Review: GameMaker Game Programming with GML

I've been a user of Game Maker for over 20 years. Unfortunately, I don't retain knowledge fairly well, so in many ways, I'm still more or less, mentally, a neophyte. It takes a dynamic bold piece of work to get its tendrils working through the crevasses of my gray matter. Does Matthew DeLucas' GameMaker Game Programming with GML? Time will only tell, but I can tell you, reader, for sure, it's one of the better programming tomes I've come across.

GameMaker Game Programming with GML (henceforth, GMGP or "this book") is very well-written, a book that is obviously designed in an effort to grab the reader's attention. Most books these days either are incredibly dull, or overplay a humor or zany aspect too much. GMGP straddles the line between the two, keeping more or less serious and precise whilst still letting loose the occasional pun. It's like a "...For Dummies" book that doesn't treat readers like dummies.

Some basic knowledge of general GameMaker knowledge is required before diving in. Since the book is about GameMaker Language, the programming skeletal structure of YoYoGames' product, DeLucas does not waste any time introducing the drag-and-drop icons, instead jumping right into blocks of code pretty much immediately. It can be a little daunting for some, and to be perfectly honest large blocks make me go cross-eyed. But like all good things, a bit of a push out of the comfort zone is needed.

The lessons are well-structured and easy to follow with the right mindset. DeLucas goes over two of the most popular genre today - match-three puzzle, and platformer, and goes in deep, giving everything that a budding developer should need to create a functioning application in these genre. Of course, the code and skills that can be absorbed this way can also be applied, situationally, to other sorts of games. Be forewarned, though - this is a game programming book, not a game design book, so your game's success is based on your own skill and luck!

GMGP is a solid book, with a good, solid foundation, helpful visual aids, and playable examples accompanying it. If there are really any complaints that I'd have about it, is that at over 300 pages, it is a lot to digest, and isn't something that the TL;DR generation is likely to embrace. However, this is true of any how-to book worth its salt. If you need to crack into GML, GMGP is what I would recommend starting with.

FULL DISCLOSURE: This reviewer was provided with a digital copy of the book for the purpose of review. This reviewer has also been associated with the author in a professional sense. Neither of these were factors during producing the opinions within the review.

This book can be purchased at the following URL: http://bit.ly/1hkcw7m