Sams Teach Yourself Game Programming in 24 Hours demystifies game programming by providing clear, practical lessons using C/C++, the industry standard in game programming. The book focuses on the Windows API to construct games for the Windows platform and discusses game theory, including double-buffered graphics, sprite animation, and digitized sound effects and music. A fully functional game engine provides readers with the ability to create their own future games.
This book assumes that you have a knowledge and understanding of the C++ programming language. Although the program examples and games you develop throughout the book are Windows programs, you aren't required to have a background in Windows programming. And in truth, I really don't rely on any complex C++ programming constructs, so a basic understanding of C++ is all you need. However, it is important that you understand how to build a C++ program using a development environment on the Windows platform. If you already have a favorite C++ development environment, that's great.