table of contents
Below is a list of books I personally enjoy. There’s a mixture of programming/technical and non-technical books.
Game Engine Books
Unfortunately there aren’t a large number of books that go over game engines in complete. Game Engines are fairly large projects in themselves, which contain many components which are full size projects on their own. All of these different components have to work together in unison, which adds another level of difficulty without the proper knowledge. I encourage you to explore books for each specific part of a game engine (i.e rendering, audio, collision, networking, etc). Try making your own, and make sure to start small!
“Game Engine Architecture, Second Edition – Jason Gregory”
Game Engine Architecture is one of the few books out there which actually attempts to tackle the subject in whole. While it doesn’t go into complete depth on every subject, it provides a solid reference for people to enter game engine development. The book also provides a good place to figure out what questions you should be asking when constructing your own game engine.
“Game Programming Gems Series (1-8)"
This series isn’t a definitive guide to making a game, but a collection of useful articles. The first 3 have most of what you need to lay out a functional game engine sanely. Some of the earlier ones are a little dated in terms of publication but don’t let that fool you. These books can be a very good source in the otherwise hard to find knowledge that is game engines.
Programming Books
“The Pragmatic Programmer - David Thomas”
I was very fortunate that I got to read/listen to this book for work awhile back. I’m not going to overexaggerate and claim it made me a 10x engineer. It does however offer good core rules for project management/development I think often go unspoken. If you haven’t already read it, it’s towards the top of this list for a reason.
“The C Programming Language – Brian W. Kernighan & Dennis M. Ritchie”
This book is one of the most prevalent books for programming. It’s easy to come across in local libraries and or college campus libraries. You can also buy the book online new or used for low cost. But keep in mind that, while it is an effective book, some of the implementations/practices are a bit out of date. In my opinion reading it + doing the exercises + reading modern C implementations/books is always a good route!
“Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets – Peter Van Der Linden”
First off, this book has an awesome fish on the front of it, so that’s a bonus. This book offers some in depth and quality insights into proper usage of the language. It strengthened my understanding of API design and theory. For anyone planning on using C heavily or in a very stability important environment, this is a must read.
“C: A Reference Manual, 5th Edition – Harbison & Steele”
This is a solid book for understanding more specific C concepts. It also takes the time to go over proper usage of somewhat under documented C Standard functions. If you want to write correct C, this book will be of big help to that.
General books
“How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie”
Technically this is a self help book. I’m not particularly huge into self help, but reading this in my late teens I believe changed me for the better. I still am rather quiet but I’m significantly more comfortable navigating social situations and understanding interpersonal communication after having practiced what’s in this book. I firmly believe there’s something in it for everyone.
“Essentialism - Greg Mckeown”
Maybe I’m a sucker for good self help books. I’m writing this in order, and I’m slowly realizing I’ve read a lot of them. This book helped me clairify priorities. An overarching theme in this book is you can’t have a list of “priorities”. Priority implies focal point, having too many focal points just leads to indirection or pandering. Pick the good bits, leave the rest.
“Chaos: Making a New Science - James Gleick”
Apparently this book was a bit of a cult classic back in the 90s after it released in 1987. I got to it a good bit later (granted I wasn’t alive yet), but it still proves thought provoking. The book explores Chaos Theory (think butterfly effect) which can greatly apply to any programmer and is useful for the discipline of code hardening/quality control of programs in general.
“The Words - Jean Paul Sartre”
This book was my introduction to Jean Paul Sartre. To give some reference, in 1964 Jean Paul Sartre was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature but TURNED IT DOWN. This book, is a self reflection on his life, his craft, and what made him who he was. It had a very touching effect in making me think about my childhood in a different light of what formed me versus what just happened.
“Quiet - Susan Cain”
Basically, it’s the ultimate hype book for introverts. All kidding aside, I found a lot of myself in this book, at points feeling like I was called out. I’ve always been a fairly quiet/introverted person, so some of the insights/ideas within the book sort of naturally percolated before I’d read the book. But I still feel I gained some personal insights the first time I’d read!
“Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech - Brian Merchant”
Starting with the title, it’s pretty great. I’ve read this book twice now, given to friends to read. I can say that while it can get a bit long in the tooth, there are some exceedingly valuable lessons on the not-always-positive impact tech can have within the book. I’ll try not to spoil any of the stories, but the writing feels very relevant at the time of writing (circa July 2024).
