100 Best Game Development Books of All Time
We've researched and ranked the best game development books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more
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Good game design happens when you view your game from as many perspectives as possible. Written by one of the world's top game designers, The Art of Game Design presents 100 plus sets of questions, or different lenses, for viewing a game�s design, encompassing diverse fields such as psychology, architecture, music, visual design, film, software engineering, theme park design, mathematics, puzzle design, and anthropology. This Second Edition of a Game Developer Front Line Award winner: Describes the deepest and most fundamental principles of game design Demonstrates how tactics used in board,... more
Ryan HooverAlthough it's about gaming, the learnings and tactics in the book can be applied to any product. It's really about psychology and how people think. (Source)
Katherine IsbisterThis book is written by a very respected game design practitioner and academic, and it is one of the classics. (Source)
2
Now in full color, the 10th anniversary edition of this classic book packs more insight into what it means to design games for fun. Theory of Fun for Game Design challenges and inspires game designers as well as game enthusiasts looking for products and experiences that are truly fun and entertaining.
The book discusses the impact of designing in a multidimensional landscape, where computer science, environmental design, and storytelling all play a role in creating an interactive game design. For the professional game developer to the interested young gamer, this updated... more
The book discusses the impact of designing in a multidimensional landscape, where computer science, environmental design, and storytelling all play a role in creating an interactive game design. For the professional game developer to the interested young gamer, this updated... more
Tom ChatfieldToday we are seeing a new form of it, but in order to really understand it properly, we need to begin with this really deep evolutionary hold that games have on us. (Source)
Jesper BylundOne of the most important books I’ve ever read is A Theory of Fun by Raph Koster. It creatively describes how “fun” is created and what it is. Which might sound trivial, but as a designer and developer of tools, this is by far the most important design principle I’ve discovered. Basically, why would you do anything if it wasn’t fun? Thankfully, this book describes how to make anything fun. (Source)
3
Update to include:
Expansion on themes
Touch and touch screen controls
AR enabled games & incorporating real-world camera in to your game
Motion controls
Designing an app icon
Real world level design
Voice over for games and much more...
"Level Up! "covers the entire video game creation process. Readers will learn how to develop marketable ideas, learn what perils and pitfalls await them during a game's pre-production, production and post-production stages. Rogers' also provides creative ideas to serve... more
Expansion on themes
Touch and touch screen controls
AR enabled games & incorporating real-world camera in to your game
Motion controls
Designing an app icon
Real world level design
Voice over for games and much more...
"Level Up! "covers the entire video game creation process. Readers will learn how to develop marketable ideas, learn what perils and pitfalls await them during a game's pre-production, production and post-production stages. Rogers' also provides creative ideas to serve... more
4
Developing video games—hero's journey or fool's errand? The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more harrowing and complex than the games themselves, often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss. In Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey... more
Aaron Greenberg@vickyfloresn @kingdiarmuid Great book! (Source)
Cliff Bleszinski@dizcrowell Book is great. @jasonschreier (Source)
Anoop AnthonyA journalistic masterpiece about the grueling production journeys of some of today's most successful video games. Having worked in video game development for about three years, I know that making video games is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Video games are fun when you play them, but creating AAA titles involves long hard hours, vast budgets, and herculean team efforts. Video game... (Source)
5
The first popular work to combine the spiritual and psychological insights of modern psychoanalysis with the archetypes of world mythology, the book creates a roadmap for navigating the frustrating path of contemporary life. Examining heroic myths in the light of modern psychology, it considers not only the patterns and stages of mythology but also its relevance to our lives today--and to the life of any person seeking a fully realized existence.
Myth, according to Campbell, is the projection of a culture's dreams onto a large screen; Campbell's book, like Star Wars, the...
Darren Aronofsky[I'm] totally part of his cult. Because I believe in that hero’s journey. (Source)
Kyle RussellBook 28 Lesson: Embedded in human psychology (and the resulting symbolism we find compelling) is a wish for our struggles to be meaningful, for our suffering to have value, for our effort to pay off for ourselves and those we love - and to then be recognized for it. https://t.co/lWgr4k7d8Y (Source)
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Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they provoked a national controversy. More than anything, they lived a unique and rollicking American Dream, escaping the broken homes of their youth to produce the most notoriously successful game franchises in history—Doom and Quake— until the games they made tore them apart. This is a story of friendship and betrayal, commerce and artistry—a powerful and compassionate account of what... more
Alexis OhanianMade [my co-founder and I] think, 'Well, if these guys could do it, why can’t we?' (Source)
Duncan Jones@dannyodwyer I cant wait to see this. The book is fascinating, and I remember watching with bulging fan-boy eyes during those halcyon days! (Source)
Chris OliverMasters of Doom. Many of us started our careers in programming because we wanted to make games. This book covers the story of John Romero and John Carmack as they created ID software making Doom, Quake, and many other games we grew up playing as kids. It's truly inspiring for any software developer. (Source)
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Game Programming Patterns brings the benefits of reusable design patterns to the world of game programming. Commercial game development expert Robert Nystrom presents an array of general solutions to problems encountered in game development. For example, you'll learn how double-buffering enables a player to perceive smooth and realistic motion, and how the service locator pattern can help you provide access to services such as sound without coupling your code to any particular sound driver or sound hardware.
Games have much in common with other software, but also a number of unique... more
Games have much in common with other software, but also a number of unique... more
8
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of "optimal experience" have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches how, by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, we can discover true happiness... more
Austin KleonWhile re-reading Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s wonderful book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, I came across this passage on working crossword puzzles. I think he could just as well be talking about making blackout poems: "There is much to be said in favor of this popular pastime, which in its best form resembles the ancient riddle contests. It is inexpensive and portable, its challenges... (Source)
Tom ChatfieldThe notion of flow is the idea that there is a state that is characterised by complete immersion in an activity, by a constant response to stimuli, and a perfect match between your ability and the challenge in front of you. (Source)
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Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this ingenious—even liberating—book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to arbitrary relationships between controls and functions, coupled with a lack of feedback or other assistance and unreasonable demands on memorization. The Design of Everyday Things shows that good, usable... more
Marius Ciuchete Pauneval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'theceolibrary_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_5',164,'0','1'])); Question: Was there a moment, specifically, when something you read in a book helped you? Answer: Yes there was. In fact, I can remember two separate sentences from two different books: The first one comes from “The Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman. It says: “great design will help... (Source)
Grey BakerI mainly read to decompress and change my state of mind, so it’s hard to point to an insight I read that helped me. Reading fiction has pulled me out of a bad mood more times than I can count, though, and always reenergises me to attack problems that had stumped me again. That said, I read and loved Norman Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things”, and it’s helped me think through design problems... (Source)
Kaci LambeThese three books are about how people actually use design in their lives. They helped me understand this very basic idea: There are no dumb users, only bad designers. Take the time to create based on how your design will be interacted with. Test it. Iterate. That's how you become a good designer. (Source)
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This book covers both the theory and practice of game engine software development, bringing together complete coverage of a wide range of topics. The concepts and techniques described are the actual ones used by real game studios like Electronic Arts and Naughty Dog. The examples are often grounded in specific technologies, but the discussion extends way beyond any particular engine or API. The references and citations make it a great jumping off point for those who wish to dig deeper into any particular aspect of the game development process.
Intended as the text for a college... more
Intended as the text for a college... more
Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
11
“What does it mean to manage well?”
From Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, comes an incisive book about creativity in business—sure to appeal to readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath. Creativity, Inc. is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, a manual for anyone who strives for originality, and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation—into the meetings, postmortems, and “Braintrust” sessions where some of the most successful films in... more
From Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, comes an incisive book about creativity in business—sure to appeal to readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath. Creativity, Inc. is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, a manual for anyone who strives for originality, and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation—into the meetings, postmortems, and “Braintrust” sessions where some of the most successful films in... more
Mark ZuckerbergThis book is written by the founder of Pixar and is about his experience building a culture that fosters creativity. His theory is that people are fundamentally creative, but many forces stand in the way of people being able to do their best work. I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity. This should be inspiring to... (Source)
Timothy FerrissNo matter your circumstances, storytelling and creativity are two 'meta-skills' that can take your business and life to the next level. Ed is a master. (Source)
Ezra KleinAn amazing, amazing book. (Source)
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An impassioned look at games and game design that offers the most ambitious framework for understanding them to date.
As pop culture, games are as important as film or television--but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a... more
As pop culture, games are as important as film or television--but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a... more
Recommended by Bret Victor, and 1 others. 13
Ready to give your design skills a real boost? This eye-opening book helps you explore the design structure behind most of today’s hit video games. You’ll learn principles and practices for crafting games that generate emotionally charged experiences—a combination of elegant game mechanics, compelling fiction, and pace that fully immerses players.
In clear and approachable prose, design pro Tynan Sylvester also looks at the day-to-day process necessary to keep your project on track, including how to work with a team, and how to avoid creative dead ends. Packed with examples, this... more
In clear and approachable prose, design pro Tynan Sylvester also looks at the day-to-day process necessary to keep your project on track, including how to work with a team, and how to avoid creative dead ends. Packed with examples, this... more
14
How was Wolfenstein 3D made and what were the secrets of its speed? How did id Software manage to turn a machine designed to display static images for word processing and spreadsheet applications into the best gaming platform in the world, capable of running games at seventy frames per seconds? If you have ever asked yourself these questions, Game Engine Black Book is for you. less
15
When it comes to game programming, C++ is the name of the game. If you aspire to move from game player to game creator, it all starts with learning the fundamentals of C++ and game-programming basics. With BEGINNING C++ THROUGH GAME PROGRAMMING, FOURTH EDITION, you will find an up-to-date and thorough introduction to everything you need to get started--with no previous programming experience required. In the new fourth edition of this popular guide to learning C++, you will work with a complete program while learning each new concept and a game program at the end of each chapter. A final game... more
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Thoroughly revised, this third edition focuses on modern techniques used to generate synthetic three-dimensional images in a fraction of a second. With the advent of programmable shaders, a wide variety of new algorithms have arisen and evolved over the past few years. This edition discusses current, practical rendering methods used in games and other applications. It also presents a solid theoretical framework and relevant mathematics for the field of interactive computer graphics, all in an approachable style. The authors have made the figures used in the book available for download for... more
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In Homo Ludens, the classic evaluation of play that has become a "must-read" for those in game design, Dutch philosopher Johan Huizinga defines play as the central activity in flourishing societies. Like civilization, play requires structure and participants willing to create within limits. Starting with Plato, Huizinga traces the contribution of Homo Ludens, or "Man the player" through Medieval Times, the Renaissance, and into our modern civilization. Huizinga defines play against a rich theoretical background, using cross-cultural examples from the humanities, business, and... more
Recommended by Tom Chatfield, and 1 others. Tom ChatfieldIt’s a book about the way that play precedes culture, and is a distinct and very complicated human phenomenon, which the author sees as giving rise to much that we think of as civilisation… (Source)
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By New York Times bestselling author and Minecraft expert, Megan Miller, a full-color book full of practical advice that boys and girls will refer to again and again!
Minecraft is the one game that children, parents, and teaches all agree on. It’s great fun and a wonderful teaching tool. The Ultimate Unofficial Encyclopedia for Minecrafters reveals expert tricks of the trade for gamers. This exciting book will cover everything players need to know about mining, farming, building, villagers, the Nether, and more! Young gamers will be surprised... more
Minecraft is the one game that children, parents, and teaches all agree on. It’s great fun and a wonderful teaching tool. The Ultimate Unofficial Encyclopedia for Minecrafters reveals expert tricks of the trade for gamers. This exciting book will cover everything players need to know about mining, farming, building, villagers, the Nether, and more! Young gamers will be surprised... more
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Programming Game AI by Example provides a comprehensive and practical introduction to the "bread and butter" AI techniques used by the game development industry, leading the reader through the process of designing, programming, and implementing intelligent agents for action games using the C++ programming language.
Techniques covered include state- and goal-based behavior, inter-agent communication, individual and group steering behaviors, team AI, graph theory, search, path planning and optimization, triggers, scripting, scripted finite state machines, perceptual modeling, goal... more
Techniques covered include state- and goal-based behavior, inter-agent communication, individual and group steering behaviors, team AI, graph theory, search, path planning and optimization, triggers, scripting, scripted finite state machines, perceptual modeling, goal... more
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Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
21
The highly anticipated follow-up to Simon Sinek’s global bestseller Start with Why Simon Sinek is an optimist, a visionary thinker, and a leader of the cultural revolution of WHY. His second book is the natural extension of Start with Why, expanding his ideas at the organizational level. Determining a company’s WHY is crucial, but only the beginning. The next step is how do you get people on board with your WHY? How do you inspire deep trust and commitment to the company and one another? He cites the Marine Corps for having found a way to build a culture in which men and... more
Intern JohnMy parents got me this book, love it, and suggest you read! #leadership #leader https://t.co/AI4Yr5Szqi (Source)
AnneMarie SchindlerI picked up Leaders Eat Last when I was going through a lot of transition at work. Our organization had experienced a significant scandal; the leadership team which I really respected was turning over; my direct boss and mentor was leaving; And I was still charged with managing one of the bigger teams in the organization. I would read this quote over and over again to guide my everyday,"the true... (Source)
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UNLOCK YOUR GAME'S NARRATIVE POTENTIAL!
With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media... more
With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media... more
23
When Derek Yu released Spelunky for free in 2008, his roguelike-inspired platformer took the indie game community by storm with its combination of classic platform mechanics, extreme difficulty, and random level generation. Four years later, Spelunky's HD remake went on to become PC Gamer's Game of the Year and earn perfect scores from Polygon and Eurogamer. But how is a "perfect" game made?
Spelunky is Boss Fight's first autobiographical book: the story of a game's creation as told by its creator. Using his own game as a vehicle, Derek Yu discusses such wide-ranging topics as... more
Spelunky is Boss Fight's first autobiographical book: the story of a game's creation as told by its creator. Using his own game as a vehicle, Derek Yu discusses such wide-ranging topics as... more
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Master the craft of game design so you can create that elusive combination of challenge, competition, and interaction that players seek. This design workshop begins with an examination of the fundamental elements of game design; then puts you to work in prototyping, playtesting and redesigning your own games with exercises that teach essential design skills.
Workshop exercises require no background in programming or artwork, releasing you from the intricacies of electronic game production, so you can develop a working understanding of the essentials of game...
more25
Mike McShaffry's first edition of Game Coding complete rapidly became one of the top-selling game programming books and was widely praised by readers around the world. The best description of the first edition comes from two Amazon reviewers; the first proclaiming, "I got the same feeling of enlightenment when reading this one as I did all those years ago when I read the classic book "Code Complete" and the second stating "This is the first game book I have read that I was sorry when I got to the end because there wasn't any more."
For Game Coding Complete, Second... more
For Game Coding Complete, Second... more
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• Authors are top game designers
• Aspiring game writers and designers must have this complete bible
There are other books about creating video games out there.
Sure, they cover the basics. But The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design goes way beyond the basics. The authors, top game designers, focus on creating games that are an involving, emotional experience for the gamer. Topics include integrating story into the game, writing the game script, putting together the game bible, creating the design document, and working on original... more
• Aspiring game writers and designers must have this complete bible
There are other books about creating video games out there.
Sure, they cover the basics. But The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design goes way beyond the basics. The authors, top game designers, focus on creating games that are an involving, emotional experience for the gamer. Topics include integrating story into the game, writing the game script, putting together the game bible, creating the design document, and working on original... more
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Game 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... more
The understanding of how game designers create feel, and affect feel are only partially understood by most in the field and tends to be... more
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Welcome to a book written to challenge you, improve your brainstorming abilities, and sharpen your game design skills! Challenges for Game Designers: Non-Digital Exercises for Video Game Designers is filled with enjoyable, interesting, and challenging exercises to help you become a better video game designer, whether you are a professional or aspire to be. Each chapter covers a different topic important to game designers, and was taken from actual industry experience. After a brief overview of the topic, there are five challenges that each take less than two hours and allow you to apply the... more
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Unity in Action teaches you how to write and deploy games. You'll master the Unity toolset from the ground up, adding the skills you need to go from application coder to game developer. Based on Unity version 5.
About the Book
This book helps readers build successful games with the Unity game development platform. You will use the powerful C# language, Unity's intuitive workflow tools, and a state-of-the-art rendering engine to build and deploy mobile, desktop, and console games. Unity's single codebase approach minimizes inefficient switching among development tools and... more
About the Book
This book helps readers build successful games with the Unity game development platform. You will use the powerful C# language, Unity's intuitive workflow tools, and a state-of-the-art rendering engine to build and deploy mobile, desktop, and console games. Unity's single codebase approach minimizes inefficient switching among development tools and... more
30
3D Math Primer For Graphics And Game Development Covers Fundamental 3D Math Concepts That Are Especially Useful For Computer Game Developers And Programmers. The Authors Discuss The Mathematical Theory In Detail And Then Provide The Geometric Interpretation Necessary To Make 3D Math Intuitive. Working C++ Classes Illustrate How To Put The Techniques Into Practice, And Exercises At The End Of Each Chapter Help Reinforce The Concepts. This Book Explains Basic Concepts Such As Vectors, Coordinate Spaces, Matrices, Transformations, Euler Angles, Homogenous Coordinates, Geometric Primitives,... more
Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
31
Master the Unity Game Engine to Design and Develop Games for Web, Mobile, Windows, macOS, and More!
If you want to design and develop games, there's no substitute for strong hands-on experience with modern techniques and tools--and that is exactly what this book provides. The first edition was frequently the top-selling game design book on Amazon, with more than 70% of the reviews being 5 stars. In a testament to the iterative process of design, this new edition includes hundreds of improvements throughout the text, all designed to make the book easier to understand and... more
If you want to design and develop games, there's no substitute for strong hands-on experience with modern techniques and tools--and that is exactly what this book provides. The first edition was frequently the top-selling game design book on Amazon, with more than 70% of the reviews being 5 stars. In a testament to the iterative process of design, this new edition includes hundreds of improvements throughout the text, all designed to make the book easier to understand and... more
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"This book supports my own 30-year crusade to demonstrate that games are an art form that undeniably rivals traditional arts. It gives detailed explanations of game art techniques and their importance, while also highlighting their dependence on artistic aspects of game design and programming.”
— John Romero, co-founder of id Software and CEO of Loot Drop, Inc.
"Solarski’s methodology here is to show us the artistic techniques that every artist should know, and then he transposes them to the realm of video games to show how they should be used to create a far more... more
— John Romero, co-founder of id Software and CEO of Loot Drop, Inc.
"Solarski’s methodology here is to show us the artistic techniques that every artist should know, and then he transposes them to the realm of video games to show how they should be used to create a far more... more
33
Can we learn through play? Can we really play while learning?
Of course! But how?!
We all learn and educate others in our own unique ways. Successful educational games adapt to the particular learning needs of their players and facilitate the learning objectives of their designers.
Educational Game Design Fundamentals embarks on a journey to explore the necessary aspects to create games that are both fun and help players learn. This book examines the art of educational game design through various perspectives and presents real examples that will help readers... more
Of course! But how?!
We all learn and educate others in our own unique ways. Successful educational games adapt to the particular learning needs of their players and facilitate the learning objectives of their designers.
Educational Game Design Fundamentals embarks on a journey to explore the necessary aspects to create games that are both fun and help players learn. This book examines the art of educational game design through various perspectives and presents real examples that will help readers... more
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This in-depth resource teaches you to craft mechanics that generate challenging, enjoyable, and well-balanced gameplay. You'll discover at what stages to prototype, test, and implement mechanics in games and learn how to visualize and simulate game mechanics in order to design better games. Along the way, you'll practice what you've learned with hands-on lessons. A free downloadable simulation tool developed by Joris Dormans is also available in order to follow along with exercises in the book in an easy-to-use graphical environment.
In Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design, you'll... more
In Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design, you'll... more
35
Making a successful video game is hard. Even games that are well-received at launch may fail to engage players in the long term due to issues with the user experience (UX) that they are delivering. That's why makers of successful video games like Fortnite and Assassin's Creed invest both time and money perfecting their UX strategy. These top video game creators know that a bad user experience can ruin the prospects for any game, regardless of its budget, scope, or ambition.
The game UX accounts for the whole experience players have with a video game, from first... more
The game UX accounts for the whole experience players have with a video game, from first... more
36
Designing Virtual Worlds is the most comprehensive treatment of virtual world design to-date from one of the true pioneers and most sought-after design consultants. It's a tour de force of VW design, stunning in intellectual scope, spanning the literary, economic, sociological, psychological, physical, technological, and ethical underpinnings of design, while providing the reader with a deep, well-grounded understanding of VW design principles. It covers everything from MUDs to MOOs to MMORPGs, from text-based to graphical VWs.
Designing Virtual Worlds brings a rich,... more
Designing Virtual Worlds brings a rich,... more
37
Find out how to use the Unity Game Engine to its fullest for both 3D and 2D game development--from the basics to the hottest new tricks in virtual reality. With this unique cookbook, you'll get started in two ways:
First, you'll learn about the Unity game engine by following very brief exercises that teach specific features of the software
Second, this tutorial-oriented guide provides a collection of snippets that solve common gameplay problems, like determining if a player has completed a lap in a race
Using our cookbook format, we pinpoint the problem, set out the... more
First, you'll learn about the Unity game engine by following very brief exercises that teach specific features of the software
Second, this tutorial-oriented guide provides a collection of snippets that solve common gameplay problems, like determining if a player has completed a lap in a race
Using our cookbook format, we pinpoint the problem, set out the... more
38
Deliver Better Games Faster, On Budget--And Make Game Development Fun Again! Game development is in crisis--facing bloated budgets, impossible schedules, unmanageable complexity, and death march overtime. It's no wonder so many development studios are struggling to survive. Fortunately, there is a solution. Scrum and Agile methods are already revolutionizing development outside the game industry. Now, long-time game developer Clinton Keith shows exactly how to successfully apply these methods to the unique challenges of game development.
Keith has spent more than fifteen years... more
Keith has spent more than fifteen years... more
39
Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python will teach you how to make computer games using the popular Python programming language--even if you've never programmed before!
Begin by building classic games like Hangman, Guess the Number, and Tic-Tac-Toe, and then work your way up to more advanced games, like a text-based treasure hunting game and an animated collision-dodging game with sound effects. Along the way, you'll learn key programming and math concepts that will help you take your game programming to the next level.
Learn how to:
-Combine loops,... more
Begin by building classic games like Hangman, Guess the Number, and Tic-Tac-Toe, and then work your way up to more advanced games, like a text-based treasure hunting game and an animated collision-dodging game with sound effects. Along the way, you'll learn key programming and math concepts that will help you take your game programming to the next level.
Learn how to:
-Combine loops,... more
40
Sooner or later, all game programmers run into coding issues that require an understanding of mathematics or physics concepts such as collision detection, 3D vectors, transformations, game theory, or basic calculus. Unfortunately, most programmers frequently have a limited understanding of these essential mathematics and physics concepts. MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS FOR PROGRAMMERS, THIRD EDITION provides a simple but thorough grounding in the mathematics and physics topics that programmers require to write algorithms and programs using a non-language-specific approach. Applications and examples... more
Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
41
Successful games merge art and technology in truly unique ways. Fused under tight production deadlines and strict performance requirements, shaped by demanding player expectations, games are among the most complex software projects created today. Game AI Pro: Collected Wisdom of Game AI Professionals covers both the art and the technology of game AI. Nothing covered is theory or guesswork. The book brings together the accumulated wisdom, cutting-edge ideas, and clever tricks and techniques of 54 of today's top game AI professionals. Some chapters present techniques that have... more
42
Design and create video games using Construct 2. No prior experience is required.Game Development with Construct 2 teaches you to create 12 different game projects from a variety of genres, including car racing and tower defense to platformer and action-adventure. The software is user friendly and powerful, and the games you create can be exported to run on the web, desktop computers, and smartphones.
What You'll Learn
Create complete functional games using the Construct 2 game engine
Understand general logical structures underlying video game... more
What You'll Learn
Create complete functional games using the Construct 2 game engine
Understand general logical structures underlying video game... more
43
Gain insights and depth of rationale into Scrum from many highly respected world authorities, including one of its founders, who lead you through the deep foundations of Scrum's structure and practice. Enhance and customize your Scrum practice with ninety-four organizational building blocks, called patterns, that you can freely and flexibly choose from to fit your needs. Understand and appreciate the history of Scrum and the role it plays in solving common problems in product development.
Building a successful product usually involves teams of people, and many choose the Scrum... more
Building a successful product usually involves teams of people, and many choose the Scrum... more
44
Unlock the secrets to creating random mazes! Whether you're a game developer, an algorithm connoisseur, or simply in search of a new puzzle, you're about to level up. Learn algorithms to randomly generate mazes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and dimensions. Bend them into Moebius strips, fold them into cubes, and wrap them around spheres. Stretch them into other dimensions, squeeze them into arbitrary outlines, and tile them in a dizzying variety of ways. From twelve little algorithms, you'll discover a vast reservoir of ideas and inspiration.
From video games to movies, mazes are... more
From video games to movies, mazes are... more
45
“Dig in” to your favorite Minecraft jokes!
All your favorite Minecraft jokes are now in one place! This collection of three titles from the Jokes for Minecrafters series brings you over two thousand puns, one-liners, and wisecracks about all your favorites from the world of Minecraft. From ghasts and endermen to zombies and creepers, no mob is safe from the punchlines in this laugh-a-minute collection. Included titles are:
Jokes for Minecrafters (9781510706330)
Hilarious Jokes for Minecrafters (9781510706323)
Uproarious Riddles... more
All your favorite Minecraft jokes are now in one place! This collection of three titles from the Jokes for Minecrafters series brings you over two thousand puns, one-liners, and wisecracks about all your favorites from the world of Minecraft. From ghasts and endermen to zombies and creepers, no mob is safe from the punchlines in this laugh-a-minute collection. Included titles are:
Jokes for Minecrafters (9781510706330)
Hilarious Jokes for Minecrafters (9781510706323)
Uproarious Riddles... more
46
Build and create your own Roblox world with this bestselling easy and fun guide!
Roblox, the largest user-generated online gaming platform that allows users to create and share their own game worlds and gaming creations, has taken the digital world by storm. There are so many games and social worlds to create with the platform, and this guide gives you the advice you need to get started. With everything from instructions for playing the games to tips on creating your own games and worlds to the basics of coding, The Ultimate Roblox Book can help you to become a top... more
Roblox, the largest user-generated online gaming platform that allows users to create and share their own game worlds and gaming creations, has taken the digital world by storm. There are so many games and social worlds to create with the platform, and this guide gives you the advice you need to get started. With everything from instructions for playing the games to tips on creating your own games and worlds to the basics of coding, The Ultimate Roblox Book can help you to become a top... more
47
Now in its third edition, the classic book on game design has been completely revised to include the latest developments in the game industry. Readers will learn all the fundamentals of concept development, gameplay design, core mechanics, user interfaces, storytelling, and balancing. They'll be introduced to designing for mobile devices and touch screens, as well as for the Kinect and motion-capture gameplay. They'll learn how indie developers are pushing the envelope and how new business models such as free-to-play are influencing design. In an easy-to-follow approach, Adams offers a... more
48
Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.
The most complete and current guide to architectural acoustics principles and practicesDesign and construct audiophile-quality sonic environments of all sizes--from home theaters and project studios to large-scale recording studios. Thoroughly revised to include new acoustical design techniques, Master Handbook of Acoustics, Sixth Edition, explains the art and science of room acoustics and... more
The most complete and current guide to architectural acoustics principles and practicesDesign and construct audiophile-quality sonic environments of all sizes--from home theaters and project studios to large-scale recording studios. Thoroughly revised to include new acoustical design techniques, Master Handbook of Acoustics, Sixth Edition, explains the art and science of room acoustics and... more
50
Game AI Pro2: Collected Wisdom of Game AI Professionals presents cutting-edge tips, tricks, and techniques for artificial intelligence (AI) in games, drawn from developers of shipped commercial games as well as some of the best-known academics in the field. It contains knowledge, advice, hard-earned wisdom, and insights gathered from across the community of developers and researchers who have devoted themselves to game AI.
In this book, 47 expert developers and researchers have come together to bring you their newest advances in game AI, along with... more
In this book, 47 expert developers and researchers have come together to bring you their newest advances in game AI, along with... more
Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
51
GAME DEVELOPMENT ESSENTIALS: AN INTRODUCTION, 3E is an authoritative, industry-driven introduction to the world of game development, with updates that keep readers current and well-prepared for a successful career in the field. This book not only examines content creation and the concepts behind development, but it also give readers a background on the evolution of game development and how it has become what it is today. GAME DEVELOPMENT ESSENTIALS also includes chapters on project management, development team roles and responsibilities, development cycle, marketing, maintenance, and the... more
52
Program 3D Games in C++: The #1 Language at Top Game Studios Worldwide
C++ remains the key language at many leading game development studios. Since it's used throughout their enormous code bases, studios use it to maintain and improve their games, and look for it constantly when hiring new developers. Game Programming in C++ is a practical, hands-on approach to programming 3D video games in C++. Modeled on Sanjay Madhav's game programming courses at USC, it's fun, easy, practical, hands-on, and complete.
Step by step, you'll learn to use C++ in all facets... more
C++ remains the key language at many leading game development studios. Since it's used throughout their enormous code bases, studios use it to maintain and improve their games, and look for it constantly when hiring new developers. Game Programming in C++ is a practical, hands-on approach to programming 3D video games in C++. Modeled on Sanjay Madhav's game programming courses at USC, it's fun, easy, practical, hands-on, and complete.
Step by step, you'll learn to use C++ in all facets... more
53
The Practical Guide to Building Reliable Networked Multiplayer Games Networked multiplayer games are a multibillion dollar business: some games now attract tens of millions of players. In this practical, code-rich guide, Joshua Glazer and Sanjay Madhav guide you through every aspect of engineering them. Drawing on their immense experience as both game developers and instructors, the authors lead you through building a robust multiplayer architecture, and creating every engine-level system. You'll learn through in-depth working code examples for two complete games: an action game and a real... more
54
Clear and easy-to follow instructions for using coding and scripting tools to create new, more advanced Roblox games.
Take your game design to the next level, with this complete guide to Roblox coding and scripting!
Learn how to code using the programing language Lua to create new objects and games in the Roblox world: from teleporting objects (or PCs/NPCs!), to adding and applying power ups, to creating a leaderboard, and allowing players to save their games. This book walks you through the basics of the studio tool, provides tutorials for specific actions and... more
Take your game design to the next level, with this complete guide to Roblox coding and scripting!
Learn how to code using the programing language Lua to create new objects and games in the Roblox world: from teleporting objects (or PCs/NPCs!), to adding and applying power ups, to creating a leaderboard, and allowing players to save their games. This book walks you through the basics of the studio tool, provides tutorials for specific actions and... more
55
Create the Digital Games You Love to Play
Discover an exercise-driven, non-technical approach to game design without the need for programming or artistic expertise using Game Design Workshop, Third Edition.
Author Tracy Fullerton demystifies the creative process with a clear and accessible analysis of the formal and dramatic systems of game design. Examples of popular games, illustrations of design techniques, and refined exercises strengthen your understanding of how game systems function and give you the skills and tools necessary to create a compelling and engaging... more
Discover an exercise-driven, non-technical approach to game design without the need for programming or artistic expertise using Game Design Workshop, Third Edition.
Author Tracy Fullerton demystifies the creative process with a clear and accessible analysis of the formal and dramatic systems of game design. Examples of popular games, illustrations of design techniques, and refined exercises strengthen your understanding of how game systems function and give you the skills and tools necessary to create a compelling and engaging... more
56
In just one hour a day, you'll have all the skills you need to begin programming in C++. With this complete tutorial, you'll quickly master the basics, and then move on to more advanced features and concepts. Completely updated for the C++14 standard, with a preview of C++17, this book presents the language from a practical point of view, helping you learn how to use C++ to create faster, simpler, and more efficient C++ applications.
Master the fundamentals of C++ and object-oriented programming Understand how C++ features help you write compact and efficient code using concepts such as... more
Master the fundamentals of C++ and object-oriented programming Understand how C++ features help you write compact and efficient code using concepts such as... more
57
Program a graphical adventure game in this hands-on, beginner-friendly introduction to coding in the Python language.
Launch into coding with Mission: Python, a space-themed guide to building a complete computer game in Python. You'll learn programming fundamentals like loops, strings, and lists as you build Escape!, an exciting game with a map to explore, items to collect, and tricky logic puzzles to solve. As you work through the book, you'll build exercises and mini-projects, like making a spacewalk simulator and creating an astronaut's safety checklist that will... more
Launch into coding with Mission: Python, a space-themed guide to building a complete computer game in Python. You'll learn programming fundamentals like loops, strings, and lists as you build Escape!, an exciting game with a map to explore, items to collect, and tricky logic puzzles to solve. As you work through the book, you'll build exercises and mini-projects, like making a spacewalk simulator and creating an astronaut's safety checklist that will... more
58
What makes the difference between great video game animation and the purely functional, and how does this relatively new medium of non-linear animation creation differ from the more traditional fields of film and television? This book de-mystifies the animation side of game development, explaining every step of the process while providing valuable insights and work philosophies for creating the best game animation for beginners and professionals alike. Taking readers through a complete game production, this book provides a clear understanding of expectations of the game animator at every... more
59
How game designers can use the psychological phenomenon of loss aversion to shape player experience.
Getting something makes you feel good, and losing something makes you feel bad. But losing something makes you feel worse than getting the same thing makes you feel good. So finding $10 is a thrill; losing $10 is a tragedy. On an "intensity of feeling" scale, loss is more intense than gain. This is the core psychological concept of loss aversion, and in this book game creator Geoffrey Engelstein explains, with examples from both tabletop and video games, how it can be a tool... more
Getting something makes you feel good, and losing something makes you feel bad. But losing something makes you feel worse than getting the same thing makes you feel good. So finding $10 is a thrill; losing $10 is a tragedy. On an "intensity of feeling" scale, loss is more intense than gain. This is the core psychological concept of loss aversion, and in this book game creator Geoffrey Engelstein explains, with examples from both tabletop and video games, how it can be a tool... more
60
Steve Rabin's
Game AI Pro 360: Guide to Movement and Pathfinding
gathers all the cutting-edge information from his previous three Game AI Pro volumes into a convenient single source anthology covering movement and pathfinding in game AI. This volume is complete with articles by leading game AI programmers that explore better ways to smooth paths, avoid obstacles, and navigate 3D space with cutting-edge techniques.
Key Features
Provides real-life case studies of game AI in published commercial games
more
Key Features
Provides real-life case studies of game AI in published commercial games
more
Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
63
"This book is a must read for newcomers and experienced composers wanting to learn more about the art of video game composition." --Chuck Doud, Director of Music, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios All You Need to Know to Create Great Video Game Music Written by the developer of Berklee School of Music's pioneering game scoring program, this guide covers everything professional composers and music students need to know about composing interactive music for video games, and contains exclusive tools for interactive scoring--tools that were previously available only... more
64
Team Leadership in the Game Industry arms you with the information you need to face and meet the challenges of finding, supporting, and retaining a talented team of employees. Specifically addressing the unique needs of managers in the game industry, this book recognizes a common issue: game development teams consisting of talented specialists who lack interpersonal and leadership skills. Filled with tips and advice from industry pros, you'll learn how to solve problems such as selecting your team, defining roles and identifying team leaders, meeting deadlines, and handling underperformers.... more
65
These full color books allow parents to teach beloved Bible stories to their children with images from Minecraft. Includes stories from both the Old and New Testament as they’ve never been seen before, Handsome two-book box set!
Minecraft has swept the world by storm. More than one hundred million games have been sold. Parents of children who play Minecraft will love this fun, educational collection of Bible stories. With the world of Minecraft as a backdrop using vivid, full-color screenshots, children will experience the Bible as never before.
Authors Garrett... more
Minecraft has swept the world by storm. More than one hundred million games have been sold. Parents of children who play Minecraft will love this fun, educational collection of Bible stories. With the world of Minecraft as a backdrop using vivid, full-color screenshots, children will experience the Bible as never before.
Authors Garrett... more
66
Now boys and girls can learn stories from the Bible with amazing full-color images from their favorite game: Minecraft!
Minecraft has swept the gaming world by storm. Parents of children who play Minecraft will love this fun, educational collection of Bible stories. With the world of Minecraft as a backdrop using vivid, full-color screenshots, children will experience the Bible as never before.
With fascinating scripture and narrative simplified to teach young readers, this is the perfect gift. The images created are not only of magnificent, vast terrains often... more
Minecraft has swept the gaming world by storm. Parents of children who play Minecraft will love this fun, educational collection of Bible stories. With the world of Minecraft as a backdrop using vivid, full-color screenshots, children will experience the Bible as never before.
With fascinating scripture and narrative simplified to teach young readers, this is the perfect gift. The images created are not only of magnificent, vast terrains often... more
67
Writing for the multibillion-dollar video-game industry is unlike writing for any other medium. "Slay the Dragon" will help you understand the challenges and offer creative solutions to writing for a medium where the audience not only demands a great story, but to be a driving force within it. Aimed at traditional writers who want to learn interactive narrative as well as game creators who want to tell better, more emotionally involving stories, the book is written by two creative veterans of both Hollywood and "Nerdyhood." Through lively discussions and self-paced-exercises, Bryant and... more
68
This is a book of ideas and of choices. Knowing which choices to make is not teachable. It's part of that creative instinct we call talent whose secret voice guides us every time we sit down at the keyboard. All stories are not identical. They are shaped by all those unique facets of the human beings who write them. All any writer can do when he wants to share his knowledge with others is be as open and giving as possible; and hope others can learn from that. You hold in your hands most of what I know about writing for games and much of what I believe and practice no matter what kind of... more
69
What makes an interactive experience compelling for children? What turns a simple click or tap into a magical interchange? Mark Schlichting's book, Understanding Kids, Play, and Interactive Design, answers these questions, and more, with a deep dive into the multiple factors needed to create award-winning games and activities that children will love and come back to.
With insights, research, and practical knowledge gathered during over thirty years of designing award-winning games, this book is the bible of interactive design for children. It is a practical book that... more
With insights, research, and practical knowledge gathered during over thirty years of designing award-winning games, this book is the bible of interactive design for children. It is a practical book that... more
70
Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
71
With every new volume, the Game Programming Gems series continues to provide a road map through the vast array of development challenges facing today's game programmers. With the wisdom of many industry experts, Gems 5 includes 62 newly unearthed gems that were polished up for your reading pleasure. These gems are filled with practical insights and techniques that will solve your current problems and help inspire future games. You and your team need to develop for today's platforms, while preparing for the new technology looming on the horizon and with the tools provided here, you can! So dig... more
72
Summary
Manning's bestselling and highly recommended Unity book has been fully revised! Unity in Action, Second Edition teaches you to write and deploy games with the Unity game development platform. You'll master the Unity toolset from the ground up, adding the skills you need to go from application coder to game developer.
Foreword by Jesse Schell, author of The Art of Game Design
Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.
About the Technology
Build... more
Manning's bestselling and highly recommended Unity book has been fully revised! Unity in Action, Second Edition teaches you to write and deploy games with the Unity game development platform. You'll master the Unity toolset from the ground up, adding the skills you need to go from application coder to game developer.
Foreword by Jesse Schell, author of The Art of Game Design
Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.
About the Technology
Build... more
73
Game Programming Algorithms and Techniques is a detailed overview of many of the important algorithms and techniques used in video game programming today. Designed for programmers who are familiar with object-oriented programming and basic data structures, this book focuses on practical concepts that see actual use in the game industry. Sanjay Madhav takes a unique platform- and framework-agnostic approach that will help develop virtually any game, in any genre, with any language or framework. He presents the fundamental techniques for working with 2D and 3D graphics, physics, artificial... more
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Blazing through the excitement generated by the first volume, Game Programming Gems II is here with an entirely new set of innovative ideas, techniques,and algorithms. Game developers of all levels will find insightful tips and tools from this unique collection.Written by game programming experts,each contribution provides a hands-on solution to a programming problem, or a creative method for reducing programming time and redundancy. Edited by Mark DeLoura,Editor-In-Chief of Game Developer magazine and a group of top-notch area editors,this collection covers the major topics needed to develop... more
75
More than 350-full-color pages of tips, tricks, and secrets that will help every boy and girl become a master of Minecraft.
Here New York Times bestselling author Megan Miller teaches Minecrafters everything they want to know about manipulating and programming command blocks within Minecraft, manipulating redstone to make amazing contraptions and machines, how to add modifications to their Minecraft game, and more! Other tips will help gamers:
Make their own custom maps and mini-games
Build essential redstone logic gates, loops, and circuits more
Here New York Times bestselling author Megan Miller teaches Minecrafters everything they want to know about manipulating and programming command blocks within Minecraft, manipulating redstone to make amazing contraptions and machines, how to add modifications to their Minecraft game, and more! Other tips will help gamers:
Make their own custom maps and mini-games
Build essential redstone logic gates, loops, and circuits more
76
A study of the relationship between platform and creative expression in the Atari VCS.
The Atari Video Computer System dominated the home video game market so completely that "Atari" became the generic term for a video game console. The Atari VCS was affordable and offered the flexibility of changeable cartridges. Nearly a thousand of these were created, the most significant of which established new techniques, mechanics, and even entire genres. This book offers a detailed and accessible study of this influential video game console from both computational and cultural... more
The Atari Video Computer System dominated the home video game market so completely that "Atari" became the generic term for a video game console. The Atari VCS was affordable and offered the flexibility of changeable cartridges. Nearly a thousand of these were created, the most significant of which established new techniques, mechanics, and even entire genres. This book offers a detailed and accessible study of this influential video game console from both computational and cultural... more
77
Explore Level Design through the Lens of Architectural and Spatial Experience Theory
Written 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, providing information useful to both academics and game development professionals.
Understand Spatial Design Principles for Game Levels in... more
Written 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, providing information useful to both academics and game development professionals.
Understand Spatial Design Principles for Game Levels in... more
78
Physically Based Rendering, Second Edition, describes both the mathematical theory behind a modern photorealistic rendering system as well as its practical implementation.
A method known as literate programming combines human-readable documentation and source code into a single reference that is specifically designed to aid comprehension. The result is a stunning achievement in graphics education. Through the ideas and software in this book, you will learn to design and employ a full-featured rendering system for creating stunning imagery.
This new edition greatly... more
A method known as literate programming combines human-readable documentation and source code into a single reference that is specifically designed to aid comprehension. The result is a stunning achievement in graphics education. Through the ideas and software in this book, you will learn to design and employ a full-featured rendering system for creating stunning imagery.
This new edition greatly... more
79
This is an astonishing collection of ideas, information, and instruction from one of the true pioneers of Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. "MMOs from the Inside Out: The History, Design, Fun, and Art of Massively-Multiplayer Role-playing Games" speaks to the designers and players of MMOs, taking it as axiomatic that such games are inspirational and boundless forces for good. The aim of this book is to enthuse an up-coming generation of designers, to inspire and educate players and designers-to-be, and to reinvigorate those already working in the field who might be wondering if... more
80
Do you love gaming? Do you have ideas for games
of your own and want to learn how to produce them
professionally?
Longtime game designer Justin Gary has the answers
you seek. After twenty years in the gaming industry,
creating such games as Solforge, Ascension, and the
World of Warcraft Miniatures Game, Justin is now
sharing all his secrets in Think Like a Game Designer.
Best of all, Justin’s secrets are really simple, practical,
and common sense steps you can take yourself. Justin
will walk you through each step and provide... more
of your own and want to learn how to produce them
professionally?
Longtime game designer Justin Gary has the answers
you seek. After twenty years in the gaming industry,
creating such games as Solforge, Ascension, and the
World of Warcraft Miniatures Game, Justin is now
sharing all his secrets in Think Like a Game Designer.
Best of all, Justin’s secrets are really simple, practical,
and common sense steps you can take yourself. Justin
will walk you through each step and provide... more
Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
81
Through the insights and experiences of practicing game writers, this collection of practical articles provides the foundations to the craft of games writing. It details aspects of the process from the basics of narrative and non-linear narrative to writing comedy for games and creating characters. less
82
This book follows an informal, demystifying approach to the world of game development with the Unity game engine. With no prior knowledge of game development or 3D required, you will learn from scratch, taking each concept at a time working up to a full 3D mini-game. You'll learn scripting with C# or JavaScript and master the Unity development environment with easy-to-follow stepwise tasks. If you're a designer or animator who wishes to take their first steps into game development or prototyping, or if you've simply spent many hours sitting in front of video games, with ideas bubbling away in... more
83
This edited collection of chapters concerns the evolving discipline of procedural storytelling in video games. Games are an interactive medium, and this interplay between author, player and machine provides new and exciting ways to create and tell stories. In each essay, practitioners of this artform demonstrate how traditional storytelling tools such as characterization, world-building, theme, momentum and atmosphere can be adapted to full effect, using specific examples from their games. The reader will learn to construct narrative systems, write procedural dialog, and generate compelling... more
84
Parents and caregivers often seek ways to stimulate their little learners, but don’t know where to start. While many conveniences have come our way in the digital age, none has made the process of guiding children through their years of growth and development any quicker, easier or less complex.
Fun Baby Learning Games brings a new approach to having fun and learning.
Incorporate theory and research-backed activities in a fun and engaging way
Help your infant or toddler nurture his/her skills and reach emerging milestones
Foster... more
Fun Baby Learning Games brings a new approach to having fun and learning.
Incorporate theory and research-backed activities in a fun and engaging way
Help your infant or toddler nurture his/her skills and reach emerging milestones
Foster... more
86
From Pong to PlayStation 3 and beyond, Understanding Video Games is the first general introduction to the exciting new field of video game studies. This textbook traces the history of video games, introduces the major theories used to analyze games such as ludology and narratology, reviews the economics of the game industry, examines the aesthetics of game design, surveys the broad range of game genres, explores player culture, and addresses the major debates surrounding the medium, from educational benefits to the effects of violence.
Throughout the book, the authors ask...
more87
Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: An Encyclopedia of Mechanisms compiles hundreds of different mechanisms, organized by category. Each has a description of how it works, discussion of its pros and cons, how it can be implemented, and examples of specific games that use it. Building Blocks can be read cover to cover, used as a reference when looking for inspiration for a new design, help solving a specific problem, or assist in getting unstuck in the midst of a project. This book, the first to collect mechanisms like this in the tabletop game design field, aims... more
88
The journey continues with this ALL NEW volume in the Game Programming Gems series! As with the first two volumes, a dynamic group of some of the best game programmers in the industry have generously joined together to share their insights and techniques. Their ready-to-use ideas, tips, and solutions, will help save hours of programming time, prevent redundancy, and leave you with more time to add cutting-edge features to your own games. Covering all the key areas of game development, this invaluable resource delves deep into the problems often encountered by programmers, and provides... more
89
Create innovative CG solutions with Maya and this creative guide
Professional Maya artists have to think on their feet. It's nothing for them to receive just vague sketches or incomplete ideas of what the studio wants and have to come up with something brilliant. If you're an intermediate to advanced Maya user, Maya Visual Effects: The Innovator's Guide, Second Edition is what you need to meet the challenge. Professional Maya artist Eric Keller offers inspired solutions and hands-on projects, as well as numerous practical shortcuts and deadlines, so you learn to produce... more
Professional Maya artists have to think on their feet. It's nothing for them to receive just vague sketches or incomplete ideas of what the studio wants and have to come up with something brilliant. If you're an intermediate to advanced Maya user, Maya Visual Effects: The Innovator's Guide, Second Edition is what you need to meet the challenge. Professional Maya artist Eric Keller offers inspired solutions and hands-on projects, as well as numerous practical shortcuts and deadlines, so you learn to produce... more
90
In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, learn how to start using Unreal Engine 4 to build amazing games for Windows, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, the web, Linux-or all of them!
Sams Teach Yourself Unreal Engine 4 Game Development in 24 Hours' straightforward, step-by-step approach shows you how to work with Unreal Engine 4's interface, its workflows, and its most powerful editors and tools. In just hours you'll be creating effects, scripting warfare, implementing physics-even developing for mobile devices and HUDs. Every lesson builds on what you've already learned,... more
Sams Teach Yourself Unreal Engine 4 Game Development in 24 Hours' straightforward, step-by-step approach shows you how to work with Unreal Engine 4's interface, its workflows, and its most powerful editors and tools. In just hours you'll be creating effects, scripting warfare, implementing physics-even developing for mobile devices and HUDs. Every lesson builds on what you've already learned,... more
Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
91
A guide for kids who want to learn coding
Coding is quickly becoming an essential academic skill, right up there with reading, writing, and arithmetic. This book is an ideal way for young learners ages 8-13 who want more coding knowledge than you can learn in an hour, a day, or a week.
Written by a classroom instructor with over a decade of experience teaching technology skills to kids as young as five, this book teaches the steps and logic needed to write code, solve problems, and create fun games and animations using projects based in Scratch and JavaScript.... more
Coding is quickly becoming an essential academic skill, right up there with reading, writing, and arithmetic. This book is an ideal way for young learners ages 8-13 who want more coding knowledge than you can learn in an hour, a day, or a week.
Written by a classroom instructor with over a decade of experience teaching technology skills to kids as young as five, this book teaches the steps and logic needed to write code, solve problems, and create fun games and animations using projects based in Scratch and JavaScript.... more
92
Learn to build a fully-functional 2D game inspired by the 1979 Atari classic, Asteroids, using just HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. Developing games has never been easier than it is now. New web technology allows even beginner developers to turn their hand to game development. Developed from an undergraduate course module, Introducing JavaScript Game Development teaches each new technology as it is introduced so can be followed by enthusiastic beginners as well as intermediate coders.
You will learn how to work with HTML5 and the canvas element, how to understand paths, how to... more
You will learn how to work with HTML5 and the canvas element, how to understand paths, how to... more
93
Learn to Code while Adventuring through the Overworld!
This fun and educational activity book Introduces kids to the world of coding through the Minecraft world they love. Colorfully illustrated characters and themes from their favorite video game bring the excitement of coding to life, while easy-to-follow screenshots guide them through activities. With adventures that include design, music, animation, gaming, and more, learners will discover tons of ways coding connects to other activities they love and how far a little imagination and invention can take them…to The End... more
This fun and educational activity book Introduces kids to the world of coding through the Minecraft world they love. Colorfully illustrated characters and themes from their favorite video game bring the excitement of coding to life, while easy-to-follow screenshots guide them through activities. With adventures that include design, music, animation, gaming, and more, learners will discover tons of ways coding connects to other activities they love and how far a little imagination and invention can take them…to The End... more
94
What if schools, from the wealthiest suburban nursery school to the grittiest urban high school, thrummed with the sounds of deep immersion? More and more people believe that can happen - with the aid of video games. Greg Toppo's The Game Believes in You presents the story of a small group of visionaries who, for the past 40 years, have been pushing to get game controllers into the hands of learners. Among the game revolutionaries you'll meet in this book:
*A game designer at the University of Southern California leading a team to design a video-game version of Thoreau's... more
*A game designer at the University of Southern California leading a team to design a video-game version of Thoreau's... more
95
The Walkthrough offers a rare peek behind the curtain of the secretive video game industry from an unlikely perspective, that of a career strategy guide writer. For eighteen years, Doug Walsh was one of the most prolific authors of officially licensed video game strategy guides. And now he's ready to talk.
One part memoir and one part industry tell-all, The Walkthrough takes players on an entertaining march through gaming’s recent history, from the dawn of the PlayStation to the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch. Follow along as Walsh retraces his career and reveals how... more
One part memoir and one part industry tell-all, The Walkthrough takes players on an entertaining march through gaming’s recent history, from the dawn of the PlayStation to the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch. Follow along as Walsh retraces his career and reveals how... more
96
Making a game can be an intensive process, and if not planned accurately can easily run over budget. The use of procedural generation in game design can help with the intricate and multifarious aspects of game development; thus facilitating cost reduction. This form of development enables games to create their play areas, objects and stories based on a set of rules, rather than relying on the developer to handcraft each element individually. Readers will learn to create randomized maps, weave accidental plotlines, and manage complex systems that are prone to unpredictable... more
97
For devoted gamers as well as those interested in groundbreaking graphic design, this is the first, most comprehensive, and only critical guide ever published to video games. The video game has arrived as entertainment and as an art form. This is the first serious critical evaluation ever published of the best video games and is a testament to the medium’s innovativeness and increasing emphasis on aesthetics. Organized chronologically and for all platforms (PC, Xbox, PlayStation, etc.) and covering all genres from the bold (Grand Theft Auto and Halo) and dark (Resident... more
98
From the author of Hacks for Minecrafters comes the most encompassing guide ever to redstone in the world of Minecraft!
With Hacks for Minecrafters: Redstone, kids will learn the basics of manipulating redstone to make amazing contraptions, with clear and illustrated explanations of redstone power and current, as well as how to build essential redstone logic gates, loops, and circuits. Hacks for Minecrafters: Redstone will also demonstrate exactly how to construct some classic and crazy contraptions and machines, including:
Automatic doors and... more
With Hacks for Minecrafters: Redstone, kids will learn the basics of manipulating redstone to make amazing contraptions, with clear and illustrated explanations of redstone power and current, as well as how to build essential redstone logic gates, loops, and circuits. Hacks for Minecrafters: Redstone will also demonstrate exactly how to construct some classic and crazy contraptions and machines, including:
Automatic doors and... more
100
The first full resource to offer advice on tapping into Twitch
Twitch got its start as a live-streaming platform mostly populated by gamers and their fans. It's quickly grown to host streaming events of all kinds--concerts, conferences, production events like podcast recording sessions, and even pro sports.
Twitch For Dummies helps initiate those new to streaming with advice on how to launch and build a Twitch channel. Podcasting For Dummies author Tee Morris guides readers through the basics of starting a channel, streaming games or live events,... more
Twitch got its start as a live-streaming platform mostly populated by gamers and their fans. It's quickly grown to host streaming events of all kinds--concerts, conferences, production events like podcast recording sessions, and even pro sports.
Twitch For Dummies helps initiate those new to streaming with advice on how to launch and build a Twitch channel. Podcasting For Dummies author Tee Morris guides readers through the basics of starting a channel, streaming games or live events,... more
Don't have time to read the top Game Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
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- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.