Description: From Windows Solitaire to Bejeweled to Wii Tennis, casual games have radically changed the landscape of games. By simplifying gameplay and providing quick but intense blasts of engaging play, casual games have drawn in huge new audiences of players. To entertain and engage the casual player, game designers must learn to think about what makes casual games work, from game mechanics to narrative content. Through the close examination of a number of casual games, you will learn how to inject the necessary game design elements into your casual games and give your designs the complexity and strategy they need to hook gamers. You will learn:

Description: Creating computer games is challenging. It requires plenty of technical skill, dedication, and creativity. Ultimate Game Programming with DirectX teaches you how to combine your existing skills and dedication for playing games with some basic C++ programming skills to create your own games. Written for game development students, beginning game programmers, and C++ programmers wanting to learn game development, this book covers every part of the process. Throughout the book, you'll be creating a first-person shooter game called Stranded.

Description: Bring your video game ideas to life with 2D Game Building for Teens! Written for anyone with an interest in creating video games, this book will show you how to use the Torque Game Builder, a simple drag-and-drop game engine, to make your very own games to play and share. Following easy-to- understand techniques and directions, you’ll work your way through hands-on tutorials that help you put your new skills to use right away as you build simple to more complex games. Everything you need to build your own 2D game can be found in the book, including an introduction to the Torque Game Builder, how to design game graphics, basic programming and scripting techniques, and more. You’ll even find an overview of the game development industry to give you an inside look at what it takes to make games, and information on the history of classic 2D games. If you’ve ever wanted to create your own video games, 2D Game Building for Teens will show you how.

Description: Essential XNA Game Studio 2.0 Programming provides both hobbyists and experienced programmers with the information they need to take advantage of Microsoft s powerful XNA Framework and XNA Game Studio to produce professional-level games for both the PC and the Xbox 360. Beginners learn the fundamentals of 2D game development, creating a complete top-down shooter. Intermediate and advanced users can jump right into 3D game development and create a version of the 3D game that takes advantage of hardware acceleration using High-Level Shader Language (HLSL). Learn how to: Build an input system to receive events from devices. Use the Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) to integrate sounds and music into your game. Design difficulty systems to tailor your game to players with different skill levels.

Description: 3ds Max Modeling: Bots, Mechs, and Droids offers an unparalleled, project-based learning strategy for anyone who is interested in modeling with 3ds Max. From the very first pages, readers will discover how to use the Max toolset to create sophisticated models, including a spider bot, hunter-killer, battle mech, and android. Learn how to use the 3ds Max toolset without relying on third-party models. Watch the progression of the models through hundreds of screen captures, also available in full color on the companion DVD. Take advantage of the book s learn-as-you-go approach to creating a variety of intricate robotic models with 3ds Max.

Description: Essential 3ds Max 2008 offers a user-friendly introduction to the newest version of 3ds Max. From an overview of the user interface, tools, and modifers to modeling exercises that demonstrate the creation of an interior, a basic character, and a suit of armor, this book provides readers with a guide to getting the most out of Max. Learn how to: Model objects using a variety of low-poly and high-poly techniques. Use texture maps to vary the look of objects. Create and adjust lights in your scenes. Unwrap models to generate UVW coordinates. Generate normal maps for use in real-time simulations and game development. Composite images with background plates.

Description: With the proliferation of affordable, high-quality hardware and software,most of the power of a professional studio is now available to musicians in the comfort of their own homes. Artists can now compose, perform,record, and distribute music without even leaving the house. The problem is, most musicians donÂ’t know how to get started. What equipment should you buy? How do you use it? The M-Audio Guide for the Recording Guitarist presents a complete how-to guide that answers these questions and more. Specifically geared toward guitarists, this book explains how to work with the M-Audio hardware and software thatÂ’s been designed to help guitarists join the computer-recording revolution.

Description: Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I: Introduction to Level Design with Unreal Engine 3 is your start-to-finish guide to modding and level design with the world’s hottest new gaming engine: Unreal Engine 3. Here’s everything you need to know to jumpstart your skills and create stunning new content and games for consoles and PCs alike! Your authors aren’t just the world’s #1 Unreal game development trainers: They’ve even built the training modules that shipped with Unreal Tournament 3: Limited Collector’s Edition. Now, working with the full cooperation of Unreal Engine 3’s creators, Epic Games, they introduce every facet of game development–from simple level creation to materials, lighting, and terrain...even advanced level optimization and streaming!

Description: Building XNA 2.0 Games: A Practical Guide for Independent Game Development is written by James Silva, who recently won the prestigious Microsoft Dream Build Play game competition with his award–winning title, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai.

Building XNA 2.0 Games: A Practical Guide for Independent Game Development is an in–depth and exclusive look into the entire XNA game development process and includes the creation of a software game masterpiece. James Silva guides you through the process he took to build his award–winning title from concept to reality. He reveals tips and techniques for creating a polished, high–quality game with very few resources, while bridging the gap between coding and art.

Description: For many players, games are entertainment, diversion, relaxation, fantasy. But what if certain games were something more than this, providing not only outlets for entertainment but a means for creative expression, instruments for conceptual thinking, or tools for social change? In Critical Play, artist and game designer Mary Flanagan examines alternative games—games that challenge the accepted norms embedded within the gaming industry—and argues that games designed by artists and activists are reshaping everyday game culture.