The book doesn't dive deep into the usage of C++, it provides some tidbits specific to the language but generally expects you to come with a basic knowledge of C++. However, the concepts in the book are applicable to most languages and would likely be simple to port to Java, given some extra work and effort on your part, (I myself have applied it to Flash AS3 and Javascript).

As Mholley said, the book uses C++, but the concepts are applicable to other languages. I created a basic engine in python using the book as a guide. You could probably do the same with Java.

Originally posted by brandonhspace
So my friend bought me a copy of this book and it's currently in the mail and I'm waiting for it to be delivered, only problem is, I'm not completely sure what language this is in. I'm fairly sure this book covers C++? And it uses visual studio. While not bad at all, my language of choice is java. I have never programmed in the C language. How easy would it be to take the concepts learned in this book and 'port' them over to java? Or is it more worth it to just stay within the language of this book?

It depends on your goal. If your goal is to get into the industry, I'd say stick with C++. It's the dialect of the games industry and you'll have to learn it at some point. Besides, Java is almost never used in the games industry.

If your goal is to have fun and play around with game dev then Java should be just fine. As everyone said, the concepts in the book are readily transferable to any language. Java and C++ are similar enough in syntax that you should be able to follow it without any trouble.

I actually once had the exact opposite problem. Back in 2003 or so, I bought Head First Design Patterns. It was my first ever book on design patterns, but the whole thing uses Java and I was a C++ programmer.

-Rez