
Game engine architecture
by Jason Gregory · first published 2009
55mentions
35recommended by
49HN commenters
2011–2026first – last mentioned
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Readable, broad overview of all the major systems in a game engine, from software practices to AAA-specific challenges. Suits newcomers to games, and experienced non-game programmers wanting the big picture.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…https://www.amazon.com/Game-Programming-Patterns-Robert-Nyst... HN's own @munificent wrote a book discussing the most important design patterns in game design. Good book applicable beyond games. # Game engine architecture https://www.amazon.com/Engine-Architecture-Second-Jason-Greg... # Computer graphics: Principles and Practice https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Graphics-Principles-Practice... This is more of college…
on “A trip down the League of Legends graphics pipeline” ↗…still valid, so even a copy of Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice will look fine on your desk. "Real Time Rendering" by Moller/Haines and "Physically Based Rendering" by Pharr are excellent. "Game Engine Architecture" by Gregory and "Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics" by Lengyel will probably prove very useful and relevant to you as well. Online resources, the free https://learnopengl.com/…
on “Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?” ↗As a senior dev who's just started to dabble in games I've found Game Engine Architecture by Jason Gregory to be very useful and high quality. Oh looks like there's a second edition coming out at some point http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466560010
on “Dirty Game Development Tricks” ↗Game Engine Architecture by Jason Gregory It's like a collection of all the game programming stuff they didn't teach me at school, nor at my non-game jobs. Whether you're writing an engine or just using one, I consider this…
on “Ask HN: What are the best textbooks in your field of expertise?” ↗I read Jason Gregory's "Game Engine Architecture" cover-to-cover and I'd highly recommend it for someone new to the industry who's interested in learning about game development. Gregory is a developer at Naughty Dog (Uncharted series). http://www.amazon.com/Game-Engine-Architecture-Jason-Gregory...
on “Gorgeous Unreal Engine 4 brings direct programming, indirect lighting” ↗3 so far: 1. Elements of Computing Systems 2. On Lisp 3. Game Engine Architecture Edit: 2 -> 3
on “Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?” ↗One of more frequently recommended books is Jason Gregory’s ‘Game Engine Architecture’. Neither version I have is too deep in code specifics, but for standard AAA game development (Gregory was/is at Naughty Dog on their engine team) it is a pretty detailed look at the structure and options…
on “How does a game engine work? an overview (2016)” ↗…Doppler effect. Graphics architectures for polished rendering pipelines in PBR. Math for games is great. Graphics for games is great. We need more meat though. One of the books on my shelf right now is Game Engine Architecture 2nd ed by Jason Gregory (which is excellent, btw) that goes into the surface of this stuff. I don't want a world where our only choices are Unity, Unreal, or some small engine. I don't want a world where…
on “Foundations of Game Engine Development” ↗The Jason Gregory "Game Engine Architecture" is a good place to start for a 10,000 foot overview. Also try "Game Coding Complete," (aka "the Dinosaur Book") which has some more details and nuances. Both books are valuable starting places regardless…
on “Ask HN: How to step up my coding skills?” ↗http://www.amazon.com/Game-Engine-Architecture-Jason-Gregory... http://www.amazon.com/Game-Coding-Complete-Third-McShaffry/d... Those two will clean up most of the biggest newbie mistakes, especially the Gregory one. I also suggest this book for…
on “Ask HN: (html5) game development books for a seasoned programmer?” ↗I cannot speak more highly of Game Engine Architecture by Jason Gregory[0] as an introductory text. It's extremely readable for an 800 page textbook (I actually read it cover to cover), and covers a wide range of topics including basic software best practices…
on “Books For Game Developers” ↗yes there are many technical aspect in game development Game Engine Architecture(non affiliated) http://www.amazon.com/Game-Engine-Architecture-Jason-Gregory...
on “The tech arms race in AAA games and why I'm abandoning it” ↗I've found the book Game Engine Architecture extremely helpful with this. http://www.amazon.com/Game-Engine-Architecture-Jason-Gregory... If you're looking to find out how a physics engine works you should check out Box2D, it's an open source 2D…
on “Ask HN: Tutorials for game engine development?” ↗I have found the book "Game Engine Architecture" a really interesting read, and a seemingly good introduction to the required concepts: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1466560010
on “Learning how to write a 3D engine from scratch in C#, TypeScript or JavaScript (2013)” ↗Game Engine Architecture by Jason Gregory is a nice one. Search for "Bitsquid" and "Our Machinery": pure gold IMHO.
on “Show HN: Crown – A flexible game engine written from scratch in C++” ↗