Game Programming Books
Game Programming Patterns by Bob Nystrom This book focuses on writing cleaner, more understandable, and faster code, with practical examples relevant to game engines like Unity and Unreal. It can be read for free on its official website.
Game Art Books
Pixel Logic by Mika Fra
Considered the best book on pixel art, focusing on fundamentals, concepts, and techniques with examples from popular games. An e-book version is available via an affiliate link in the description.
CG World Magazine
A Japanese magazine featuring in-depth breakdowns of graphic techniques from developers, using games like Octopath Traveler and Sega titles as examples.
Game Design Books
A Theory of Fun for Game Design
A decent introduction to game design, but the lessons are not immediately actionable.
Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design
A detailed-oriented book covering aspects like writing game design documents, controls, cameras, and UI elements.
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
Highly recommended for all experience levels, this book teaches a set of “lenses” or angles to analyze and improve games. An online version of the lenses is available on the official website.
Special Recommendations (Gaming Culture & History)
Ultimate Guide to Sidescrolling Beat ’Em Ups and Guide on Japanese Role Playing Games
These books are aimed at game collectors and enthusiasts, providing historical overviews of genres and inspiring game design.
Unreal Engine Related Books
Control Freak: My Epic Adventures Making Jazz Jackrabbit, Gears of War, Unreal, and Fortnite by Cliff Bleszinski
An autobiography of one of Epic Games’ first members, offering insights into the history of Unreal Engine and the design process of popular games.
Unreal Engine 5 Collision Essentials by Steven Olibari
A book that aims to demystify Unreal’s Collision Framework.