Games development and programming Books

Book SynopsisNow in full color, the 10th anniversary edition of this classic book takes you deep into the influences that underlie modern video games, and examines the elements they share with traditional games such as checkers.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewJohn Romero’s remarkable memory called up names and events that I hadn’t thought about in a very long time, taking me back to the stress and joy of throwing everything we had at projects that truly did break new ground and touched millions of people. It was an amaz- ing mad dash from humble beginnings to the well-known classics Wolfenstein 3-D, DOOM, and Quake, filled with exploration, learning, and the sharing of knowledge. For years, I thought that I had been born too late and missed out on participating in the heroic eras of computing. Only much later did I realize that Romero and I were at the nexus of a new era—the 3D game hackers. -- John Carmack, cofounder of id Software and founder of Keen TechnologiesDOOM made gaming cool and transformed game developers from nerds into rock stars, and John Romero’s brazen public persona defined the era. Reconciling the legend of John Romero with the warm, supportive game designer with whom I met as an unknown young programmer is a mystery that this book finally reveals in a wonderful narrative following Romero from modest game programming roots to the apex of video game stardom. -- Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic GamesA fascinating deep dive into one of the game industry’s greatest success stories, Romero’s autobiography does for aspiring game designers what Stephen King’s On Writing did for budding writers. DOOM Guy is an engaging account of Romero’s extraordinary life and career. A must for industry professionals, newcomers, and enthusiasts. -- Rhianna Pratchett, writerJohn Romero is a gaming legend and seminal figure in video game history, known for his prodigious technical and design skills. In DOOM Guy, John offers valuable game design lessons, but as important he introduces readers to a man with a real commitment to helping others achieve their dreams. Deus Ex, the game I always dreamed of making, wouldn’t have been possible if John hadn’t lived up to every promise he made to me (a story you’ll read about in the pages of DOOM Guy). John’s games have inspired countless gamers and game developers. In his memoir you’ll learn that his life is as inspirational as his work. -- Warren Spector, creator of Deus ExYou know John as the designer of seminal games Wolfenstein 3-D, DOOM, and Quake, but this memoir also captures the essence of John as an innovator and business leader. While John tells the behind-the-scenes stories about making many elements of today’s gaming industry—first-person shooting style games, multiplayer games, free-to-play games, to name just a few—it’s the personal stories about his challenges, his choices, and his relationships that I love in this book. -- Reggie Fils-Aimé, former president and COO of Nintendo of America“The video game–creating legend recounts a life in the programming trenches…Students of game-making and business alike will find useful, sometimes rueful lessons.” * Kirkus *“[a] surprisingly moving autobiography…[Romero] manages to appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike with this celebration of triumphing over adversity.” * Publisher's Weekly *“DOOM GUY: Life in First Person is the best piece of historical nonfiction that has been written about video games to date and everyone should read it.” * Screenrant *??“a straight-talking insider account of an inspiring self-made career marked by amazing highs and difficult lows.” * Daily Beast *"Romero’s Doom Guy: Life in First Person is not only among the most interesting windows into the rapidly evolving videogame scene of the 80s and 90s–it’s arguably the best non-fiction gaming book of all time, giving a unique insight into one of the industry’s most transformative eras through the eyes of one of its groundbreaking pioneers.” * Forbes *“Enthralling, informative, entertaining, exciting, mesmerizing, jaw-dropping, a wild ride, brilliant, well-written, fun, and so much more. These are just some of the terms I can use when describing John Romero’s new book.” * Native Viewpoint *“[a] highly entertaining and thoughtful memoir” * The Wall Street Journal *“[an] exuberant firsthand account” * Wired.com *“Doom Guy tells the fascinating story of the life and times of one of the greatest PC game developers of them all.” * New York Journal of Books *“It’s this openness that makes Doom Guy absolutely necessary reading for anyone with even a passing interest in the history of the video game medium.” * Comic Book Video Games *

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Book SynopsisRoblox's mission is to bring the world together through play. Roblox enables anyone to imagine, create, and have fun with friends as they explore millions of immersive 3D experiences, all built by a global community of developers. Roblox is powered by a global community of more than 2 million developers who produce their own immersive multiplayer experiences using Roblox Studio, Roblox's intuitive desktop design tool. Roblox is ranked as one of the top online entertainment platforms for audiences under the age of 18 based on average monthly visits and time spent (ComScore). Table of ContentsHour 1: Coding Your First Project Installing Roblox Studio Let's Take a Tour Opening the Output Window Writing Your First Script Error Messages Leaving Yourself Comments Hour 2: Properties and Variables Object Hierarchy Keywords Properties Finding Properties and Data Types Creating Variables Changing the Color Property Instances Hour 3: Creating and Using Functions Creating and Calling Functions Understanding Scope Using Events to Call Functions Understanding Order and Placement Hour 4: Working with Parameters and Arguments Giving Functions Information to Use Working with Multiple Parameters and Arguments Returning Values from Functions Returning Multiple Values Returning Nil Dealing with Mismatched Arguments and Parameters Working with Anonymous Functions Hour 5: Conditional Structures if/then Statements elseif Logical Operators else Hour 6: Debouncing and Debugging Don't Destroy, Debounce Figuring Out Where Things Go Wrong Hour 7: while Loops Repeat Forever, while true do Some Things to Keep in Mind while Loops and Scope Hour 8: for Loops How for Loops Work Nested Loops Breaking Out of Loops Hour 9: Working with Arrays What Are Arrays? Adding Items Later Getting Information from a Specific Index Printing an Entire List with ipairs() Folders and ipairs() Finding a Value on the List and Printing the Index Removing Values from an Array Numeric for Loops and Arrays Hour 10: Working with Dictionaries Intro to Dictionaries Adding and Removing from Dictionaries Removing Key-Value Pairs Working with Dictionaries and Pairs Returning Values from Tables Hour 11: Client Versus Server Understanding the Client and the Server Working with GUIs Understanding RemoteFunctions Using RemoteFunctions Hour 12: Remote Events: One-Way Communication Remote Events: A One-Way Street Communicating from the Server to All Clients Communicating from the Client to the Server Communicating from the Server to One Client Communicating from Client to Client Hour 13: Using ModuleScripts Coding Things Just Once Placing ModuleScripts Understanding How ModuleScripts Work Naming ModuleScripts Adding Functions and Variables Understanding Scope in ModuleScripts Using Modules in Other Scripts Don't Repeat Yourself Dealing in Abstractions Hour 14: Coding in 3D World Space Understanding X, Y, and Z Coordinates Refining Placement with CFrame Coordinates Offsetting CFrames Adding Rotations to CFrames Working with Models Understanding World Coordinates and Local Object Coordinates Hour 15: Smoothly Animating Objects Understanding Tweens Setting TweenInfo Parameters Chaining Tweens Together Hour 16: Solving Problems with Algorithms Defining Algorithms Sorting an Array Sorting in Descending Order Sorting a Dictionary Sorting by Multiple Pieces of Information Hour 17: Saving Data Enabling Data Stores Creating a Data Store Using Data in the Store Limiting the Number of Calls Protecting Your Data Saving Player Data Using UpdateAsync to Update a Data Store Hour 18: Creating a Game Loop Setting Up Game Loops Working with BindableEvents Hour 19: Monetization: One-Time Purchases Adding Passes to Your Experience Configuring the Pass Prompting In-Game Purchases Hour 20: Object-Oriented Programming What Is OOP? Organizing Code and Projects Making a New Class Adding Class Properties Using Class Functions Hour 21: Inheritance Setting Up Inheritance Inheriting Properties Working with Multiple Child Classes Inheriting Functions Understanding Polymorphism Calling Parent Functions Hour 22: Raycasting Setting Up the Function to Raycast 3D Math Trick: Getting the Direction Setting Raycast Parameters 3D Math Trick: Limit Direction Hour 23: Plopping Objects in an Experience: Part 1 Setting Up the Object Creating a Plop Button Tracking Mouse Movements Previewing the Object Hour 24: Plopping Objects in an Experience: Part 2 Detecting Mouse Input Sending a Message to the Server Getting the Message Appendix A: Roblox Basics Keywords DataType Index Operators Naming Conventions Animation Easing Possible Solutions to Exercises 9780136829423 TOC 10/19/2021

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Book SynopsisCreate the digital games you love to play.Discover an exercise-driven, non-technical approach to game design without the need for programming or artistic experience with Game Design Workshop, Fifth Edition.Tracy Fullerton demystifies the creative process with clear and accessible guidance on the formal, dramatic, and dynamic systems of game design. Using examples of classic and popular games, illustrations of design techniques, and refined exercises to strengthen your understanding of how game systems function, this book gives you the skills and tools necessary to create a compelling and engaging game.This updated 5th edition brings deeper coverage of playcentric design techniques, including setting emotion-focused experience goals and managing the design process to meet them. It includes a host of new diverse perspectives from top industry game designers.Game Design Workshop puts you to work prototyping, playtesting, and revis

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Book SynopsisSanjay Madhav is a senior lecturer at the University of Southern California, where he teaches several programming and video game programming courses. He has taught at USC since 2008. Prior to joining USC, Sanjay worked as a programmer for several video game developers, including Electronic Arts, Neversoft, and Pandemic Studios. His credited games include Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault, Tony Hawk's Project 8, Lord of the Rings: Conquest, and The Saboteur. Sanjay is also the author of Game Programming Algorithms and Techniques and co-author of Multiplayer Game Programming. He has a B.S. and an M.S. in computer science and is pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science, all from USC. Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1 Game Programming Overview Chapter 2 Game Objects and 2D Graphics Chapter 3 Vectors and Basic Physics Chapter 4 Artificial Intelligence Chapter 5 OpenGL Chapter 6 3D Graphics Chapter 7 Audio Chapter 8 Input Systems Chapter 9 Cameras Chapter 10 Collision Detection Chapter 11 User Interfaces Chapter 12 Skeletal Animation Chapter 13 Intermediate Graphics Chapter 14 Level Files and Binary Data Appendix A Intermediate C++ Review Index

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. From the bestselling author of Blood, Sweat, and Pixels comes the next definitive, behind-the-scenes account of the video game industry: how some of the past decade's most renowned studios fell apart-and the stories, both triumphant and tragic, of what happened next.Jason Schreier's groundbreaking reporting has earned him a place among the preeminent investigative journalists covering the world of video games. In his eagerly anticipated, deeply researched new book, Schreier trains his investigative eye on the volatility of the video game industry and the resilience of the people who work in it.The business of videogames is both a prestige industry and an opaque one. Based on dozens of first-hand interviews that cover the development of landmark games-Bioshock Infinite, Epic Mickey, Dead Space, and more-on to the shocking closures of the studios that made them, Press Reset tells the stories of how real people are affected by game studio shutdowns, and how they recover, move on, or escape the industry entirely.Schreier's insider interviews cover hostile takeovers, abusive bosses, corporate drama, bounced checks, and that one time the Boston Red Sox's Curt Schilling decided he was going to lead a game studio that would take out World of Warcraft. Along the way, he asks pressing questions about why, when the video game industry is more successful than ever, it's become so hard to make a stable living making video games-and whether the business of making games can change before it's too late.

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Book SynopsisDeveloping computer games is a perfect way to learn how to program in modern programming languages. This book teaches how to program in C# through the creation of computer games – and without requiring any previous programming experience.Contrary to most programming books, van Toll, Egges, and Fokker do not organize the presentation according to programming language constructs, but instead use the structure and elements of computer games as a framework. For instance, there are chapters on dealing with player input, game objects, game worlds, game states, levels, animation, physics, and intelligence. The reader will be guided through the development of four games showing the various aspects of game development. Starting with a simple shooting game, the authors move on to puzzle games consisting of multiple levels, and conclude the book by developing a full-fledged platform game with animation, game physics, and intelligent enemies. They show a number of commonly used techniques in games, such as drawing layers of sprites, rotating, scaling and animating sprites, dealing with physics, handling interaction between game objects, and creating pleasing visual effects. At the same time, they provide a thorough introduction to C# and object-oriented programming, introducing step by step important programming concepts such as loops, methods, classes, collections, and exception handling.This second edition includes a few notable updates. First of all, the book and all example programs are now based on the library MonoGame 3.6, instead of the obsolete XNA Game Studio. Second, instead of explaining how the example programs work, the text now invites readers to write these programs themselves, with clearly marked reference points throughout the text. Third, the book now makes a clearer distinction between general (C#) programming concepts and concepts that are specific to game development. Fourth, the most important programming concepts are now summarized in convenient “Quick Reference” boxes, which replace the syntax diagrams of the first edition. Finally, the updated exercises are now grouped per chapter and can be found at the end of each chapter, allowing readers to test their knowledge more directly.The book is also designed to be used as a basis for a game-oriented programming course. Supplementary materials for organizing such a course are available on an accompanying web site, which also includes all example programs, game sprites, sounds, and the solutions to all exercises.Table of Contents1 Building Your First Game Application.- 2 What Is Programming?.- 3 Game Programming Basics.- 4 Creating a Game World.- 5 Showing what the Player is Doing.- 6 Reacting to Player Input.- 7 Basic Game Objects.- 8 Communication and Interaction Between Objects.- 9 A Limited Number of Lives.- 10 Organizing Game Objects.- 11 Finishing the Game.- 12 Dealing with Different Screen Sizes.- 13 Arrays and Collections.- 14 Game Objects in a Structure.- 15 Gameplay Programming.- 16 Finishing the Game.- 17 Better Game State Management.- 18 User Interfaces and Menus.- 19 Loading Levels from Files.- 20 Gameplay Programming.- 21 Finishing the Game.- 22 Creating the Main Game Structure.- 23 Animated Game Objects.- 24 Game Physics.- 25 Intelligent Enemies.- 26 Finishing the Game.

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Book SynopsisArchitecture for the Commons dives into an analysis of how the tectonics of a building is fundamentally linked to the economic organizations that allow them to exist. By tracing the origins and promises of current technological practices in design, the book provides an alternative path, one that reconsiders the means of achieving complexity through combinatorial strategies. This move requires reconsidering serial production with crowdsourcing and user content in mind. The ideas presented will be explored through the design research developed within Plethora Project, a design practice that explores the use of video game interfaces as a mechanism for participation and user design. The research work presented throughout the book seeks to align with a larger project that is currently taking place in many different fields: The Construction of the Commons. By developing both the ideological and physical infrastructure, the project of the Commons has become an antidote to current economic practices that perpetuate inequality. The mechanisms of the production and governance of the Commons are discussed, inviting the reader to get involved and participate in the discussion. The current political and economic landscape calls for a reformulation of our current economic practices and alternative value systems that challenge the current market monopolies. This book will be of great interest not only to architects and designers studying the impact of digital technologies in the field of design but also to researchers studying novel techniques for social participation and cooperating of communities through digital networks. The book connects principles of architecture, economics and social sciences to provide alternatives to the current production trends.Table of ContentsIntroduction - A Call for a Post-2008 Architecture 1. Architectural Progress 2. The Coalescence of Parts 3. In Defense of Parts 4. Immaterial Architectures 5. Reconstruction through Self-Provision Index

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Book Synopsis Ben Forta is, first and foremost, an educator who has been teaching in some capacity since he was a teenager (many centuries ago). He is Adobe's Senior Director of Education Initiatives, and has more than three decades of experience in the technology sector in product development, support, training, and product marketing. Ben is the award-winning author of more than 40 books, some of which have been translated into 16 languages, and many of which have become college textbooks. Through his books, lectures, lessons, and videos, Ben has taught coding skills to over a million people. Ben lives in Oak Park, MI, with his wife Marcy and their children. He welcomes your emails at ben@forta.com and invites you to visit him online at http://forta.com/. Shmuel Forta is an engineer, coder, maker, tinkerer, and teacher. He is a software developer at General Motors and has years of programming experience, including both writingTrade Review" This is the book I needed that I did not know I needed. Having taught myself Python and having taught students, there are still some gaps in my knowledge that Captain Code quickly filled. The overall design of the book is wonderful and easy to read. All of the questions I have normally had when it comes to Python are answered on the pages. The code is cleanly written and the ability to scan a QR code so you can copy the code digitally is a major time-saver. What is most evident about this book is that it has been written by people that have worked with students. Too often books are written for students by people who have never taught and it never translates well on the pages. Captain Code is accessible for students and teachers and I think it is a must have for any classroom that is exploring Python. I know I will keep one at home for me and a few more in the classroom." ---Nicholas Provenzano, TheNerdyTeacher, MACUL OutstandingTechnology Using Teacher of the Year, and ISTE Outstanding Teacher of the YearTable of ContentsIntroduction xv PART I: IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES 1 Chapter 1 Getting Started 3 Understanding Computer Programming 4 What is a computer? 4 How do we talk to computers? 5 What is Python? 8 Setting Things Up 9 Installing Python 9 Installing and Configuring Visual Studio Code 10 Creating a Work Folder 13 Writing Your First Python Program 15 Selecting Your Work Folder 16 It's Coding Time! 17 Summary 19 Chapter 2 Mad Libs 21 Understanding Functions 22 Using Variables 23 Creating a Variable 24 Using a Variable 24 Some Important Variable Rules 25 Variables, More Variables, and Even More Variables 26 Getting User Input 28 Playing Mad Libs 30 Write Your Story 30 Add Variables 30 Get User Input 32 Summary 33 Chapter 3 Roll the Dice 35 Using Libraries 36 The random Library 36 Generating Random Numbers 37 Choosing a Random Item 38 “3” Is Not 3 41 Commenting Your Code 43 One Die, Two Dice 45 Summary 49 Chapter 4 Calculate the Day 51 Working with Dates 52 The datetime Library 52 Using the datetime Class 55 Making Decisions 56 The if Statement 56 What else? 58 if Revisited 59 Testing for Other Options 61 Using in 62 Beating the Mathematician 63 Handling Numeric Inputs 63 Putting It All Together 64 An Alternate Solution 67 Summary 67 Chapter 5 Rock Paper Scissors 69 More Strings 70 Game Time 72 Handling User Input 72 The Game Code 74 One Last Tweak 76 Summary 77 Chapter 6 Secret Codes 79 Lists 80 Creating Lists 80 Accessing List Items 82 Changing List Items 83 Adding and Removing Items 84 Finding Items 85 Sorting 86 Loop-de-Loop 89 Looping Through Items 90 Looping Through Numbers 92 Nested Loops 93 Cracking the Code 95 Encrypting Characters 96 Modulus Math 97 Encryption Code 98 Decryption Code 102 Summary 104 Chapter 7 Guess the Number 105 Conditional Loops 106 Game Time 111 The Basic Game 111 Putting It All Together 116 Summary 120 Chapter 8 Becoming a Coder 121 How Coders Code 122 Have a Plan 122 Think Small 123 Game Components 124 Restricting User Input 125 Storing User Guesses 128 Displaying Lists 129 Masking Characters 131 Summary 136 Chapter 9 Hangman 137 Game Time 138 So How Does It Work? 141 Summary 148 Chapter 10 Keep Going 149 Birthday Countdown 150 Program Requirements 150 Program Flow 150 Some Tips 151 Tip Calculator 152 Program Requirements 152 Program Flow 153 Some Tips (Pun Intended) 153 Password Generator 154 Program Requirements 154 Program Flow 155 Some Tips 155 Summary 159 PART II: ON AN ADVENTURE 161 Chapter 11 Getting Func-ky 163 Functions Revisited 164 Creating a Function 165 Passing Arguments 167 Returning Values 171 Summary 175 Chapter 12 Exploring 177 Game Concept 178 Game Structure 179 Prompting for Options 181 Processing Options 182 Create a Work Folder 183 Game Time 184 Test It 189 Summary 191 Chapter 13 Cleanup Time 193 Optimizing Your Code 194 String Externalization 196 Creating the Strings File 196 Using Externalized Strings 200 Summary 201 Chapter 14 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refactor 203 Understanding Refactoring 204 Identifying Refactoring Opportunities 205 Creating a User Choice Component 207 Designing a Reusable Component 208 Creating the User Options Function 213 Updating Your Code 218 Summary 221 Chapter 15 Carrying (and Using) Stuff 223 Planning the Inventory System 224 Creating a Dictionary 225 Working with Dictionaries 226 Lists of Dictionaries 228 The Inventory System 229 Creating an Inventory 230 Plugging In the Inventory System 232 Using the Inventory System 233 Displaying the Inventory 238 Summary 239 Chapter 16 Keeping It Classy 241 The Player System 242 Creating a Player Class 243 Creating the Class 243 Defining Properties 244 Creating Methods 247 Initializing the Class 250 Using Our New Class 251 Summary 255 Chapter 17 Color Your World 257 Installing Third-Party Libraries 258 Using Colorama 259 Importing and Initializing the Library 259 Coloring Your Output 260 Summary 264 Chapter 18 Keep Going 265 Health and Lives 266 Shopping for Items 271 Random Events 275 Battling Enemies 277 Saving and Restoring 280 Summary 282 PART III: RACING AROUND 283 Chapter 19 Crazy Driver 285 Introducing Pygame 286 Prepping the Game 286 Game Concept 286 Installing Pygame 288 Creating Work Folders 288 Obtaining Images 289 Getting Started 289 Initializing Pygame 290 Displaying Stuff 294 The Game Loop 295 Summary 300 Chapter 20 Image-ine the Possibilities 301 Files and Folders 302 Setting the Background 305 Placing the Cars 310 Summary 317 Chapter 21 We Like to Move It 319 Moving the Enemy 320 Moving the Player 323 Summary 327 Chapter 22 Crash, Bang, Boom 329 You Crashed, Game Over 330 Tracking Score 332 Increasing Difficulty 334 Summary 336 Chapter 23 Finishing Touches 337 Game Over Revisited 338 Pause 341 Varying Enemies 343 Ice Cubes 348 Summary 351 Chapter 24 Keep Going 353 Splash Screen 354 Scores and High Scores 354 Oil Slick 356 Multiple Enemies 357 And Then 358 Summary 359 What Next? 361 There's a Lot More to Python 362 Web Development 362 Mobile App Development 364 Game Development 364 And Then 365 Index 367 Bonus Online Chapter 25 Tinkering, Testing, and Debugging Revisited (Online Only)

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Book SynopsisCoding with Scratch Create Awesome Platform Games shows kids how to create amazing platform games with Scratch. They will learn how to: Use code to make a series of games where sprites leap from platform to platform.Design different levels, draw graphics, and make simple animations. Use variables to keep the score and to simulate gravity in games. Make code blocks and functions. Add sound to bring games to life. Starting with an introduction about how Scratch works, this book is suitable for beginners but with lots of tips, challenges, and extensions for experienced Scratch coders. To create the games in this book, children will need a desktop computer or a laptop. The games require a proper keyboard so will not work well on a tablet or iPad. It is recommended that children should be supervised when using the internet, especially when using a new website. This is the UK English edition.

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Book SynopsisThis Open Access book is a must-have for anyone interested in real-time rendering. Ray tracing is the holy grail of gaming graphics, simulating the physical behavior of light to bring real-time, cinematic-quality rendering to even the most visually intense games. Ray tracing is also a fundamental algorithm used for architecture applications, visualization, sound simulation, deep learning, and more. Ray Tracing Gems II is written by industry experts with a particular focus on ray tracing, and it offers a practical means to master the new capabilities of current and future GPUs with the latest graphics APIs. What You''ll Learn: The latest ray tracing techniques for developing real-time applications in multiple domains Case studies from developers and studios who have shipped products that use real-time ray tracing. Guidance, advice and best practices for renderingTable of ContentsPrefaceForewordIntroductionChapter 1: Ray Tracing FundamentalsChapter 2: APIsChapter 3: Shading and SamplingChapter 4: Denoising, Reconstruction, and FilteringChapter 5: Performance and OptimizationChapter 6: Transitioning Ray TracingChapter 7: Hybrid Rendering TechniquesChapter 8: Global IlluminationChapter 9: Ray Tracing in the Wild (Case Studies)

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Book SynopsisThoroughly updated, this book discusses level design, the discipline of creating interactive game environments, with an emphasis on architectural principles. These principles can help level designers create meaningful user experiences and emotional responses for players.. Table of ContentsChapter 1 A Brief History of Architecture and Level Design. Chapter 2 Drawing for Level Designers. Chapter 3 Level Design Workflows. Chapter 4 Basic Gamespaces. Chapter 5 Communicating through Environment Art. Chapter 6 Building exciting levels with dangerous architecture. Chapter 7 Rewards in Gamespaces. Chapter 8 Level 1-1: The Tutorial Level . Chapter 9 Storytelling in Gamespaces. Chapter 10 Possibility Spaces and Worldbuilding. Chapter 11 Working with Procedurally Generated Levels. Chapter 12 Influencing Social Interaction with Level Design. Chapter 13 Sound and Music in Level Design .

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Book SynopsisCoding with Python Create Amazing Graphics introduces coding in Python through a variety of projects. Each one teaches new coding concepts and results in some amazing graphics.Python is a powerful, text-based programming language essential to grasp for serious coding but can be dull to learn. This book focuses on inspired learning. Step-by-step, it illustrates how to use Python code to create exciting and colourful graphics making learning Python great fun!Learn Python code to:Use random numbers to create unique artworkMix colours together using variables to create amazing effectsUse loops to repeat your code and create intricate patternsCode your own functions and build up your own designs

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Book SynopsisMichael Sellers is Director of the Game Design program and a Professor of Practice at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Sellers has worked as a professional game designer since 1994, with a focus on designing social, mobile, and massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). He has started and run three successful game studios and has also worked for notable game developers such as 3DO, Electronic Arts, Kabam, and Rumble Entertainment as a lead designer, executive producer, general manager, and creative director. His first commercial game was the award-winning Meridian 59, the first 3D MMO, released in 1996. He was also the lead designer on The Sims 2, Ultima Online, Holiday Village, Blastron, and Realm of the Mad God, among other games. In addition to his woTable of ContentsIntroduction Part I: Foundations Chapter 1 Foundations of Systems Chapter 2 Defining Systems Chapter 3 Foundations of Games and Game Design Chapter 4 Interactivity and Fun Part II: Principles Chapter 5 Working as a Systemic Game Designer Chapter 6 Designing the Whole Experience Chapter 7 Creating Game Loops Chapter 8 Defining Game Parts Part III: Practice Chapter 9 Game Balance Methods Chapter 10 Game Balance Practice Chapter 11 Working as a Team Chapter 12 Making Your Game Real Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWritten by a game developer and professor trained in architecture, An Architectural Approach to Level Design is one of the first books to integrate architectural and spatial design theory with the field of level design. It explores the principles of level design through the context and history of architecture. Now in its second edition, An Architectural Approach to Level Design presents architectural techniques and theories for you to use in your own work. The author connects architecture and level design in different ways that address the practical elements of how designers construct space and the experiential elements of how and why humans interact with that space. It also addresses industry issues like how to build interesting tutorial levels and how to use computer-generated level design systems without losing the player-focused design of handmade levels. Throughout the text, you will learn skills for spatial layout, evoking emotion through gamespaces, and cTable of ContentsChapter 1 A Brief History of Architecture and Level Design. Chapter 2 Drawing for Level Designers. Chapter 3 Level Design Workflows. Chapter 4 Basic Gamespaces. Chapter 5 Communicating through Environment Art. Chapter 6 Building exciting levels with dangerous architecture. Chapter 7 Rewards in Gamespaces. Chapter 8 Level 1-1: The Tutorial Level . Chapter 9 Storytelling in Gamespaces. Chapter 10 Possibility Spaces and Worldbuilding. Chapter 11 Working with Procedurally Generated Levels. Chapter 12 Influencing Social Interaction with Level Design. Chapter 13 Sound and Music in Level Design .

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Book SynopsisGame Feel exposes feel as a hidden language in game design that no one has fully articulated yet. The language could be compared to the building blocks of music (time signatures, chord progressions, verse) - no matter the instruments, style or time period - these building blocks come into play. Feel and sensation are similar building blocks where game design is concerned. They create the meta-sensation of involvement with a game. The understanding of how game designers create feel, and affect feel are only partially understood by most in the field and tends to be overlooked as a method or course of study, yet a game's feel is central to a game's success. This book brings the subject of feel to light by consolidating existing theories into a cohesive book. The book covers topics like the role of sound, ancillary indicators, the importance of metaphor, how people perceive things, and a brief history of feel in games.The associated web site contains a playset wiTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION PART 1: Deconstruction1. Why Feel, Why Now?This chapter focuses on the impetus behind the book, asking the reader to recall the sensation of controlling a virtual avatar and talking about why feel is so important (and why it is often overlooked.)2. The Grand Scheme of Game DesignThis chapter assigns feel a place in the larger realm of game design, defining its scope and boundaries, talking about how it fits into creating the Ultimate Game Experience of life-enriching flow and empowerment. Using diagrams and research derived from Maslow's Pyramid of Wants and Will Wright's concept of Granularity, feel is identified as one of the atomic units of game construction, one of the most basic building blocks of interactivity. 3. Games that don't Feature Virtual Sensation There are some types of digital games - Civilization, Solitaire, the Sims, and so on - that don't focus on feel or utilize it as one of their core elements, separating them from what will be discussed in the book. An interesting aside is that we are indeed experiencing virtual sensation whenever we use a mouse but that it is so intuitive and familiar that there's really no rational motion translation or skill to build. This brings up an interesting point: much of the pleasure of controlling something purely visual is in the challenge of mastering it, in the obfuscation. In fact, we're wired to receive pleasure for remapping our neural pathways to gain skill and mastery in this way, and it's one of the reasons that overcoming challenges (playing games) is so pleasureable. 4. What is Feel?How do players experience feel? It seems to be mostly subconscious, though there are some artifacts that will be of use to us. Citations here of various forum scrapings and interviews with players looking for feel des

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Book SynopsisPhysics is really important to game programmers who need to know how to add physical realism to their games. They need to take into account the laws of physics when creating a simulation or game engine, particularly in 3D computer graphics, for the purpose of making the effects appear more real to the observer or player.The game engine needs to recognize the physical properties of objects that artists create, and combine them with realistic motion. The physics ENGINE is a computer program that you work into your game that simulates Newtonian physics and predict effects under different conditions. In video games, the physics engine uses real-time physics to improve realism. This is the only book in its category to take readers through the process of building a complete game-ready physics engine from scratch. The Cyclone game engine featured in the book was written specifically for this book and has been utilized in iPhone application developmentTrade ReviewPraise for 1st edition:"The first game physics book to emphasize building an actual engine...his book fills a gap by demonstrating how you actually build a physics engine." - Dave Eberly, President, Geometric Tools."A competent programmer with sufficient mathematical sophistication could build a physics engine just from the text and equations--even without the accompanying source code. You can't say this about a lot of books!" - Philip J. Schneider, Industrial Light & Magic.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Particle Physics: The Mathematics of Particles. The Laws of Motion. The Particle Physics Engine. Mass Aggregate Physics: Adding General Forces. Springs and Spring-Like Things. Hard Constraints. The Mass Aggregate Physics Engine. Rigid-Body Physics: The Mathematics of Rotations. Laws of Motion for Rigid Bodies. The Rigid-Body Physics Engine. Collision Detection: Collision Detection. Generating Contacts. Contact Physics: Collision Resolution. Resting Contacts and Friction. Stability and Optimization. Putting It All Together. Further Topics in Physics: Physics in Two Dimensions. Other Programming Languages. Other Types of Physics. Appendices: Useful Inertia Tensors. Useful Friction Coefficients. Mathematics Summary

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Book SynopsisVideo games have captivated us for over 50 years, giving us entire worlds to explore, new ways to connect with friends, thought-provoking stories, or just a fun way to pass the time. Creating games is a dream for many, but making great games is challenging. The Game Designer''s Playbook is about meeting that challenge. More specifically, it''s a book about game interaction design; in other words, shaping what players can do and how they do it to make a game satisfying and memorable. Our time with a game is built on interaction, from basic things like pushing buttons on a controller, to making complicated strategic decisions and engaging with the narrative. If you''ve ever felt the adrenaline rush from beating a perfectly tuned boss fight or been delighted by the fanfare of picking up that last collectible, you''ve experienced good interaction design firsthand. The Game Designer''s Playbook is about learning what makes for great (or terrible!) interaction design in games, exploring things like controls, feedback, story, and tutorial design by analyzing existing games. It also looks at how newer and still-developing tech like VR and streaming are changing the ways we play, and how you can bring great interaction design to your own games.Table of ContentsTanya X. Short: Foreword 1: Caveman Arcade 2: The Parlance of Play 3: The Long Con 4: Say What You Mean 5: Control Freaks 6: The Play's the Thing 7: Rejecting Your Reality 8: The Audience Is Listening 9: Rise of the Machines 10: Making the Thing 11: Testing Your Patience 12: What Comes Next? Glossary List of Acronyms Ludography

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Book SynopsisUnity brings you ever closer to the author once, deploy anywhere dream. With its multiplatform capabilities, you can target desktop, web, mobile devices, and consoles using a single development engine. Little wonder that Unity has quickly become the #1 game engine out there. Mastering Unity is absolutely essential in an increasingly competitive games market where agility is expected, yet until now practical tutorials were nearly impossible to find. Creating Games with Unity and Maya gives you with an end-to-end solution for Unity game development with Maya. Written by a twelve-year veteran of the 3D animation and games industry and professor of 3D animation, this book takes you step-by-step through the process of developing an entire game from scratch-including coding, art, production, and deployment. This accessible guide provides a non-programmer entry point to the world of game creation. Aspiring developers with little or no coding experience will learn charaTrade Review"Watkins (Univ. of the Incarnate Word) devotes most of the first half of the book to 3-D digital asset creation in Maya with a very light overview of animation. The remainder of the book provides an artist-friendly introduction to game scripting that should be enough to get beginners started on developing games on their own using the game engine. Therefore, those who are new to 3-D modeling, texturing, and character rigging will likely benefit most from this book. 3-D artists who have a working proficiency in Maya or those who are more interested in game design or programming may be b etter served elsewhere. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students of all levels in digital arts or game art programs, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners."--A. Chen, Cogswell Polytechnical CollegeTable of ContentsIntroduction; Chapter 1 Game Production Process; Chapter 2 Asset Creation; Chapter 3 Asset Creation; Chapter 4 Asset Creation; Chapter 5 Asset Creation; Chapter 6 Asset Creation; Chapter 7 Asset Creation; Chapter 8 Asset Creation; Chapter 9 Asset Creation; Chapter 10 Asset Creation; Chapter 11 Unity Sound; Chapter 12 Introduction to Unity Scripting Basics and Graphical User Interface; Chapter 13 Unity Triggers; Chapter 14 Unity Raycasting; Chapter 15 Unity Prefabs and Instantiation; Chapter 16 Unity; Chapter 17 Health Systems, Winning, and Losing the Game; Chapter 18 Unity Debugging, Optimization, and Builds;

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Book SynopsisUnity Game Audio Implementation offers a unique, practical, project-based approach to learning about aspects of Interactive Game Audio for those who have never used a game engine before and don't want to learn computer programming right now.The book offers insight into the skills needed to design game-ready sounds in current Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and shows how to implement these sounds within the Unity game engine. The reader will also learn about interactive music and how to set this up to respond to a variety of events in the game, with the option of adding in their own story and dialogue.All the information is presented in a practical working context from an established Game Audio Sound Designer with AAA games experience. The chapters are accompanied by several game levels teaching all about the techniques and theories before offering instructive steps for how to put them into action. After completing the practical tasks in this bookTable of Contents1 Introduction to Game Audio and the Unity game engine 2 Game Audio Sound Design and creation 3 Game sound editing techniques 4 Importing assets into Unity and placing sounds in gameworld 5 Understanding basic game mechanics and generic Unity tools 6 Set up main game project, creating a project plan and Game Audio Design documentation 7 Trigger Areas and Reverb Zones 8 Recording, processing, and implementing dialogue 9 Audio Implementation of character and enemy SFX 10 Audio Implementation of game mechanics and cutscenes 11 Interactive music 12 Unity Mixer routing and effects and additional audio scripts13 Bonus chapter – expanding/improving upon existing implementation 14 What to do next

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Book SynopsisLeading with Sound is the must-have companion guide to working on video game projects. Focused on the creative, collaborative, philosophical and organizational skills behind game sound and eschewing the technical, this book celebrates the subjects most essential to leading with sound in video game development at any level. Refuting the traditional optics of sound as a service in favour of sound as a pro-active visionary department, , this book examines each of the four food-groups of dialogue, sound design, music and mix, not through the usual technical and production lenses of âhowâ and âwhenâ, but the essential lens of âwhyâ that enables leadership with sound. Leading with Sound is essential reading for aspiring sound designers, inside and outside of the classroom, as well as experienced professionals in the game industry.Table of ContentsPart One: Ports of Entry01 What is this Book About?02 The Big Four: Understanding the Four Food-groups of Audio (and how they inter-relate)03 What Drives the Mix of Your Game.04 Taking a Psychological Approach to Sound Categorization05 What is a Game Developer?06 What is Game Audio?07 What You May be Missing: Vision to Drive Your Tools and Pipelines 08 Communication Essentials: Managing Expectations of Quality (The ‘L’ Scale)09 Developing Early Audio VisionsPart Two: Sound Design10 Why do we Need Sounds?11 Working with Sound.12 Higher Level is Better.13 What is Causing these Sounds and Where are they Located? 14 Ambiguity and Clarity.15 Designing for Three Audiences. (Player, Spectator, Creator) 16 Thinking Horizontally, Vertically, and Diagonally about Asset Design.17 Designing a Moment: Temporality in Interactive Sound Design.18 Leading with Sound: Spectacle and Immersion.Part Three: Music19 Why do we Need Music?20 Music as Creative Crutches: Reaching for Music Too Soon & Too Late.21 Defining the Sound: Towards an Iconic Music Design 22 The Shape of Emotion: We Can’t Feel Emotion All the Time.23 Diegetic, Non-Diegetic and Trans-Diegetic Musical Spaces.24 Non-Diegetic Space in Recorded Music25 Leading with Music: Music as Spectacle Throughout Production and Post-Release Part Four: Voice26 Why do we Need Voice?27 Early Dialogue Development28 The Sound of Voice: Dialects, Culture and Meaning29 Casting Philosophies (Auditions, Recording, Iteration) 30 Let’s do it Again31 Rethinking Dialogue Production: Infinite Alternatives32 Leading with Voice: Leveraging the Spectacle of Performance Part Five: Mix33 Why do we Need to Mix?34 Mix Essentials35 Philosophy of the Mix: Narrative Dynamics (Pushing, Pulling, Shaping) 36 Some Defining Terminology and Features of Non-Linear Mixing 37 Mix Consistency38 Building the Mix39 Planning and Surviving the Major Milestone and Final Mixes. 40 Leading with the Mix: The First and Last Thing You Think About. Part Six: Fade Out41 The Importance of a Holistic (Four-Food-group) Vision 42 Studio Culture: A Theory of Everything 43 Game Audio Studio Spaces: Architectural Problems in Video Game Sound. 44 Games are for Everyone: Accessibility, Options and Customization in Audio for Gamers.45 Finding Our Place, Between Vision and Service.

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Book SynopsisThis book looks closely at the endings of narrative digital games, examining their ways of concluding the processes of both storytelling and play in order to gain insight into what endings are and how we identify them in different media. While narrative digital games share many representational strategies for signalling their upcoming end with more traditional narrative media such as novels or movies they also show many forms of endings that often radically differ from our conventional understanding of conclusion and closure. From vast game worlds that remain open for play after a story's finale, to multiple endings that are often hailed as a means for players to create their own stories, to the potentially tragic endings of failure and game over, digital games question the traditional singularity and finality of endings. Using a broad range of examples, this book delves deeply into these and other forms and their functions, both to reveal the closural specificities Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Transmedial Narratology and the Multimodality of Narrative Digital Games ; 2. What Makes an Ending an Ending? Point of Departure ; 2. Ending and Closure as Part of the Narrative Frame ; 3. Ludic and Narrative Micro Forms – The Ending in Isolation ; 4. Ludic and Narrative Macro Functions – The Ending as Part of the Entire Playing Process ; What Makes an Ending an Ending? Conclusion ; References

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Book SynopsisWhat is artificial intelligence? How is artificial intelligence used in game development?Game development lives in its own technical world. It has its own idioms, skills, and challenges. Thatâs one of the reasons games are so much fun to work on. Each game has its own rules, its own aesthetic, and its own trade-offs, and the hardware it will run on keeps changing. AI for Games is designed to help you understand one element of game development: artificial intelligence (AI).Table of ContentsAuthor. Introduction. 1 What Is AI? 2 Model of Game AI. 3 Algorithms and Data Structures. 4 Game AI. 5 Techniques. 6 Supporting Technologies. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis latest textbook from bestselling author, Douglas E. Comer, is a class-tested book providing a comprehensive introduction to cloud computing. Focusing on concepts and principles, rather than commercial offerings by cloud providers and vendors, The Cloud Computing Book: The Future of Computing Explained gives readers a complete picture of the advantages and growth of cloud computing, cloud infrastructure, virtualization, automation and orchestration, and cloud-native software design.The book explains real and virtual data center facilities, including computation (e.g., servers, hypervisors, Virtual Machines, and containers), networks (e.g., leaf-spine architecture, VLANs, and VxLAN), and storage mechanisms (e.g., SAN, NAS, and object storage). Chapters on automation and orchestration cover the conceptual organization of systems that automate software deployment and scaling. Chapters on cloud-native software cover parallelism, microservices, MapReduce, controlTable of ContentsPreface PART I The Era Of Cloud Computing The Motivations For Cloud 1.1 Cloud Computing Everywhere 1.2 A Facility For Flexible Computing 1.3 The Start Of Cloud: The Power Wall And Multiple Cores 1.4 From Multiple Cores To Multiple Machines 1.5 From Clusters To Web Sites And Load Balancing 1.6 Racks Of Server Computers 1.7 The Economic Motivation For A Centralized Data Center 1.8 Origin Of The Term “In The Cloud” 1.9 Centralization Once Again Elastic Computing And Its Advantages 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Multi-Tenant Clouds 2.3 The Concept Of Elastic Computing 2.4 Using Virtualized Servers For Rapid Change 2.5 How Virtualized Servers Aid Providers 2.6 How Virtualized Servers Help A Customer 2.7 Business Models For Cloud Providers 2.8 Intrastructure as a Service (IaaS) 2.9 Platform as a Service (PaaS) 2.10 Software as a Service (SaaS) 2.11 A Special Case: Desktop as a Service (DaaS) 2.12 Summary Type Of Clouds And Cloud Providers 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Private And Public Clouds 3.3 Private Cloud 3.4 Public Cloud 3.5 The Advantages Of Public Cloud 3.6 Provider Lock-In 3.7 The Advantages Of Private Cloud 3.8 Hybrid Cloud 3.9 Multi-Cloud 3.10 Hyperscalers 3.11 Summary PART II Cloud Infrastructure And Virtualization Data Center Infrastructure And Equipment 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Racks, Aisles, And Pods 4.3 Pod Size 4.4 Power And Cooling For A Pod 4.5 Raised Floor Pathways And Air Cooling 4.6 Thermal Containment And Hot/Cold Aisles 4.7 Exhaust Ducts (Chimneys) 4.8 Lights-Out Data Centers 4.9 A Possible Future Of Liquid Cooling 4.10 Network Equipment And Multi-Port Server Interfaces 4.11 Smart Network Interfaces And Offload 4.12 North-South And East-West Network Traffic 4.13 Network Hierarchies, Capacity, And Fat Tree Designs 4.14 High Capacity And Link Aggregation 4.15 A Leaf-Spine Network Design For East-West Traffic 4.16 Scaling A Leaf-Spine Architecture With A Super Spine 4.17 External Internet Connections 4.18 Storage In A Data Center 4.19 Unified Data Center Networks 4.20 Summary Virtual Machines 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Approaches To Virtualization 5.3 Properties Of Full Virtualization 5.4 Conceptual Organization Of VM Systems 5.5 Efficient Execution And Processor Privilege Levels 5.6 Extending Privilege To A Hypervisor 5.7 Levels Of Trust 5.8 Levels Of Trust And I/O Devices 5.9 Virtual I/O Devices 5.10 Virtual Device Details 5.11 An Example Virtual Device 5.12 A VM As A Digital Object 5.13 VM Migration 5.14 Live Migration Using Three Phase5.15 Running Virtual Machines In An Application 5.16 Facilities That Make A Hosted Hypervisor Possible 5.17 How A User Benefits From A Hosted Hypervisor 5.18 Summary Containers 6.1 Introduction 6.2 The Advantages And Disadvantages Of VMs 6.3 Traditional Apps And Elasticity On Demand 6.4 Isolation Facilities In An Operating System 6.5 Linux Namespaces Used For Isolation 6.6 The Container Approach For Isolated Apps 6.7 Docker Containers6.8 Docker Terminology And Development Tools 6.9 Docker Software Components 6.10 Base Operating System And Files 6.11 Items In A Dockerfile 6.12 An Example Dockerfile 6.13 Summary Virtual Networks 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Conflicting Goals For A Data Center Network 7.3 Virtual Networks, Overlays, And Underlays 7.4 Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) 7.5 Scaling VLANs To A Data Center With VXLAN 7.6 A Virtual Network Switch Within A Server 7.7 Network Address Translation (NAT) 7.8 Managing Virtualization And Mobility 7.9 Automated Network Configuration And Operation 7.10 Software Defined Networking 7.11 The OpenFlow Protocol 7.12 Programmable Networks 7.13 Summary Virtual Storage 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Persistent Storage: Disks And Files 8.3 The Disk Interface Abstraction 8.4 The File Interface Abstraction 8.5 Local And Remote Storage 18.6 Two Types Of Remote Storage Systems 8.7 Network Attached Storage (NAS) Technology 8.8 Storage Area Network (SAN) Technology 8.9 Mapping Virtual Disks To Physical Disks 8.10 Hyper-Converged Infrastructure 8.11 A Comparison Of NAS and SAN Technology 8.12 Object Storage 8.13 Summary PART III Automation And OrchestrationAutomation 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Groups That Use Automation 9.3 The Need For Automation In A Data Center 9.4 An Example Deployment 9.5 What Can Be Automated? 9.6 Levels Of Automation 9.7 AIops: Using Machine Learning And Artificial Intelligence 9.8 A Plethora Of Automation Tools 9.9 Automation Of Manual Data Center Practices 9.10 Zero Touch Provisioning And Infrastructure As Code 9.11 Declarative, Imperative, And Intent-Based Specifications 9.12 The Evolution Of Automation Tools 9.13 Summary Orchestration: Automated Replication And Parallelism 10.1 Introduction 10.2 The Legacy Of Automating Manual Procedures 10.3 Orchestration: Automation With A Larger Scope 10.4 Kubernetes: An Example Container Orchestration System 10.5 Limits On Kubernetes Scope 10.6 The Kubernetes Cluster Model 10.7 Kubernetes Pods 10.8 Pod Creation, Templates, And Binding Times 10.9 Init Containers 10.10 Kubernetes Terminology: Nodes And Control Plane 10.11 Control Plane Software Components 10.12 Communication Among Control Plane Components 10.13 Worker Node Software Components 10.14 Kubernetes Features 110.15 SummaryPART IV Cloud Programming ParadigmsThe MapReduce Paradigm 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Software In A Cloud Environment 11.3 Cloud-Native Vs. Conventional Software 11.4 Using Data Center Servers For Parallel Processing 11.5 Tradeoffs And Limitations Of The Parallel Approach 11.6 The MapReduce Programming Paradigm 11.7 Mathematical Description Of MapReduce 11.8 Splitting Input 11.9 Parallelism And Data Size 11.10 Data Access and Data Transmission 11.11 Apache Hadoop 11.12 The Two Major Parts Of Hadoop 11.13 Hadoop Hardware Cluster Model 11.14 HDFS Components: DataNodes And A NameNode 11.15 Block Replication And Fault Tolerance 11.16 HDFS And MapReduce 11.17 Using Hadoop With Other File Systems 11.18 Using Hadoop For MapReduce Computations 11.19 Hadoop’s Support For Programming Languages 11.20 Summary Microservices 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Traditional Monolithic Applications 12.3 Monolithic Applications In A Data Center 12.4 The Microservices Approach 12.5 The Advantages Of Microservices 12.6 The Potential Disadvantages of Microservices 12.7 Microservices Granularity 12.8 Communication Protocols Used For Microservices 12.9 Communication Among Microservices 12.10 Using A Service Mesh Proxy 12.11 The Potential For Deadlock 12.12 Microservices Technologies 12.13 Summary Controller-Based Management Software13.1 Introduction 13.2 Traditional Distributed Application Management 13.3 Periodic Monitoring 13.4 Managing Cloud-Native Applications 13.5 Control Loop Concept 13.6 Control Loop Delay, Hysteresis, And Instability 13.7 The Kubernetes Controller Paradigm And Control Loop 13.8 An Event-Driven Implementation Of A Control Loop 13.9 Components Of A Kubernetes Controller 13.10 Custom Resources And Custom Controllers 13.11 Kubernetes Custom Resource Definition (CRD) 13.12 Service Mesh Management Tools 13.13 Reactive Or Dynamic Planning 13.14 A Goal: The Operator Pattern 13.15 Summary Serverless Computing And Event Processing 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Traditional Client-Server Architecture 114.3 Scaling A Traditional Server To Handle Multiple Clients 14.4 Scaling A Server In A Cloud Environment 14.5 The Economics Of Servers In The Cloud 14.6 The Serverless Computing Approach 14.7 Stateless Servers And Containers 14.8 The Architecture Of A Serverless Infrastructure 14.9 An Example Of Serverless Processing 14.10 Potential Disadvantages Of Serverless Computing 14.11 Summary DevOps 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Software Creation And Deployment15.3 The Realistic Software Development Cycle 15.4 Large Software Projects And Teams 15.5 Disadvantages Of Using Multiple Teams 15.6 The DevOps Approach 15.7 Continuous Integration (CI): A Short Change Cycle 15.8 Continuous Delivery (CD): Deploying Versions Rapidly 15.9 Cautious Deployment: Sandbox, Canary, And Blue/Green 15.10 Difficult Aspects Of The DevOps Approach 15.11 Summary PART V Other Aspects Of Cloud Edge Computing And IIoT 16.1 Introduction 16.2 The Latency Disadvantage Of Cloud 16.3 Situations Where Latency Matters 16.4 Industries That Need Low Latency 16.5 Moving Computing To The Edge 16.6 Extending Edge Computing To A Fog Hierarchy 16.7 Caching At Multiple Levels Of A Hierarchy 16.8 An Automotive Example 16.9 Edge Computing And IIoT 16.10 Communication For IIoT 16.11 Decentralization Once Again 16.12 Summary Cloud Security And Privacy17.1 Introduction 17.2 Cloud-Specific Security Problems 17.3 Security In A Traditional Infrastructure 17.4 Why Traditional Methods Do Not Suffice For The Cloud 17.5 The Zero Trust Security Model 17.6 Identity Management 17.7 Privileged Access Management (PAM) 17.8 AI Technologies And Their Effect On Security17.9 Protecting Remote Access 17.10 Privacy In A Cloud Environment 17.11 Back Doors, Side Channels, And Other Concerns 17.12 Cloud Providers As Partners For Security And Privacy 17.13 Summary Controlling The Complexity Of Cloud-Native Systems 18.1 Introduction 18.2 Sources Of Complexity In Cloud Systems 18.3 Inherent Complexity In Large Distributed Systems 18.4 Designing A Flawless Distributed System 18.5 System Modeling 18.6 Mathematical Models 18.7 An Example Graph Model To Help Avoid Deadlock 18.8 A Graph Model For A Startup Sequence 18.9 Modeling Using Mathematics 18.10 An Example TLA+ Specification 18.11 System State And State Changes 18.12 The Form Of A TLA+ Specification 18.13 Symbols In A TLA+ Specification 18.14 State Transitions For The Example 18.15 Conclusions About Temporal Logic Models 18.16 Summary Index

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Book SynopsisGame Anim teaches the technical and artistic fundamentals of video game animation and goes further to provide practical advice and industry insights to help you become a rounded and successful game animator. Covering every stage of game production from the animatorâs perspective, it is packed with the lessons learned from working on a variety of game types in both in-game and cinematic roles in animator, lead, and director positions. These have been successful across multiple studios regardless of team, size and culture.The 2nd edition includes a new chapter on 2D and Pixel Art Animation, an enhanced mocap chapter covering the latest developments in Motion Matching, and even more interviews with top professionals in the field. Game Anim provides essential guidance to those looking to break into the industry and successful animators wishing to take the next step in their career. Key Features â 20 Years of Insight: Accumulated knowledge fromTable of ContentsChapter 1 The Video Game Animator What It Means To Be A Video Game AnimatorChapter 2 The Game Development EnvironmentChapter 3 The 12 Animation PrinciplesChapter 4 The Five Fundamentals of Game AnimationChapter 5 What You Need To KnowChapter 6 The Game Animation WorkflowChapter 7 Our Project: Pre-productionChapter 8 Our Project: Technical AnimationChapter 9 Our Project: Gameplay AnimationChapter 10 Our Project: Cinematics & FacialChapter 11 Our Project: Motion CaptureChapter 12 Our Project: Animation Team ManagementChapter 13 Our Project: Polish & DebugChapter 14 2D & Pixel Art AnimationChapter 15 The Future

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Book SynopsisTake a journey through the history of Japanese role-playing games—from the creators who built it, the games that defined it, and the stories that transformed pop culture and continue to capture the imaginations of millions of fans to this day.The Japanese roleplaying game (JRPG) genre is one that is known for bold, unforgettable characters; rich stories, and some of the most iconic and beloved games in the industry. Inspired by early western RPGs and introducing technology and artistic styles that pushed the boundaries of what video games could be, this genre is responsible for creating some of the most complex, bold, and beloved games in history—and it has the fanbase to prove it. In Fight, Magic, Items, Aidan Moher guides readers through the fascinating history of JRPGs, exploring the technical challenges, distinct narrative and artistic visions, and creative rivalries that fueled the creation of countless iconic games and their quest to bec

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Book SynopsisStarting with the basics of game creation and a look at the artistic skills necessary to get started, this title offers key roles for creators - from concept artists to character animators to marketing artists and beyond. It also features interviews with video game art professionals who've worked for top gaming companies.

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Book SynopsisWithin the field of game design, game balance can best be described as a black art. It is the process by which game designers make a game simultaneously fair for players while providing them just the right amount of difficulty to be both exciting and challenging without making the game entirely predictable. This involves a combination of mathematics, psychology, and occasionally other fields such as economics and game theory. Game Balance offers readers a dynamic look into game design and player theory. Throughout the book, relevant topics on the use of spreadsheet programs will be included in each chapter. This book therefore doubles as a useful reference on Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheets, and other spreadsheet programs and their uses for game designers.FEATURES The first and only book to explore game balance as a topic in depth Topics range from intermediate to advanced, while written in an accessible style that demystifies even the most challenging mathematical concepts to the point where a novice student of game design can understand and apply them Contains powerful spreadsheet techniques which have been tested with all major spreadsheet programs and battle-tested with real-world game design tasks Provides short-form exercises at the end of each chapter to allow for practice of the techniques discussed therein along with three long-term projects divided into parts throughout the book that involve their creation Written by award-winning designers with decades of experience in the field Ian Schreiber has been in the industry since 2000, first as a programmer and then as a game designer. He has worked on eight published game titles, training/simulation games for three Fortune 500 companies, and has advised countless student projects. He is the co-founder of Global Game Jam, the largest in-person game jam event in the world. Ian has taught game design and development courses at a variety of colleges and universities since 2006.Brenda Romero is a BAFTA award-winning game director, entrepreneur, artist, and Fulbright award recipient and is presently game director and creator of the Empire of Sin franchise. As a game director, she has worked on 50 games and contributed to many seminal titles, including the Wizardry and Jagged Alliance series and titles in the Ghost Recon, Dungeons & Dragons, and Def Jam franchises.Table of ContentsForeword. Preface. Kinds of Balance. Critical Vocabulary. Numeric Relationships. Economic Systems. Trading Systems. Transitive Mechanics and Cost Curves. Probability and Randomness (Dice). Probability and Dice (Cards). Managing Luck and Skill. Human Intuition. Pseudorandom Numbers. Infinite Probabilites. Situational Balance. Progression in PvE Games. Progression in PvP Games. Statistics. Analytics. Metagame Systems. Intransitive Mechanics and Payoff Matrices. Beyond Balance.

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Book SynopsisAll games are potentially transformative experiences because they engage the player in dynamic action. When repurposed in an educational context, even highly popular casual games played online to pass the time can engage players in a way that deepens learning. Games as Transformative Experiences for Critical Thinking, Cultural Awareness, and Deep Learning: Strategies & Resources examines the learning value of a wide variety of games across multiple disciplines.Organized just like a well-made game, the book is divided into four parts highlighting classroom experiences, community and culture, virtual learning, and interdisciplinary instruction. The author crosses between the high school and college classroom and addresses a range of disciplines, both online and classroom practice, the design of curriculum, and the transformation of assessment practices.In addition to a wealth of practical exercises, resources, and lesson ideas, the book explains how to use a wide Trade Review"I would posit that David Seelow should be esteemed in the same way we treat John Paul Gee, Jane McGonigal, Jesse Schell, and Lee Sheldon. The book contains significant benefits and is well worth the investment of time and money required to acquire and read the book. This book is highly recommended if you are looking to experiment with GBL in the classroom, either via online, virtual, or hybrid approaches. You will find a wide range of successfully applied games that could be used to stimulate your learners’ interest in achieving a deeper level of learning."- Michael J. D. Sutton, Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching"I would posit that David Seelow should be esteemed in the same way we treat John Paul Gee, Jane McGonigal, Jesse Schell, and Lee Sheldon. The book contains significant benefits and is well worth the investment of time and money required to acquire and read the book. This book is highly recommended if you are looking to experiment with GBL in the classroom, either via online, virtual, or hybrid approaches. You will find a wide range of successfully applied games that could be used to stimulate your learners’ interest in achieving a deeper level of learning."- Michael J. D. Sutton, Journal of Applied Learning & TeachingTable of ContentsIn Memoriam. Author. Introduction: The Power and Potential of Games for Learning. Part I Games as Transformative Classroom Experiences. Chapter 1 My Favorite Game: The Power of Personal Learning. Chapter 2 Ask the Sphinx: Power Up Student Motivation with Superpower Challenges. Chapter 3 Gen Con in the Classroom: Board Games. Chapter 4 Video Games in the English Classroom: Supercharging Critical Literacy. Chapter 5 Playing through Stories: Teaching Interactive Narrative. Part II Games as Transformative Classroom Experiences. Chapter 6 Using a Game to Counter the Prejudice, Bias, and Discrimination against the Transgender Community: If Found and Transformative Storytelling. Chapter 7 "Smart Bets" Balancing Uncertainty with Clear Thinking: Annie Duke’s Poker Skills for Everyday Life. Chapter 8 Chess for Self, School, and Society. Chapter 9 War from the Other Side: Playing Games to Save Democracy. Chapter 10 The Child as Mother to Man: A Game for Saving Nature. Chapter 11 Turning Strangers into Neighbors: Improving the World through a Game of Gratitude. Part III Casual Games as Transformative Online Learning Experiences. Chapter 12 Three Small Games for Big Learning in Math and Physics. Chapter 13 Playing Small Business Owners: Teaching Management, Self-Efficacy, and Authentic Skills through Casual Games. Chapter 14 Teaching Teamwork with a Public Health Game. Chapter 15 There Is an Imposter Among Us: Teaching Truth in the Time of "The Big Lie". Chapter 16 Teaching Tragedy in Real Time: The Syrian Refugee Crisis. Chapter 17 Games for College Orientation: Social Emotional Learning. Part IV Playing across Boundaries: Interdisciplinary Instruction with Films, Games, and Literature. Chapter 18 Teaching the Disclosure Scene: Empathy and Understanding for Transgender People. Chapter 19 Teaching Over the Top: The Great War through a Game, Painting, Poem, and Superhero Film. Chapter 20 How "Memoirs" about the Iranian Revolution Can Help Change Stereotypical Perceptions of the Muslim as "Other". Chapter 21 Teaching about Pandemics During a Pandemic. CONCLUSION A SHORT HIKE TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN: TEACHING THE TRANSCENDENT OR WALKING THE DOG. INDEX.

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The Business of Indie Games provides exceptional insight into how the video games industry works. It shares valuable information on how to successfully self-publish and secure publisher support. Whether you're making your first game or tenth, this book is a must read. Paul Baldwin, Curve DigitalThe video game industry is a tough business and anyone looking to succeed in indie development should give The Business of Indie Games a read. Graham Smith, Co-Founder of DrinkBox StudiosThis book is a fast track to success for anyone managing a game launch and looking to raise funding for their projects. It shares knowledge that you only learn after years of triumphs and failures within this industry. Scott Drader, Co-Founder of Metalhead Software There's nothing like The Business of Indie Games taught in school. You learn how to make a game, but not how to conduct business, market, and laun

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Book SynopsisIn this not-too-long and easy-to-read book, author Celia Hodent presents a clear overview of the challenges, demands, and rewards of becoming a user experience professional. If this field interests you, thereâs no better place to start than with the volume you now hold in your hand. Alan Cooper, Ancestry Thinker, Software Alchemist, Regenerative Rancher, Author of The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the SanityThe main objective of What UX is Really About: Introducing a Mindset for Great Experiences is to provide a quick introduction to user experience (UX 101) for students, professionals, or simply curious readers who want to understand this trendy yet commonly misunderstood practice better. Readers will learn that UX is much more than a set of techniques, guidelines, and tools. It is a mindset; a philosophy that takes the perspective of the humans that will use a product. It is about solving their problems, offering them a pleasurable experience, and building a win-win, long-lasting relationship between them and the company developing the product. Above all, it is about improving peopleâs lives with technology. What UX is Really About is informative, concise, and provides readers with a high-level overview of the science, design, and methodologies of UX. KEY FEATURES: â The most approachable and concise introduction book about UX. â Easy to read and aims to popularize the UX mindset while debunking its main misconceptions. â Small format size makes it easy to carry around. â Includes content relatable and meaningful to the readers by taking many examples from everyday life with a conversational and light writing style. â Tackles the psychology, design, research, process, strategy, and ethics behind offering the best experience with products, systems, or services.â Includes a glossary.Celia Hodent holds a PhD in psychology, and is a leading expert in the application of cognitive science and psychology to product development, with over 13 years of experience in the development of UX strategy in video game studios, such as Ubisoft, LucasArts, and Epic Games (Fortnite). She currently leads an independent UX consultancy, working with a wide range of international media and enterprise companies to help ensure their products are engaging, successful, and respectful of users. Celia conducts workshops and provides guidance on the topics of game-based UX, playful learning (gamification), ethics, implicit biases, and inclusion in tech. Celia is the author of The Gamerâs Brain: How Neuroscience and UX Can Impact Video Game Design and The Psychology of Video Games.Trade Review"In this not-too-long and easy-to-read book, author Celia Hodent presents a clear overview of the challenges, demands, and rewards of becoming a user experience professional. If this field interests you, there’s no better place to start than with the volume you now hold in your hand." Alan Cooper, Ancestry Thinker, Software Alchemist, Regenerative Rancher, Author of The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity"This is a clear and compelling introduction to a topic that affects us all--UX and how it shapes the technology experiences we have every day. I can see using this in my general education HCI introduction course--it covers key aspects of the field and also raises important questions of ethics and of inclusion."Katherine Isbister, Professor of Computational Media, Jack Baskin School of Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Author of How Games Move Us: Emotion by Design“In this approachable book, Celia Hodent distills her decades of knowledge and experience into a practical guide. She gives her voice to typical topics, such as the importance of understanding human capability and limitations, but also to rare ones, such as ethics in design. Light on jargon and heavy on practical questions, this is an ideal book for anyone exploring the possibility of a career in UX.”Anne Collins McLaughlin, PhD Professor, North Carolina State UniversityCo-author of Aging, Technology and HealthTable of ContentsChapter 1 What Is UX?Chapter 2 What UX Is NotChapter 3 The Science behind UXChapter 4 The Process and Methodologies of UXChapter 5 Ethics and the UX MindsetChapter 6 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisGame Audio Fundamentals takes the reader on a journey through game audio design: from analog and digital audio basics, to the art and execution of sound effects, soundtracks, and voice production, as well as learning how to make sense of a truly effective soundscape.Trade Review"With his Game Audio Fundamentals, Keith Zizza has delivered a solid, hands-on book that touches on all the important aspects of creating sound and music for video games!"Brian Schmidt, Game Composer/Sound Designer, Executive Director of GameSoundConTable of ContentsPART I: Theory and Tools 1. Acoustics and Analog Audio 2. Digital Audio 3. Music Theory for Audio Designers 4. Production Tools PART II: Soundscapes and Disciplines 5. DAW Essentials, Part I: Editing, Workflow, and Rendering 6. DAW Essentials, Part II: An Overview of Plug-ins 7. Understanding Soundscapes for Games 8. Sound Design 9. Music 10. Dialogue PART III: Practice 11. Production and Development 12. Implementation 13. Listening 14. Finding Game Audio Work

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Book SynopsisThis book is a study of the psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy of creativity, originality, and inspiration viewed from the lens of a seasoned game developer. It introduces the concept of creative sobrietyâa practice that advocates better understanding our own sources of inspiration so that we can intellectually drive our creative voice closer to originality.The creative process is an improvised dance between the conscious and the subconscious mind, where knowledge, experience, intuition, observation, imagination, and projection meet in ways that are completely unique to each person. Presenting practical and theoretical approaches to originality and game concept generation, this book explores the notion of creative sobriety before moving to chapters that blend theory and practice, covering topics such as innovation, the creative process, auteurship, collaboration, and creative vision.This book will be of great interest to students of game design and creative profe

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Book SynopsisIn this book, veteran game developers, academics, journalists, and others provide their processes and experiences with level design. Each provides a unique perspective representing multiple steps of the process for interacting with and creating game levels â experiencing levels, designing levels, constructing levels, and testing levels. These diverse perspectives offer readers a window into the thought processes that result in memorable open game worlds, chilling horror environments, computer-generated levels, evocative soundscapes, and many other types of gamespaces. This collection invites readers into the minds of professional designers as they work and provides evergreen topics on level design and game criticism to inspire both new and veteran designers.Key Features: Learn about the processes of experienced developers and level designers in their own words Discover best-practices for creating levels for persuasive play and designing Table of ContentsChapter 1. Kamuro Nights: A Personal Retrospective of the Yakuza Series Gavin Greene Chapter 2. Cracking the Resident Evil Puzzle Box Daniel Johnson Chapter 3.From Construction to Perception: Three Views of Level Design for Story-Driven Games Huaxin Wei and Chaoguang Wang Chapter 4. Everything I Learned About Level Design at an Orlesian Ball Heidi McDonald Chapter 5. Hell, Hyboria, and Disneyland; The Origins and Inspirations of Themed Video Game Level Design Scott Rogers Chapter 6. Level Design Practices for Independent Games Fares Kayali and Josef Ortner Chapter 7. Making the Most of Audio in Characterization, Narrative Structure, and Level Design Chanel Summers Chapter 8. Procedural Content Generation: An Overview Gillian Smith Chapter 9. P.T. and the Play of Stillness Brian Upton Chapter 10. The Illusion of Choice – How to Hide the Linearity of Levels from Players Joao Raza and Benjamin Carter Chapter 11. Integrating Procedural and Handmade Level Design Dr. Mark R. Johnson Chapter 12. Level Design Planning for Open World Games Joel Burgess PART 4: TESTING LEVELS Chapter 13. Play-Personas: Mental Tools for Player-Centered Level Design Alessandro Canossa Chapter 14. Evaluating Level Design Using Public Events Jonathan Moriarty Chapter 15. The Rule of 27’s: A Comparative Analysis of 2D Screenspace and Virtual Reality Environment Design Hadar Silverman Chapter 16. Expression vs. Experience: Balancing Art and Usability Needs in Level Design Christopher W. Totten

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Book SynopsisThis is a comprehensive guidebook for long-term storytelling in mobile games and games-as-a-service (also known as live games). This book formalizes creative techniques of game writing and narrative design for a platform (and revenue model) that has shown drastic growth and changes over the past few years. The unique challenges of mobile games and live games are also increasingly relevant across the whole games industry. With hybrid consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, cloud gaming, and cross-platform titles, the lines between mobile and console have begun to blur. Additionally, many games now offer live support to extend player engagement.This book starts with an introduction to narrative design and the world of mobile games, followed by a deep dive into open-ended and seasonal storytelling. Besides the creative aspect of development, it covers areas of production such as documentation, collaboration, and monetization. To illustrate its solutions, it uses examples from videTable of ContentsPart I IntroductionChapter 1 What Is Narrative Design?Chapter 2 An Overview of Narrative DesignChapter 3 Why Does Narrative Design Matter?Part II Interactive StorytellingChapter 4 Introduction to Interactive StorytellingChapter 5 Interactive Storytelling StructuresChapter 6 Open-Ended Storytelling StructuresPart III Live Game StorytellingChapter 7 Introduction to Mobile Game StorytellingChapter 8 Introduction to Live Game StorytellingChapter 9 Learning from Other MediaChapter 10 Building the Narrative FoundationChapter 11 Narrative ToolsChapter 12 Planning Your SeasonsChapter 13 Writing Your Seasonal PlotChapter 14 Keeping a Long-Running Story InterestingChapter 15 Best PracticesPart IV Beyond a Game’s StoryChapter 16 Transmedia StorytellingChapter 17 Narrative MonetizationPart V ConclusionConclusion

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Book SynopsisVideogames and Agency explores the trend in videogames and their marketing to offer a player higher volumes, or even more distinct kinds, of player freedom. The book offers a new conceptual framework that helps us understand how this freedom to act is discussed by designers, and how that in turn reflects in their design principles.What can we learn from existing theories around agency? How do paratextual materials reflect design intention with regards to what the player can and cannot do in a videogame? How does game design shape the possibility space for player action? Through these questions and selected case studies that include AAA and independent games alike, the book presents a unique approach to studying agency that combines game design, game studies, and game developer discourse. By doing so, the book examines what discourses around player action, as well as a game's design can reveal about the nature of agency and videogame aesthetics.This book will aTrade ReviewVideogames and Agency offers an important contribution to debates around a central concept in Game Studies, providing a new framework to think through the relationship between production context, design and player agency. Using paratextual and textual analysis, Dr Bettina Bódi works adeptly across three engaging case studies to broaden our understanding of how games and their designers afford and constrain player action. This is vital reading for anyone who wants to understand more about one of the key questions in games research.Dr Nick Webber, Associate Professor in Media, Birmingham City University, UKBettina Bódi’s Videogames and Agency is a unique and indispensable book for scholars, students, and game designers. By considering agency as an affordance of videogames that is firmly rooted in their developers’ design ethos, Bódi ties together theoretical perspectives and industry practices of agency. Thoroughly researched, yet immensely readable, the book gives a much needed introduction to a central issue in the study of video games.Hans-Joachim Backe, Associate Professor, Center for Digital Play, ITU Copenhagen, DenmarkTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Understanding Agency; Agency in Game Studies; Agency in Game Design; Toward a Conceptualisation of Agency; 2. A Multidimensional Heuristic Framework for Analysing Player Agency; Agency Afforded in Space: The Spatial-Explorative Dimension; Agency Afforded in Time: The Temporal-Ergodic Dimension; Agency Over the Avatar and its Surroundings: The Configurative-Constructive Dimension; Agency and Narrativity: The Narrative-Dramatic Dimension; 3. An “Active Cinematic Experience”: Naughty Dog’s Uncharted Series; Naughty Dog and the Uncharted Franchise; Developing Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End; Agency and a “Cinematic Feel”; 4. “A Compelling Story with Choices That Matter”: BioWare’s Mass Effect Series; BioWare and the Mass Effect Franchise; Developing Mass Effect: Andromeda; Narrativity, Eventfulness, and Agency; 5. “The World is Your Play-Doh”: System Era Softworks and Astroneer; Independent Games: Definitions and TrendsDeveloping Astroneer; Agency and Playfulness; Conclusion; Index

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Book SynopsisThe Science of Esports draws from contemporary research and coach expertise to examine esports athlete health and performance from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including physiology, psychology, sociology, and nutrition. The rapid expansion of the esports industry has elevated competitive video gaming into the realm of high performance, requiring players, coaches, and practitioners to implement interdisciplinary approaches to performance support.The book covers key topic areas such as: What esports is and similarities and differences to sport Game-specific training Physiological and psychological consideration for esports athletes Social aspects of player performance and the social environment of esports Esports coaching and structure of esports performance environments Technology and its use in esports Safeguarding, cheating, and gambling<Table of Contents1. What is Esports? 2. Aspects of Game-Specific Training 3. Physiological Considerations for E-athletes 4. Psychological Considerations for Esports Athletes 5. Nutrition, Supplementation, and Regulation 6. Social Aspects of E-Athletes Performance 7. Structure of Esports Performance Environments 8. Esports Coaching and Support 9. Talent Identification and Development 10. Technology in Esports 11. Social Environment and Health in Esports 12. Safeguarding, Cheating, and Gambling 13. Key Considerations for the Future

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Book SynopsisThis book supports readers to transition to more advanced independent game projects by deepening their understanding of the concept development process. It covers how to make concepts sufficiently viable, ambitious, and innovative to warrant the creation of a polished prototype in preparation of a publisher pitch.The book is divided into six sections. After a brief tutorial (Preliminary Phase), readers embark on a journey along the book's methodology. They travel through successive conceptual phases (Preparations, Procedures, Processes, and Propositions); advance through levels and action beats in each of these phases; master challenges (conceptual tasks) and overcome level bosses (design decisions) that become successively harder; collect items (fulfilled documentation tasks); and win the game by having progressed from a raw, initial idea to a full-fledged, polished game treatment. Additional resources for the bookare available at Table of ContentsPhase 01: Preliminaries. 1. Level One: The Thing. 2. Level Two: The Map. 3. Level Three: The Stage. Phase 02: Preparations. 1. Level One: Spawning Ideas. 2. Level Two: Panning for the Core. 3. Level Three: Tough Investigations. 4. Level Four: An Army of Avatars. 5. Level Five: Enter the Value Matrix. 6. Level Six: Serve with Distinction. Phase 03: Procedures. 1. Level One: The Enchanted Theme. 2. Level Two: The Design-Driven Goal. 3. Level Three: The Desire-Driven Goal. Phase 04: Processes. 1. Level One: Integral Perspectives I. 2. Level Two: Interactivity. 3. Level Three: Plurimediality. 4. Level Four: Narrativity. 5. Level Five: Architectonics. 6. Level Six: Integral Perspectives II. Phase 05: Propositions. 1. Level One: Prototyping. 2. Level Two: Polishing. 3. Level Three: Presenting. Phase 06: Postmortems. 1. Level One: References. 2. Level Two: Rightsholders. 3. Level Three: Responses.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a comprehensive account of German animation history, as well as an analysis of the current state of the industry in competition with American and cheaper international products in the face of dwindling budgets.Covering film and TV, 2D and 3D animation, the book considers how Europe has lost its domestic territory of narratives to international competitors. A connection is made between film history and contemporary history: World War I, the Weimar Republic, National Socialism, World War II, the Federal Republic and German Democratic Republic, Reunification, the European Union, Digitalization and Globalization, and a turn of eras initiated by pandemic, war and inflation.This book will be of great interest to academics, students, and professionals working and researching in the field of animation.

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Book SynopsisBlenderTM is a free Open-Source 3D Computer Modeling and Animation Suite incorporating Character Rigging, Particles, Real World Physics Simulation, Sculpting, Video Editing with Motion Tracking and 2D Animation within the 3D Environment.Blenderis FREE to download and use by anyone for anything.The Complete Guide to Blender Graphics: Computer Modeling and Animation, Eighth Edition is a unified manual describing the operation of the program, updated with reference to the Graphical User Interface for Blender Version 3.2.2, including additional material covering Blender Assets, Geometry Nodes, and Non-Linear Animation.Divided into a two-volume set, the book introduces the program's Graphical User Interface and shows how toTable of ContentsIntroduction. The Author. Preamble. CH01 Objects in the 3D View Editor. CH02 Editing & Add-Ons. CH03 Editing with Generate Modifiers. CH04 Editing with Deform Modifiers. CH05 Editing Using Curves. CH06 Material Assignment. CH07 Rendering. CH08 Animation. CH09 Constraints. CH10 Armatures & Character Rigging. CH11 Shape Keys & Action Editors. CH12 Particle Systems. CH13 Physics and Simulation. CH14 Dynamic Paint. CH15 Geometry Nodes. CH16 Drivers. Ch17 Non Linear Animation. CH18 Rigging – Rigify – Animbox. CH19 Blender Render Engines. Index.

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Book SynopsisBlenderTM is a free Open-Source 3D Computer Modeling and Animation Suite incorporating Character Rigging, Particles, Real World Physics Simulation, Sculpting, Video Editing with Motion Tracking and 2D Animation within the 3D Environment.Blender is FREE to download and use by anyone for anything.The Complete Guide to Blender Graphics: Computer Modeling and Animation, Eighth Edition is a unified manual describing the operation of the program, updated with reference to the Graphical User Interface for Blender Version 3.2.2, including additional material covering Blender Assets, Geometry Nodes, and Non-Linear Animation.Divided into a two-volume set, the book introduces the program's Graphical User Interface and shows howTable of ContentsIntroduction. Download and Installation. The Author. Preamble. CH01 Understanding the Interface. CH02 Editors-Workspaces-Themes. CH03 Navigate and Save. CH04 Objects in the 3D View Editor. CH05 Editing Objects. CH06 Editing Tools. CH07 Editing with Modifiers. CH08 Editing Techniques- Examples. CH09 Materials- Textures- Nodes. CH10 Textures. CH11 Node Systems and Usage. CH12 Scene Lighting & Cameras. CH13 Viewport Shading. CH14 Rendering. CH15 Animation. CH16 Armatures & Character Rigging. CH17 3D Text. CH18 Blender Assets. CH19 Making a Movie. CH20 The Outliner and Collections. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book unlocks an understanding of video games as virtual travel. It explains how video game design increasingly takes cues from the promotional language of tourism, and how this connection raises issues of power and commodification.Bridging the disciplinary gap between game and tourism studies, the book offers a comprehensive account of touristic gazing in games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Minecraft, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Traveling through video games involves a mythological promise of open-ended opportunity, summarized in the slogan you can go there. Van Nuenen discusses the scale of game worlds, the elusive nature of freedom and control, and the pivotal role of work in creating a sense of belonging. The logic of tourism is fundamentally consumptiveâbut through design choices, players can also be invited to approach their travels more critically. This is the difference between moving through a game world, and being moved by it.This interdisciplinary and innovative study will interest students and scholars of digital media studies, game studies, tourism and technology, and the Digital Humanities.

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Book SynopsisRepresentation of Disability in Children's Video Games looks at how children's engagement with characters and stories in video games helps create the perception of disability they have as teens and adults. Drawing on child development theory supported by neuroscience, the book shows how the scaffold of information, the schema, adults have of disability is first created at a very young age as they interact through play with characters with disabilities in narrative video games.Positing that early video game play experiences should provide exposure to narrative schemas that add understanding and help create meaning about the disability represented, the book presents how such representation in children's video games maps against cognitive development and the psychomotor and cognitive needs and abilities of children 312. Through close readings of over 40 PEGI 3 and PEGI 7 (ESRB E, 10+) games and analysis of games as diverse as Backyard Baseball and Sly CooperTable of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2 Child Development 1: Schema, Play, the Dreamworld, and Societal Norms Chapter 3: Child Development 2: Children’s Cognitive Development Chapter 4: The Games I, Representation of Physical DisabilityChapter 5. The Games II, Neurodevelopmental Disability Chapter 6. Content Rating Systems Chapter 7: Final Words

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Book SynopsisThis book aims to provide information and in-routes to one of the most complex forms of video game accessibility. It promises to explain how a developer might make their game accessible to the totally blind. It will break down what that means and provide plenty of examples and ideas for how developers might achieve total blind accessibility, even in the largest, most complex games. As an experienced accessibility consultant who has worked on multiple AAA titles, the author brings a wealth of practical experience to the reader.

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Book SynopsisThis book is the perfect toolkit for any developer who wishes to transform an idea into a viable business. From the experience of a game designer and a business developer, it covers every step from the conception of the game to signing a deal with a publisher; finding the right type of funds, sending follow-up e-mails, and attending trade shows are just a few of the tools the reader will find in the book.Benefitting from the authors combined 30+ years of experience in the industry, the book provides an in-depth business strategy for games. The book is divided into four sections: introduction, preparation, execution, and contingencies. The reader is presented with the knowledge required to get started, both for the companyâs culture and strategy and for the teamâs pitching abilities and material. In the action phase, the authors explain how to prepare a budget, deal with the publisher, and cultivate their professional relationship. Lastly, the book explains how to deal with un

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