Book Image

Learning Java by Building Android Games - Second Edition

By : John Horton
Book Image

Learning Java by Building Android Games - Second Edition

By: John Horton

Overview of this book

Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems presently. It uses the most popular programming language, Java, as the primary language for building apps of all types. However, this book is unlike other Android books in that it doesn’t assume that you already have Java proficiency. This new and expanded second edition of Learning Java by Building Android Games shows you how to start building Android games from scratch. The difficulty level will grow steadily as you explore key Java topics, such as variables, loops, methods, object oriented programming, and design patterns, including code and examples that are written for Java 9 and Android P. At each stage, you will put what you’ve learned into practice by developing a game. You will build games such as Minesweeper, Retro Pong, Bullet Hell, and Classic Snake and Scrolling Shooter games. In the later chapters, you will create a time-trial, open-world platform game. By the end of the book, you will not only have grasped Java and Android but will also have developed six cool games for the Android platform.
Table of Contents (30 chapters)
Learning Java by Building Android Games Second Edition
Contributors
Preface
Index

Chapter 14. The Stack, the Heap, and the Garbage Collector

In this chapter, we will make a good start with the next project, an authentic looking, clone of the classic Snake game.

It is also the time that we understood a little better what is going on underneath the Android hood. We constantly refer to 'references' but what exactly is a reference and how does it affect how we build games?

  • Managing memory with the Stack, the Heap, and the Garbage Collector

  • Introduction to the Snake Game

  • Getting started with the Snake game project

Let's start with the theory part.