Hey folks. I'm looking for any recommendations people have for what I'd call more "focused" learning.

What I mean by that is I'm not exactly new to programming (not a lot of time spent, but I pick up on patterns and routines very quickly), and I'm looking for resources that spend more time on "why" than "how," particularly in the context of game programming. I should probably note that my language of choice is C#, too, but I feel like rationale is likely to be pretty universal.

Anyone have any particular favorites or honorable mentions for this kind of thing?

My favorite books are Game Coding Complete, Game Engine Architecture and Programming Game AI by Example.

Notice that all three are C++ books, but a C# programmer could certainly benefit from them as well.

The first, Game Coding Complete, gives an intermediate point of view on game dev. It is great if you can code a tetris but get lost on anything bigger than that.

The second, Game Engine Architecture, is also an intermediate book, that focus on the architecture of a game engine (duhh). It gives an overview of how parts fit together, and is a good book even if you don't plan on writing an engine. This book doesn't go too deep code-wise though, some snippets here and there, but nothing you can really go source-reading. This book has a fresh new edition, I think it came out last week.

The third one (even though it is already 10 years old) is a great book to read when you want to implement some basic AI on your game. It is full of code examples, but everything is windows specific (10yo, wouldn't expect anything different). Anyway, it actually gives a good introduction to AI and also introduces you to messaging systems, ECS... the scripting section is not good though, it is badly outdated.

As an honorable mention, I liked the "The" Game Production Handbook. It doesn't have anything to do with programming but is worth the read.

If you want to, you can explore the GD.net books section. They have some referred amazon links for you to browse (I prefer the BookDepository.com personally).

The second, Game Engine Architecture, is also an intermediate book, that focus on the architecture of a game engine (duhh). It gives an overview of how parts fit together, and is a good book even if you don't plan on writing an engine. This book doesn't go too deep code-wise though, some snippets here and there, but nothing you can really go source-reading. This book has a fresh new edition, I think it came out last week.

+1 to this book.

Game Engine Architecture is a good primer into working ON or WITH an engine. Even if you only ever work inside of an existing engine, you have to know the basics of engine architecture. This book will give you that.

For the AI Book I have another one to recommend: http://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Intelligence-Games-Ian-Millington/dp/0123747317/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1407657748&sr=8-3&keywords=game+ai

I got the Kindle Edition of this Book, and I think it is really great for someone who is serious about learning AI. It is kinda text heavy, but with simple yet effective diagramms where needed, and enough of explanations to understand why you should do something the way it is presented.

Also, it has a kind of bottom up approach, showing you the more basic stuff first before moving on to a higher level (obstacle avoidance, then general path finding, then coordination within the unit, and so on).

Thanks guys. Much appreciated.

Do either of you have any experience with (http://www.amazon.com/The-Players-Guide-RB-Whitaker/dp/0985580100/ref=pd_cp_b_1)? It comes very highly recommended by Amazon, and the price looks about right.

Sorry, no, I have no expierience with that book.

But seeing the low price and the full star reviews, why don't you give it a try and then post your opinion in this forum? Maybe you could put your recommandation to the Books section dejaime mentioned then?