Programmers/developers dreaming of creating the next mega-selling game quickly realize they need a solid understanding of the legalities specific to the game business, but they don’t know where to turn for advice. Programming a cool game isn’t enough anymore. Successful developers must also understand how to run their business – choices of entity, publishing agreements, managing employees and investors, obtaining copyrights, licensing agreements and more. Legal fees can quickly escalate if the client isn’t in control. Game developers need the skills to work more efficiently and cheaply with lawyers, when their services are required, by mastering organization and negotiating strategies. This text provides a comprehensive licensing and legal guide to game development.

Title: The Game Maker’s Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners 
 Author: Jacob Habgood, Mark Overmars 
 Publisher: Apress
ISBN: 1590596153, 9781590596159
 Published: 2006 
 Pages: 311
 Price: $39.99 , e-book format available

The Game Makers Apprentice shows you how to create nine exciting games using the wildly popular Game Maker game creation tool. This book covers a range of genres, including action, adventure, and puzzle games complete with professional quality sound effects and visuals. It discusses game design theory and features practical examples of how this can be applied to making games that are more fun to play.

Game Maker allows games to be created using a simple drag-and-drop interface, so you don’t need to have any prior coding experience. It includes an optional programming language for adding advanced features to your games, when you feel ready to do so. You can obtain more information by visiting book.gamemaker.nl.

The authors include the creator of the Game Maker tool and a former professional game programmer, so you’ll glean understanding from their expertise. The book also includes a DVD containing Game Maker software and all of the game projects that are created in the bookplus a host of professional-quality graphics and sound effects that you can use in your own games.

http://www.apress.com/book/view/1590596153

 Title: PHP Game Programming 
 Author: Matt Rutledge 
 Publisher: Premier Press (Thomson/Course Technology) 
ISBN: 1-59200-153-X
 Published: Feb. 2004 
 Pages: 356
 Price: $39.99

The author does a great job explaining how to use php and mysql. Including great instructions for installation. The problem is that other books dedicated to learning these subjects do it better. This book should be about learning how to program a game in php/mysql, and it’s not. This book is a book about learning the basics of php/mysql with some source code way more advanced than anything the book will cover. If you’re advanced enough to decipher the authors code, then you don’t need this book in the first place becaues you could already make games if you wanted. This book contains no content on game planning or design. 

The book has a chapter about creating a MMO Game yet it doesn’t tell you anything about how to make the MMO Game. The source code for the game contains over 150 files,  and is only coverd with a 20 pages chapter.