Foundation Game Design with HTML5 and JavaScript 1st ed. Edition

I purchased this book early this year but have not had a great deal of time to get through it due to school. Now that I've been in the middle of winter break and finally have had a chance to sit down with it... I honestly feel this has been the best purchase I have made since I've been a developer.A few reviews here have mentioned an abundance of code errors and editorial problems, or issues with their copy of the book but in my experience - this just isn't so. I am halfway through this book and have only found three very insignificant errors so far so if you somehow end up with a bad copy, just contact the publisher or return it for another copy... Keep in mind is is also available through Safari for free if your a student, or you may purchase the eBook edition through Apress.I've found the Author to explain things very well, the projects throughout the book are incremented in difficulty just perfectly and he keeps things very entertaining. If your not a gamer you may not fully appreciate this book, but then again what are you doing trying to program games then? While you may not end up making the next big console FPS, you will get a handle on basic programming concepts and feel a lot more confident using JavaScript.I think it is important to understand this book is kind of focused on a niche market, this isn't designed to make you great with graphics, web development, or programming in general. It is purely focused upon using JavaScript to build games... but if you know a thing or two about game development, the logic that is used is fairly difficult and can be applied in other areas once you get a handle on things. An example from the book regarding programming an interactive fiction game explains later that the logic that was used to create items and interact with them is exactly the same type of logic used in databases... so even non-gamers may get something out of this.I highly recommend this if your looking to understand the logic behind games, if you really want to get involved with the advancement of web based gaming, or are just new to game development and have a web developer background. While this is a great entry level book to this subject, I suggest not picking it up until you at least have some basic programming skills... even Code Academy tutorials should be enough to get prepared for this.

I'm currently teaching a new JavaScript course to my middle-schoolers this year and I have been looking for resources related to games that I can work with. Most online sources are aimed at experienced programmers. I don't have a background in computer science and much of my learning has been through tutorials, trial and error, and discussing code with my husband, who is an expert. This was the first resource that really helped lay out a structure for introduction to game design.The format of the book is fantastic. Each new concept is embedded with learning to create a type of game. Each lesson builds upon the previous strategies, one after another. And the author walks you through all the code, allowing you to see it all at once and how it connects, as well as breaking it down. I had first read this through a subscription service and loved it so much I purchased a hard copy and the follow-up book. It is a little advanced for my students, but this provided me with the foundation I need to scale it down further for them. Although, I do have a couple of students who may already have enough skill to try.I highly recommend this book to those who want a structured format to follow, who want to get right in to making some basic games, and who want to learn some concepts for maintaining readable code. I would recommend some experience with JavaScript or programming in general because the quick tutorial in the beginning is a lot to take in, but even some minor skill will make the rest more understandable. Or if you just have a thirst for it, the explanations cover everything. You may have to refer back to past lessons if you forget certain concepts. But that's what books are for. After reading a dozen other references, this one really hit home.

This is a book on making games for web browers from Rex van der Spuy, who is well-known for his books on Flash game programming. The source code is available at the Apress site, and I recommend downloading it if you are considering buying this book. What you will find is that he able to build an impressive set of games, almost matching his work in the Flash environment.The text of the book is clear and concise, as we have come to expect from van der Spuy. He doesn't waste time bemoaning the weakness of the JavaScript language or complaining about the deficiencies of the HTML5 platform. He just gets to work and shows you how to make your game work in this environment.As an experienced game programmer, I found this book very helpful in porting my games to the HTML5 platform, better than the other books I've read. If you are trying to learn game programming, van der Spuy is a great teacher, but you probably would be better served learning game programming in Flash before tackling HTML5.Either way, this book is well worth buying. I initially bought the Kindle edition, and I found it so useful that I bought the print edition as well.