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Under Construction - Coming 2024

Game Dev with C++ and SDL2

Learn C++ and SDL development by creating hands on, practical projects inspired by classic retro games

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169,364 Learners
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Continue your Journey

Progress directly from our introductory course, expanding your programming knowledge to more advanced concepts.

Use your new knowledge to build portfolio-ready projects inspired by classic games.

Understand Every Line of Code

No copying-and-pasting code in this course.

We explain every line of code we're using, so you understand exactly what is happening.

Use Professional Best Practices

Everything we create is organised and implemented using modern, professional practices.

This means the techniques we learn are usable in large, professional projects.

Focus on Transferrable Skills

We don't just explain what we're doing, but also why.

This builds transferrable skills, so you can take what you've learnt and apply them to your own projects.

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Free, unlimited access

This course includes:

  • 27 Lessons
  • 100+ Code Samples
  • 91% Positive Reviews
  • Regularly Updated
  • Help and FAQ

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Requirements
Who is this Course For?

This course is intended for those who already have a basic familiarity with object oriented programming in C++. It is designed as a follow up for our introductory course:

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Prerequisite Course

Intro to C++ Programming

Become a software engineer with C++. Starting from the fundamentals, we guide you step by step along the way.

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Those who already have some knowledge of C++, or are familiar with object oriented programming in another language, may be able to skip the introductory course.

The first chapter of this pro course includes a summary of the topics covered, to help you get caught up.

Chapter 1
Whirlwind Tour of C++ Basics

A quick crash tour of C++ basics, for those with previous object oriented programming experience.

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Variables, Types and Operators

Learn the fundamentals of C++ programming: declaring variables, using built-in data types, and performing operations with operators
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Introduction to Functions

Learn the basics of writing and using functions in C++, including syntax, parameters, return types, and scope rules.
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Namespaces, Includes, and the Standard Library

A quick introduction to namespaces in C++, alongside the standard library and how we can access it
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Conditionals and Loops

Learn the fundamentals of controlling program flow in C++ using if statements, for loops, while loops, continue, and break
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Classes, Structs and Enums

A crash tour on how we can create custom types in C++ using classes, structs and enums
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Preprocessor Directives and the Build Process

Learn the fundamentals of the C++ build process, including the roles of the preprocessor, compiler, and linker.
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Understanding Reference and Pointer Types

Learn the fundamentals of references, pointers, and the const keyword in C++ programming.
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Operator Overloading

Discover operator overloading, allowing us to define custom behavior for operators when used with our custom types
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Run-time Polymorphism

Learn how to write flexible and extensible C++ code using polymorphism, virtual functions, and dynamic casting
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Odds and Ends: 10 Useful Techniques

A quick tour of ten useful techniques in C++, covering dates, randomness, attributes and more

Chapter 2
Setting up an SDL2 Development Environment

A guide to getting our machine set up for creating SDL2 projects, across a range of operating systems

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Option 1

Setting up SDL2 using vcpkg (Visual Studio)

An introduction to C++ package managers, and a step-by-step guide to installing the SDL2 libraries using vcpkg on Windows and Visual Studio
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Option 2

Setting up SDL2 in Windows (Visual Studio)

A step-by-step tutorial on configuring SDL2, SDL_image and SDL_ttf in a Visual Studio C++ project on Windows
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Option 3

Setting up SDL2 in macOS (Xcode or CMake)

This step-by-step guide shows you how to set up SDL2 in an Xcode or CMake project on macOS
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Option 4

Building SDL2 from a Subdirectory (CMake)

A step-by-step guide on setting up SDL2 and useful extensions in a project that uses CMake as its build system
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Option 5

Building SDL2 from Source (GCC and Make)

This guide walks you through the process of compiling SDL2, SDL_image, and SDL_ttf libraries from source

Chapter 3
Under Construction
Creating an SDL Application

In introduction to creating a basic window and application loop using SDL2

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Creating a Window

Learn how to get started with SDL2 in C++ by creating a window. Includes an explanation of all the SDL2 functions we use, and the options we have to modify the window.
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Implementing an SDL2 Application Loop in C++

Setting solid foundations for our application, by implementing the main loop and the event loop
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Double Buffering

An introduction to double buffering - the foundational technique behind real time graphics

Chapter 4
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Implementing User Interaction

The basics of capturing user input with the keyboard and mouse in SDL, and creating a simple framework to create a scalable UI system

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Keyboard and Mouse Input in SDL2

Learn how SDL2 handles user input, and how we can react to it to update our application in real time.
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Creating a Simple UI Architecture

How to build a simple, scalable and layered UI architecture using an SDL2 and C++ event loop
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Creating Buttons in SDL2

Expanding on our UI architecture to add a simple button to our application, complete with hover and click events.

Chapter 5
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Rendering Images and Text

A guide on how to rendering images and text onto our SDL surfaces using the sdl_image and sdl_ttf libraries

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Images and Surface Blitting

Learn how to load images into our SDL2 application. Then, learn how to crop, resize, position and render them into our window.
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Introduction to SDL_Image

Introduction to SDL_Image - add support for different image types. Convert .png and .jpeg files into SDL surfaces, and vice versa
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Introduction to SDL_ttf

A beginner’s introduction to the SDL_ttf library, and how we can use it to add text rendering to our application.

Chapter 6
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Project: Making Minesweeper

Putting everything we've learnt to the test by creating a clone of the classic game using SDL surfaces and events

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Making Minesweeper with C++ and SDL2

Putting everything we've learnt to practice by creating a clone of the class game Minesweeper
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Project Setup

Establishing our basic architecture and getting the application loop running

Chapter 7
Under Construction
The 2D Rendering API

Using SDL2's hardware-accelerated 2D API to create primitive shapes, and render them on the GPU

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GPUs and Rasterization

An introduction to rasterization, and how GPUs are designed to make it as fast as possible
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SDL Renderers

A guide to renderers in SDL, and how they are different from surfaces

Chapter 8
Under Construction
Movement and Physics

An introduction to implementing movement and physics in our game engine

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Maths and Geometry Primer

Learn the basics of maths and geometry, so we can represent concepts like positions and distances between objects in our worlds.
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Standard Library Maths Helpers

Learn how to implement some more advanced math functions, with some help from the C++ standard library.
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Implementing Movement using Vectors

Learn some more vector math, and see how we can use it to implement gameplay movement.

Up Next
Recommended Lessons

Continue your progress in this course with the following lessons. These are recommended for you based on your progress:

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Professional C++

Advance straight from the beginner course, dive deeper into C++, and learn expert workflows

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