In 2011, the mobile industry was at a crossroads. While Apple's iOS had an early lead, Android was experiencing a "meteoric rise" due to the sheer volume of game-ready handsets entering the market. Rogers’ book tapped into this momentum, offering tools for:
In 2011, drawing 100 bitmaps was heavy. In 2025, a Canvas is hardware accelerated. However, for real games, follow Rogers’ advice on OpenGL, but use a wrapper like or learn Vulkan .
SoundPool usage is basic. No support for streaming longer background music properly, and no advanced audio mixing. -2011- learning android game programming richard rogers
Unlike many technical manuals of the time that focused on complex, low-level C libraries, Rogers prioritized accessibility. The book is designed for "junior" or casual developers with basic Java knowledge, guiding them through the creation of low-budget, high-quality 2D games that could realistically be sold on the burgeoning Android Marketplace (now Google Play). Key technical pillars covered in the text include:
If you are a collector of development history or want to understand the foundational logic of 2D game loops and sprite management, Rogers' guide remains an insightful read. It captures a specific moment in tech where a single developer with a good idea and a hands-on guide could reasonably hope to build the "next great Android game". In 2011, the mobile industry was at a crossroads
Learning Android Game Programming: A Hands-On Guide to Building Your First Android Game
: Working with sprites, sprite sheets, bitmap/vector graphics, and entity modifiers. In 2025, a Canvas is hardware accelerated
Note: The hyphenated “-2011-” in the keyword suggests a specific vintage or a search excluding other dates, but in context, it points directly to the publication year of a seminal book.
: Integrating touch, multitouch, accelerometer, compass, and even voice recognition.
: Efficiently finding and modifying background music and sound effects. Is It Still Relevant Today? Learning Android Game Development [Book] - O'Reilly