hosted by Mark Overmars.
The books co-writer, Jacob Habgood, has made a marvellous job along side Mark, to make this a very interesting book indeed.
You might also be interested to know, that another book covering the Game Maker theme, Basic Game Design and Creation by Namu Swamy is available as well. This also brings you to the Game Maker stable to learn some very easy steps into the basics of game design without it appearing too boring or tiresome.
Your gaming ideas and projects start here !
Papa Bear "Tinman132 @ 2008-04-13 Déjà Vu - Hoping for More (3.5 Stars)
I downloaded Game Maker 7.0 and read its manual prior to purchasing this book.
My hope was that it would fill in the "holes" not explained by the program manual.
First, the good.
The book gives an excellent explanation of program logic and keeps things simple and effective for any experience level.
I also liked the fact that you could read the book and see examples without actually completing the tutorials.
I especially liked the way the book would demonstrate a particular game tutorial with an easy-to-read flow chart.
So if you didn't understand the Game Maker's manual this book IS for you.
Here is where my 3.5 star rating comes in.
I paid about $25 for the book to go beyond the program manual.
The book had a couple of the tutorials that were listed on Yo-Yo games web site. I don't like the idea of paying for something that is provided for free. However, it gave a better explanation of Game Maker's interface.
Although you can make a fully functioning game without programming, I was hoping for more guidance on Game Maker Language (GML), which you will need in fine tuning games created with Game Maker.
I was also hoping for more variety in the tutorials. Not everyone may want to make an action oriented game. For example, I wanted to make a little board game, but that isn't discussed in the book. Hopefully, it will be covered in the next edition or another book.
I still recommend the book, but make sure you are getting it for the right reasons. Review the PDF file and sample text carefully looking at the table of contents and index. You might be able to accomplish your goals by reading Game Maker's manual and looking through the forums.
My hope was that it would fill in the "holes" not explained by the program manual.
First, the good.
The book gives an excellent explanation of program logic and keeps things simple and effective for any experience level.
I also liked the fact that you could read the book and see examples without actually completing the tutorials.
I especially liked the way the book would demonstrate a particular game tutorial with an easy-to-read flow chart.
So if you didn't understand the Game Maker's manual this book IS for you.
Here is where my 3.5 star rating comes in.
I paid about $25 for the book to go beyond the program manual.
The book had a couple of the tutorials that were listed on Yo-Yo games web site. I don't like the idea of paying for something that is provided for free. However, it gave a better explanation of Game Maker's interface.
Although you can make a fully functioning game without programming, I was hoping for more guidance on Game Maker Language (GML), which you will need in fine tuning games created with Game Maker.
I was also hoping for more variety in the tutorials. Not everyone may want to make an action oriented game. For example, I wanted to make a little board game, but that isn't discussed in the book. Hopefully, it will be covered in the next edition or another book.
I still recommend the book, but make sure you are getting it for the right reasons. Review the PDF file and sample text carefully looking at the table of contents and index. You might be able to accomplish your goals by reading Game Maker's manual and looking through the forums.
Matt Miller @ 2006-08-20 Excellent resource for learning game oriented programming.
This book is an excellent resource for learning the fundamentals of game programming and the logic necessary to be successful at it. The book is well written, easy to follow and understand. The tutorials are fun and the games you create, while relatively simple, are quite enjoyable. The 3 or so chapters on game development are also sound and offer some excellent insight into making a good game. The Game Maker software included with the book, with it's built in programming language, is surprisingly powerful and intuitive. Additionally, Game Maker has a very strong on-line presence and has an extremely active forum for asking questions that aren't covered, or are beyond the scope of the book. (And it's all free too!!)
I really can't say enough good things about this book\CD package. The book is well done and the Game Maker software really makes it fun to learn programming, which is soemthing you won't hear often about other "learn-how-to-program" books.
I really can't say enough good things about this book\CD package. The book is well done and the Game Maker software really makes it fun to learn programming, which is soemthing you won't hear often about other "learn-how-to-program" books.
Richard Osborne @ 2007-01-09 Works Great in my Classes
I use this book as a textbook on Game Maker, which is one of the modules in my Advanced Technology class for Middle School Students. It is absolutely perfect for this age group. The CD provides all the necessary support resources so we don't lose time and interest having to build sprites, objects, and rooms. Before I taught the whole class, I gave the book to one of the brighter students. He was able to build the Evil Clutches game working completely independent of the class, having only the book. This confirmed to me that the book can be used by beginners. The book is so well done that all I have to do is facilitate the class and provide help to students who have questions. It also provides the completed games that I show to those students who need to see the completed product to understand the concepts.
Raymond @ 2006-11-27 Best Of Its Kind
There is no question this is the best book available to teach a beginner how to write a computer game. There is not even a close second place. Within minutes, a beginner can start working on writing a game, within hours he will have learned enough to write his own great looking game and within days he can create programs that have a polished look and feel.
Congratuations to the author. This book and the included program have hooked my kids and opened up the world of computer programming to them.
If I ran a school, a computer course would be offered using this as its textbook.
Congratuations to the author. This book and the included program have hooked my kids and opened up the world of computer programming to them.
If I ran a school, a computer course would be offered using this as its textbook.
Tech Teacher @ 2006-12-30 Absolutely What it Claims. Excellent.
I started using Game Maker and then five days later got this book -- what a help. My high school students are going to love learning to build their own games. Along the way, they will master most of the principles of object oriented programming without even knowing it. If this book (and software) had been available when I was their age, I might seriously have considered a career in programming or game design. This book makes it easy for students to rapidly add a series of successful projects to their portfolio -- AND they will be ready to move into an object-oriented programming language by the end.
Shelby Jones "Omega_ @ 2006-08-11 Recommended GM Read
I bought this book mainly to relearn the basics in Game Maker, and work my way into more advanced levels of GM programming, like AI and Multiplayer. I was quite pleased with the colorful graphics and easy reading of this book.
Bottom Line - If you own Game Maker, I suggest you buy this book along with the registered version of Game Maker, which is ad free and lets you perform the more complicated functions by unlocking them (multiplayer, particles, 3D, etc.) However, the book is compatable with the free version too! If you dont own Game Maker, this book still has many good sections about proper game design; quite helpful in laying out your games!
You wont be Disappointed!
Bottom Line - If you own Game Maker, I suggest you buy this book along with the registered version of Game Maker, which is ad free and lets you perform the more complicated functions by unlocking them (multiplayer, particles, 3D, etc.) However, the book is compatable with the free version too! If you dont own Game Maker, this book still has many good sections about proper game design; quite helpful in laying out your games!
You wont be Disappointed!
Bruce Kirkpatrick @ 2009-06-10 5 Stars Is Not Enough!!!!
I have been an educator and professional software developer for over 20 years now and can say that this is the most well crafted instructional book of any kind that I have ever read.
Taking a reader from zero to being able to create interesting games while understanding the logic, design considerations, and even programming syntax needed in one 300 page book with an easy to master learning rate/curve is an amazing feat. The authors deserve congratulations and they certainly have mine.
The book starts with very basic logical programming constructs and builds an initial simple tutorial from these. Through each subsequent tutorial project in the book, additional concepts are introduced while previous concepts are reinforced. The tutorials are carefully crafted such that new material is presented in very step by step detail while previously introduced concepts are referred to in an increasingly shorthand way. This is a great teaching technique and one that doesn't happen without great effort.
Along the way, most modern programming concepts and are introduced and explored in an amazingly non-frightening manner. In occasional chapters through the book the authors take a break from the GUI coding and talk about game design in more general terms and through examples from the tutorials and modified versions of the tutorials showing how game design and game player experience can be improved.
The final chapters of the book deal with coding games and game features in the programming language that is "behind" the Game Maker graphic user interface. While some have complained that this language is not C++, it is certainly close enough in design and syntax that any concept learned here will be readily transferable to another more common language.
The book ends with a discussion of other low and no cost tools that can be used to create graphics and sound files for games or any other software environment, and a discussion of the game design community available at the YOYO Games website.
I can also attest to the fact that all example projects in the book work as advertised. That in itself is an amazing feat.
Bruce Kirkpatrick
MCSE, MCSD, MCDBA, MCT, OCP, iNet+, Network+, Security +, A+ ... and so on
Taking a reader from zero to being able to create interesting games while understanding the logic, design considerations, and even programming syntax needed in one 300 page book with an easy to master learning rate/curve is an amazing feat. The authors deserve congratulations and they certainly have mine.
The book starts with very basic logical programming constructs and builds an initial simple tutorial from these. Through each subsequent tutorial project in the book, additional concepts are introduced while previous concepts are reinforced. The tutorials are carefully crafted such that new material is presented in very step by step detail while previously introduced concepts are referred to in an increasingly shorthand way. This is a great teaching technique and one that doesn't happen without great effort.
Along the way, most modern programming concepts and are introduced and explored in an amazingly non-frightening manner. In occasional chapters through the book the authors take a break from the GUI coding and talk about game design in more general terms and through examples from the tutorials and modified versions of the tutorials showing how game design and game player experience can be improved.
The final chapters of the book deal with coding games and game features in the programming language that is "behind" the Game Maker graphic user interface. While some have complained that this language is not C++, it is certainly close enough in design and syntax that any concept learned here will be readily transferable to another more common language.
The book ends with a discussion of other low and no cost tools that can be used to create graphics and sound files for games or any other software environment, and a discussion of the game design community available at the YOYO Games website.
I can also attest to the fact that all example projects in the book work as advertised. That in itself is an amazing feat.
Bruce Kirkpatrick
MCSE, MCSD, MCDBA, MCT, OCP, iNet+, Network+, Security +, A+ ... and so on
Lucas @ 2006-10-10 I Recommend The New Game Maker Book To Everyone In Even Slight Interest
"The Game Maker's Apprentice" was the greatest book I've ever read. Not Kidding. I read the entire book in 2 and 1/2 days. I even skipped dinner the first day. The Game Maker's Apprentice comes with a CD-rom including all of the resources and finished games mentioned in the book and games that show step-by-step how to program it. I recommend it to ANYONE who is interested in the Computer Gaming or Video Gaming field. Not only does the book teach you how to program 9 great games and show you how all of the steps of game creation can be fun, but it also has 3 chapters specifically based on extending your games with tips by professionals.
Margaret Meijers @ 2006-08-07 Outstanding Teacher and Student Resource
As a teacher of game making to high school students, I cannot commend this book highly enough. Game making is a rapidly expanding area included in most forward thinking school curricula, enabling students to engage with learning in new and exciting ways. Through game making students can learn critical thinking skills, problem solving, logic & mathematical reasoning and much more. This book supports the teaching of game making and should be included in the toolbox for all teachers wanting students who are excited about their learning.
The Game Maker's Apprentice contains step by step instructions, presented in a clear and attractive way, to create 9 great games using the freely available Game Maker software. My students are so desperate to get hold of my copy that I have had to order five more, so that they can get started at the earliest possible opportunity. The book leads the learner in a clear but gentle way to develop all the foundation skills necessary to begin designing and making their own games. Game design theory is developed alongside the example games. An added bonus is the included CD containing the Game Maker software, resources needed to build the games and examples completed to a number of different stages.
The Game Maker's Apprentice is a quality presentation, printed on good quality paper with excellent graphics, making it highly attractive to use. Although there is an electronic version available, the print version is so attractive it is worth getting. A must for every classroom!
The Game Maker's Apprentice contains step by step instructions, presented in a clear and attractive way, to create 9 great games using the freely available Game Maker software. My students are so desperate to get hold of my copy that I have had to order five more, so that they can get started at the earliest possible opportunity. The book leads the learner in a clear but gentle way to develop all the foundation skills necessary to begin designing and making their own games. Game design theory is developed alongside the example games. An added bonus is the included CD containing the Game Maker software, resources needed to build the games and examples completed to a number of different stages.
The Game Maker's Apprentice is a quality presentation, printed on good quality paper with excellent graphics, making it highly attractive to use. Although there is an electronic version available, the print version is so attractive it is worth getting. A must for every classroom!
Angel Pretelin Ricar @ 2006-11-23 Excellent book to begin to program in "Game Maker" / Excelente libro para comenzar a programar en Game Maker.
(English)
The book presents a very good structure in its content and through each one of its nine projects, it goes introducing you to the design of the video games.
For people that want to begin in the programming and the design of video games with Game Maker, it is excellent, because it presents the use of this programming platform, so much in their graphic way as in way text, what makes it a very good source.
It also presents in one of their chapters some concepts related with the reactive intelligence applied in the programming of video games with Game Maker.
Perhaps the only point that I had liked to see is an introduction to the 3D games, for people that have bought the license of Game Maker. It had been an extra that we had thanked a lot.
In general I recommend it thoroughly to learn how to program video games with Game Maker in less than one month.
Cordial Greetings
Angel Pretelín Ricárdez
Associate Professor
apretelin@ipn.mx
Professional Interdisciplinary Unit
in Engineering and Advanced Technologies.
UPIITA. IPN, Mexico
(Español)
El libro presenta una muy buena estructura en su contenido y a través de cada uno de sus 9 proyectos, va introduciéndote a al diseño de los videojuegos.
Para las personas que deseen iniciarse en la programación y el diseño de videojuegos con Game Maker, resulta excelente, pues presenta el uso de esta plataforma de programación, tanto en su modo gráfico como en modo texto, lo que lo hace una fuente muy buena.
Además presenta en uno de sus capítulos algunos conceptos relacionados con la inteligencia reactiva aplicada en la programación de videojuegos con Game Maker.
Tal vez el único punto que me hubiera gustado ver es una introducción a los juegos 3D, para las personas que han comprado la licencia del Game Maker. Hubiera sido un extra, que hubiéramos agradecido mucho.
En general lo recomiendo ampliamente para aprender a programar videojuegos con Game Maker en menos de un mes.
Saludos Cordiales
Angel Pretelín Ricárdez
Profesor Asociado B
apretelin@ipn.mx
Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria
en Ingeniería y Tecnologías Avanzadas.
UPIITA - IPN, México
The book presents a very good structure in its content and through each one of its nine projects, it goes introducing you to the design of the video games.
For people that want to begin in the programming and the design of video games with Game Maker, it is excellent, because it presents the use of this programming platform, so much in their graphic way as in way text, what makes it a very good source.
It also presents in one of their chapters some concepts related with the reactive intelligence applied in the programming of video games with Game Maker.
Perhaps the only point that I had liked to see is an introduction to the 3D games, for people that have bought the license of Game Maker. It had been an extra that we had thanked a lot.
In general I recommend it thoroughly to learn how to program video games with Game Maker in less than one month.
Cordial Greetings
Angel Pretelín Ricárdez
Associate Professor
apretelin@ipn.mx
Professional Interdisciplinary Unit
in Engineering and Advanced Technologies.
UPIITA. IPN, Mexico
(Español)
El libro presenta una muy buena estructura en su contenido y a través de cada uno de sus 9 proyectos, va introduciéndote a al diseño de los videojuegos.
Para las personas que deseen iniciarse en la programación y el diseño de videojuegos con Game Maker, resulta excelente, pues presenta el uso de esta plataforma de programación, tanto en su modo gráfico como en modo texto, lo que lo hace una fuente muy buena.
Además presenta en uno de sus capítulos algunos conceptos relacionados con la inteligencia reactiva aplicada en la programación de videojuegos con Game Maker.
Tal vez el único punto que me hubiera gustado ver es una introducción a los juegos 3D, para las personas que han comprado la licencia del Game Maker. Hubiera sido un extra, que hubiéramos agradecido mucho.
En general lo recomiendo ampliamente para aprender a programar videojuegos con Game Maker en menos de un mes.
Saludos Cordiales
Angel Pretelín Ricárdez
Profesor Asociado B
apretelin@ipn.mx
Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria
en Ingeniería y Tecnologías Avanzadas.
UPIITA - IPN, México
C. Gaub "art and tec @ 2007-03-01 WOW! I am so excited
I am about to embark on making games with my middle school girls technolgy club. I was a bit worried, as I am not even a game PLAYER myself. I made my first game last night in under an hour following the great instructions in this book. I can now go in confidently to my club and guide the girls to do the same. I am sure they will be successful and as excited as I am about designing and playing their own original games!
I bought this because of all the other teacher recommendations and they were RIGHT! Watch out Nintendo, here we come!
I bought this because of all the other teacher recommendations and they were RIGHT! Watch out Nintendo, here we come!
C. Holliday @ 2007-01-05 Great book for a really great program
I use GameMaker to give middle school science club students an introduction to computer programming. This book really helped me organize the material I was presenting and gave it the polish an artistically challenged individual like myself could never achieve. The whole Object/Event/Action process really does a nice job teaching the kids the fundamentals of modern object oriented programming in an easy to visualize way and writing games is something they can really relate to. Surprisingly, at our students request, the library has even purchased a copy of this book but the waiting list is a long one.
Excellent choice for someone interested trying their hand at game development without first earning a degree in computer science. It comes with a disk that contains everything you need; the GameMaker tools and plenty of samples. It's easy enough for an enthusiastic 11 year old, perfect for teens, and challenging enough for us big kids that are much older. I can't say enough good things about it...
Excellent choice for someone interested trying their hand at game development without first earning a degree in computer science. It comes with a disk that contains everything you need; the GameMaker tools and plenty of samples. It's easy enough for an enthusiastic 11 year old, perfect for teens, and challenging enough for us big kids that are much older. I can't say enough good things about it...
Juan Carlos Ises @ 2006-08-14 Must have book for Game Maker 6.1 software
Easy to follow color book for beginners, you make a game in no time and come with cd-rom with all the resources to built the games.
Facil the seguir libro a color para principiantes, haces un juego en muy poco tiempo y viene con un cd-rom con todos los recursos para crear los juegos.
Facil the seguir libro a color para principiantes, haces un juego en muy poco tiempo y viene con un cd-rom con todos los recursos para crear los juegos.
T. A. Hogan @ 2008-10-16 Great book but Software company is Risky
I own this book and it is excellent as is the software that comes with the book. (Game Maker Lite edition) I would not upgrade to the pro however as I paid for the pro upgrade key and Softwrap, the company in charge will not give me my activation key. Moreover, I have created two tickets with Yoyo Games helpdesk and both have been ignored. Buyer Beware. I have reported this to Paypal.
G. Pages-Oliver @ 2007-02-22 The Game Maker's Apprentice
A great teacher resource. A must have book if you are interested in developing skills and teaching Game Maker.
Computer Teacher @ 2010-04-22 Great for kids and adults
Explanations are easy to read and well illustrated. I use it with my computer students (6th-8th grades). With a little introductory help, they often can move on by themselves. I have the sequel on order. The sprites and other resources on the CD are well worth the price of the book. It comes with the instructions and resources to make several games, as well as completed versions of each game. It has been a lot of fun for me and for the kids.
S. Hansen @ 2009-05-19 Great for kids of all ages!
I bought this book for my 9 year-old nephew who is wanting to learn how to do video game programming and he loves it. He and his older brother (14 y/o) sit down and try to create new games that each of them can play together. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a book that explains things in a way that a kid can understand. It's a great resource. Too bad they won't let their uncle borrow it. :-(
wowgamer @ 2011-01-30 How to use more than programming.
This book has a lot of great information in it, however if you are looking for just straight programming for games, then this will just give you a little scratch of it. It's more of a "how-to-use" their program the game maker, than it is about programming.
However, it is a fun chance to create your own games from beginning to end.
Great layout, and excellent detail on how to program a game using their system.
They also have a link to their website that has a forum and a whole community of gamemaker programmers.
So if you are strictly looking for game programming, then just get this one as a supplement to your library, however dont get this is you are just starting out and want to strictly learn programming.
However, it is a fun chance to create your own games from beginning to end.
Great layout, and excellent detail on how to program a game using their system.
They also have a link to their website that has a forum and a whole community of gamemaker programmers.
So if you are strictly looking for game programming, then just get this one as a supplement to your library, however dont get this is you are just starting out and want to strictly learn programming.
D. Roenigk @ 2009-02-16 Great. Easy. Fun.
Really good book. Simple, easy to learn. You can make several games and you can then use this knowledge to create new games of your own. With the drag and drop interface, you can quickly and easily learn how to create games. This review was provided by my teenager who has almost no programming experience but found the book and included software let him easily learn something that he found educational and definitely fun.
J. Marshall @ 2008-07-13 The Game Maker's Apprentice
This is a wonderful book! The instructions are easy to follow and all of the games are fun. I liked the fact that the finished games are on the CD so you could see what they are like while you are working on them.
M. Daly "DBA" @ 2008-06-01 Great Book for Early Game Programmers
As a special education teacher, I would like to think that I have a keen eye for books that can hold my student's interests while meeting their diverse needs. The Game Maker Apprentice does that and more. The only negative comment I have heard about this book from a student is that it does not cover modern three dimensional game programming. My response, you have to learn how to crawl and walk before you can run.
Game Maker Apprentice achieves its goals masterfully, and I will continue to use it to teach game programming with my students.
Game Maker Apprentice achieves its goals masterfully, and I will continue to use it to teach game programming with my students.
kkikii @ 2009-02-24 Wanted More
Some friends and I decided to make a game for our senior project, and Game Maker was the recommended program to used. It was easy to learn, and there was still some coding involved (which was a requisite). So we each got the book to help us become more familiar with the "language."
The book covered the basics well, and the examples were really useful... but then the authors would suggest a way of making the example more complicated without really explaining how to get the result. Which left us fumbling around trying to figure our what they did, or what we could do and maybe getting it. Most of the time it was faster for us to go to the online forums and ask for help.
And the scripting. It was supposed to be a big part of our senior project. And we were really hoping that this book would explain the scripting to us, but they only really touched the surface. This was our biggest problem since none of us had ever done any sort of scripting, let alone for this program.
In the end, this was a good place to start. It touched all the basics and gave us a better understanding of how to explain our problems to the people on the forums.
The book covered the basics well, and the examples were really useful... but then the authors would suggest a way of making the example more complicated without really explaining how to get the result. Which left us fumbling around trying to figure our what they did, or what we could do and maybe getting it. Most of the time it was faster for us to go to the online forums and ask for help.
And the scripting. It was supposed to be a big part of our senior project. And we were really hoping that this book would explain the scripting to us, but they only really touched the surface. This was our biggest problem since none of us had ever done any sort of scripting, let alone for this program.
In the end, this was a good place to start. It touched all the basics and gave us a better understanding of how to explain our problems to the people on the forums.
Educating Mommy @ 2009-11-20 Excellent
My son is 11 and very interested in computer programming and making games. He is working on making a game for his little brothers to play for Christmas. He loves this program, and he was programming and creating fun games on the very first day. It appears as if you need the full version of the Gamemaker software to really do original things in creating your own games, but it teaches the basics and it is a lot of fun. I hope to find something just as good to help him learn other types of programming language and ability to work with different programs, but this is a great start.
J. Hart "Tha dude II @ 2009-11-19 Good Start
My 11 yr old likes it. Has step by step instructions. We started working together at the beginning of the lessons. Now he just goes through the lessons by himself and shows me the results. I bought this book to gauge his interest in becoming 'game-maker'. He seems to still want to stick with it. So far, so good.
A.n. "I teach" @ 2009-09-30 Great book. The kids love it!
Great book and service. I ordered the book for a student who wants to learn how to make video games and couldn't do it from scratch. The book is very helpful and written so he could understand and apply it.
kingspud "true_kings @ 2009-05-10 Easy read but tough concept to master....
After purchasing this book I was a bit suprised how easy it was to create my first game. As I read on I really got into the concept of Drag & Drop programming. But... then as I got to the end I realized GML is the real power behind Gamemaker! D&D is great and works for simple games but GML is what you really need to learn. This is where the book goes a little down hill. I had so many ideas for what I wanted to program in my games and this book just didn't cover them. This book is for the beginner who wants to program some simple games but if you really want to learn to program games you will have to go to Google or the Gamemaker community forum to get the real help in GML programming! All in all this is a great read and it gets you started right off th bat but you will soon find yourself wanting more and that is when you will put this book down and look for other resouces!
Have fun!
Have fun!
Rosa Kaufman @ 2009-05-04 EXCELENT INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING FOR KIDS AND BEGINNERS THROUGH VIDEOGAMES APPROACH
This book and samples in the CD, are an incredible good introduction to programming computers via videogames, for beginners.
It is a very useful material for teaching and learning logic concepts about programming in a very original way, because the Game Maker software -which is the tool in this book- is also an excelent resource to create attractive 2D games in a n easy drag and drop style of programming. Ideal for children, teachers, parents and beginners in general!
It is a very useful material for teaching and learning logic concepts about programming in a very original way, because the Game Maker software -which is the tool in this book- is also an excelent resource to create attractive 2D games in a n easy drag and drop style of programming. Ideal for children, teachers, parents and beginners in general!
Cynthia J. Lamgo @ 2009-05-02 Great for young, wanna-be, gamemakers
I purchased this to use with my 5th grade home-schooled son who expressed an interest in learning to program games. The first day out of the gate, we had some hiccups in learning how to save the sprites, but after that, he has been flying through the book. I have to limit the number of pages he covers per day! I don't know if he is learning much about "real" programming because this is our first book of this sort, but it teaches enough that it is worthwhile, not to mention this is the first time he has been enthusiastic about a school subject.
Sarah Di @ 2009-04-10 For the library
I bought this book for my teens at the library. I gave a class on online game making and this book was a great supplement to what is already on their website.
G Marie @ 2009-01-11 Great gift for computer addicts!
My eleven year old son is enjoying creating his own games using this book as a guide. I bought it for him because he has always said he'd like to make computer games for a living. He likes adding his own spins to the games the most! He never has been one who likes following directions. :o)
J. Lang @ 2007-12-22 Great Book for my Ten Year Old Daughter
My ten year old daughter asked for a book that will allow her to create games with Game Maker. I found this book, ordered it, and gave it to her several weeks ago. She's been deeply involved in the book since, and really likes it. She is now asking to take a class that will teach her Object Oriented Programming so she can actually create the objects!
This is a good book, and I recommend it for budding young developers. JAL
This is a good book, and I recommend it for budding young developers. JAL
Alain Galvan "Be sin @ 2007-08-09 Good Start for Programming
The Game Maker's Apprentice gives you a basic understanding on how to build a game in a way that is easy to understand. It provides a beginner's understanding of GML. Game Maker Language is much like C++, and would be a good language to start until you know enough to move on.
It is enough to educate you, but doesn't get to intermediate points in GML such as using extensions and how to make extensions. Sadly for that, you will gave to go to their web site forums.
Overall, great book...if you want to make little games but not professional titles, this is for you.
It is enough to educate you, but doesn't get to intermediate points in GML such as using extensions and how to make extensions. Sadly for that, you will gave to go to their web site forums.
Overall, great book...if you want to make little games but not professional titles, this is for you.
Karlo A. Cedeno "art @ 2007-06-26 Great
It's a great book for anyone who is interested in game development. Very easy to use even for grade school students.
For college-level students, this is a great book to learn GameMaker from and to make prototype games for your game designs in mind.
Excellent value for the price.
-Karlo
For college-level students, this is a great book to learn GameMaker from and to make prototype games for your game designs in mind.
Excellent value for the price.
-Karlo
Benjamin W. Nguyen @ 2007-01-04 The Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners
I used it. It was great for the beginners who want to start doing game development for their career.
Peter Clarke @ 2006-10-21 A Teacher's review
Although I'm only half way through the book I'm most impressed with the language used, images used and the type of games the book explains. You won't be disappointed.
Peter Clarke
Peter Clarke
Forest Cole "First a @ 2006-11-10 Most fun book. ever.
Going through this book is really a blast - in fact several explosions from game to game, chapter to chapter. It demonstrates by direct practice how to use GM. GM is a lot like Visual Studio specifically geared for games. It is very simple to preview parts and test the game as you go. The book covers all aspects of what you may need to create your own games including some direction on where to go for graphics and sound development. Also the GM community online has many more resources listed as well as member GM creations and works in progress.
If you like playing your own game, you'll love this book and GM!
If you like playing your own game, you'll love this book and GM!
Bratts @ 2011-12-31 Excellent for Beginners
I purchased this for my ten year old son for Christmas, after he had just about an hour on the computer he had gone through the first two chapters and created his first two games. It was an additional half hour for the third chapter and a third game (that his 23 yr old uncle sat and played for a while.) It is an excellent choice for someone looking at getting started into the basics of game designing. A lot has been done for you, the book walks you step by step through each game and there's a wide variety of templates to use (but you can also design your own!) It was exactly what I was looking for for him.
Meatloaf "Meatloaf" @ 2011-10-11 Programming made easy
If you are wanting to make computer games, but don't want to spend endless hours and dollars, learning to program, this book is for you. It allows you to program games windows style. You have a choice of characters that you can use for example. So instead of typing in plenty of numbers, you just tell the computer how you want it, using a graphical user interface. Just make sure your copy comes with a disc, in case you get it 2nd hand. The Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners (Book & CD)
Rich B @ 2011-06-18 excellent
This is a great guide with some really fun software. I bought this book for my introduction to video games class. I ended up reading the entire book before the semester started. I was making my own games in no time at all. The software is very easy to understand and requires no real coding knowledge. Those who can code are able to add code into the software, making their game that much more unique. Overall, fantastic book and software for ANYONE interested in creating video games.
GREG P @ 2011-05-29 GREAT BOOK +CD PACKAGE
I PURCHASED THE GAME MAKERS APPRENTICE ("GAME DEVELOPMENT FOR BEGINNERS")
BECAUSE I HAD BORROWED IT FROM THE LIBRARY 5 TIMES, AND THOUGHT I SHOULD JUST GO AND BUY IT.
I MET SOMEONE ON THE TRAIN ONE DAY WHO IS STUDYING PROGRAMMING AT UNIVERSITY, AND HE SAID GAME MAKER (THE SOFTWARE THE BOOK REFERS TO) WAS WHAT STARTED HIS CAREER AS A PROGRAMMER USING MORE FORMAL COMPUTER PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES.
IT IS AN EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL TOOL, AS WELL AS BEING FUN,I HAVE NOT YET COMPLETED ALL THE PROJECTS, BUT HAVE LEARNED A LOT FROM WHAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR, ITS DEFINITELY A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES INTO WHAT GAMES, OR ANY PROGRAMS ACTUALLY DO, AND HOW THEY WORK, AND THE THOUGHT AND DESIGN THAT GOES INTO COMPUTER SOFTWARE. LOVE IT!
FOR ANYONE WHO IS A BIT FRIGHTENED OFF BY "COMPUTER PROGRAMMING" , I WOULD SUGGEST HAVING A LOOK AT THIS BOOK, WHICH INCLUDES THE CD AND ALL SOFTWARE NEEDED, AND YOU WILL GET OVER THE FEAR FACTOR PRETTY QUICK, AND ACTUALLY FEEL THE PRIDE OF ACHIEVEMENT BY MAKING SOMETHING THAT RUNS ON YOUR COMPUTER!
BECAUSE I HAD BORROWED IT FROM THE LIBRARY 5 TIMES, AND THOUGHT I SHOULD JUST GO AND BUY IT.
I MET SOMEONE ON THE TRAIN ONE DAY WHO IS STUDYING PROGRAMMING AT UNIVERSITY, AND HE SAID GAME MAKER (THE SOFTWARE THE BOOK REFERS TO) WAS WHAT STARTED HIS CAREER AS A PROGRAMMER USING MORE FORMAL COMPUTER PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES.
IT IS AN EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL TOOL, AS WELL AS BEING FUN,I HAVE NOT YET COMPLETED ALL THE PROJECTS, BUT HAVE LEARNED A LOT FROM WHAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR, ITS DEFINITELY A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES INTO WHAT GAMES, OR ANY PROGRAMS ACTUALLY DO, AND HOW THEY WORK, AND THE THOUGHT AND DESIGN THAT GOES INTO COMPUTER SOFTWARE. LOVE IT!
FOR ANYONE WHO IS A BIT FRIGHTENED OFF BY "COMPUTER PROGRAMMING" , I WOULD SUGGEST HAVING A LOOK AT THIS BOOK, WHICH INCLUDES THE CD AND ALL SOFTWARE NEEDED, AND YOU WILL GET OVER THE FEAR FACTOR PRETTY QUICK, AND ACTUALLY FEEL THE PRIDE OF ACHIEVEMENT BY MAKING SOMETHING THAT RUNS ON YOUR COMPUTER!
sons of series @ 2011-05-10 Game Maker's Apprentice
The Game Maker's Apprentice is a companion book for videogame engine software "Game maker". ( About 15 years ago, videogames began to split into the game "engine" which could be re-used and monetizied to make other games, and the game assets which would be unique to the game. This is now common practise with game engines being either free, available for a fee or proprietary...see Wikipedia "Videogame engines") This book is a step-by-step, easy-to-use guide to building working games (2-D games so far...)inside the Game make game engine. The book comes with a free download of the freeware Game maker ( see YoYO games.com). For about $30, you can upgrade to the pro-version which allows you to build executable file games which you can send to other people...
Back to the Book...it is well written with lots of screen shots of what you should see at each stage of the game's design. Almost anyone can write your own game in a few hours.
I have previously duplicated the first 3 games which are described in the free tutorials available at the gamemaker website in about 3 weeks. This book was a great addition to those tutorials. While no game engine is effortless, In my opinion this book's approach is about as straight forward and visually oriented as I can imagine.
Enjoy!
Sons of SeriesThe Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners (Book & CD)
Back to the Book...it is well written with lots of screen shots of what you should see at each stage of the game's design. Almost anyone can write your own game in a few hours.
I have previously duplicated the first 3 games which are described in the free tutorials available at the gamemaker website in about 3 weeks. This book was a great addition to those tutorials. While no game engine is effortless, In my opinion this book's approach is about as straight forward and visually oriented as I can imagine.
Enjoy!
Sons of SeriesThe Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners (Book & CD)
sjb352 @ 2011-04-06 The Game Maker's Apprentice
My students love this program. It allows your imagination to really go to work. Only problem I see is that there's a "cheater" part that can be set up within the games so you can't lose. User friendly; major directions are set up so you are able to follow them easily. Great book to get kids/students started in game making so they have an understanding of how they work.
Pat @ 2011-04-05 Making Video Games
A How to Book on video gaming. Not an introduction, actually gives you some hands on how to do it information on making scenes, etc.
Sheldon Sims "star g @ 2011-03-06 Fantastic Book
This is a fantastic book. I am on Chapter 4 now. It is very easy to follow with its step-by-step instructions. The games that you make from the book and supplied files are fun, too, and they look great. This book was well worth the money.
RoboNerd @ 2011-02-20 Great Book! Fun Game Making Program! Recommended for Beginners!
I love this book! It's a great beginners book for gaming! The book introduced basic game development. Recommended for anyone who wants to learn game design
Jammy @ 2011-01-24 Very Easy to Understand
I wasn't sure about this book at first, but bought it anyway since it got good reviews. I was REALLY HAPPY with this book because it made the learning process easier, you don't need to understand any programming. With helpful icons on the side and also in full color (yes I said FULL COLOR!), it made sure that I did not use the wrong command in creating the Game. I practically breezed through chapter 1 - 6 easily, then I need to be familiar with the tools first before I continue. This book made me understand the logic of game design, so when I talk to my friend who is a IT guy in game design I can understand his way of thinking and give helpful comments. With great learning steps and in full color, this book is a must have if you want to begin creating a game.
y @ 2010-12-18 very good book
I bought this book for my 13 yrs old son. He finished all chapters within 6 weeks in the summer time. This is a really good book, and it is easy to follow.
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