Learning XNA 3.0

Preface

I've taught DirectX and XNA game development courses at Neumont University for the past several years, and I've been repeatedly frustrated by my inability to find the right book for these classes. There are numerous books on the subject, but none that I felt fit the goals of my classes (introductory college-level game development courses targeted to an audience that is familiar with C#), or that presented the material in a style and sequence I felt was appropriate.

Many books required too much previous game or graphics development knowledge. Others assumed too little knowledge of nongame-related development concepts. Still others relied too much on third-party libraries, or presented the material in a sequence that would be counterintuitive to a reader who is new to game development.

I found myself jumping around from Chapter 3 in one book to Chapter 18 in another, then back to the original book for Chapter 8 and Chapter 2, and so forth, while filling in gaps with slides, code samples, and documents I created on my own.

Eventually, I decided to take the content I had developed for my XNA game development course and write some material on the subject for use in the classroom. Initially, I was going to simply create some papers and essays to give to the students. I then realized that a large audience outside of the university would probably benefit from the material as well. I contacted O'Reilly about the book, and the rest is history.

Through my experience teaching XNA game development, I have been able to determine which points typically snag students and which points are typically easily grasped. I've also developed what I feel is a pretty straightforward way of presenting the material in a sequence that makes sense and is easy to follow. This book is designed to follow that sequence and to introduce concepts in a way that will help readers to fully understand each individual topic.

Who This Book Is For

This book is meant to be a solid introduction to game development for somebody with basic knowledge of the .NET Framework and C# (or similar technologies). No previous XNA or other game or graphics development experience or knowledge is required.