There are a number of books aimed at users of the Game Maker software. Some, such as The Game Maker’s Apprentice and Getting Started with Game Maker, are aimed at novices users and others, such as The Game Maker’s Companion are for intermediate users who are already familiar with the basics of game development.
Take a look at the comparison table below which describes the level of each book to decide which best suits your needs.
| Book | Details | Order |
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The Game Maker’s Apprentice by Mark Overmars and Jacob Habgood
This introduction to Game Maker, co-authored by Game Maker creator Mark Overmars, is aimed at beginners without any knowledge of coding. Used in schools around the world the beautifully illustrated Game Maker’s Apprentice provides step-by-step tutorials enabling the creation of 8 entertaining unique games. An enclosed CD includes code samples, graphic and sound resources and the completed games. |
Buy now: Amazon.com (US) – $26.39 Amazon.co.uk (UK) – J17.86 |
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Getting Started with Game Maker by Jerry Lee Ford
Jerry Lee Ford’s book is aimed at beginner to intermediate level game developers and programmers. It teaches basic game development and programming principles. Novices will find all of the information they require to use Game Maker’s rag-and-drop development approach. More advanced game developers, comfortable with drag-and-drop game development, will benefit from the books almost 100 page review of GML scripting. Review at GameMakerBlog.com |
Buy now: Amazon.com (US) – $25.54 Amazon.co.uk (UK) – J17.51 |
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The Game Maker’s Companion by Jacob Habgood
A follow up to the successful Apprentice Jacob Habgood’s intermediate level Game Maker book focuses on the diverse theme of platform games: the game genre that defined the 2D era and teaches how to create compelling storylines and convincing characters that will add enormously to the appeal of your games. Review at Game Maker Blog |
Buy now: Amazon.com (US) – $26.39 Amazon.co.uk (UK) – J31.49 |