In "Extra Lives," acclaimed writer and life-long video game enthusiast Tom Bissell takes the reader on an insightful and entertaining tour of the art and meaning of video games.
In just a few decades, video games have grown increasingly complex and sophisticated, and the companies that produce them are now among the most profitable in the entertainment industry. Yet few outside this world have thought deeply about how these games work, why they are so appealing, and what they are capable of artistically. Blending memoir, criticism, and first-rate reportage, "Extra Lives "is a milestone work about what might be the dominant popular art form of our time.

Get hands-on with game development tools and techniques to build game project using the latest version of Unreal Engine and C++, two of the most widely used tools in the games industry Key Features Kickstart your career or develop a new hobby by learning game development with Unreal Engine 5 and C++ Learn techniques to prototype and develop your own ideas with key images printed in color Reinforce your skills with project-based learning by building a series of games from scratch Book DescriptionImmerse yourself in the Unreal game projects with this book, written by four highly experienced industry professionals with many years of combined experience with Unreal Engine. Elevating Game Experiences with Unreal Engine 5 will walk you through the latest version of Unreal Engine by helping you get hands-on with the game creation projects. The book starts with an introduction to the Unreal Editor and key concepts such as actors, blueprints, animations, inheritance, and player input. You'll then move on to the first of three projects, building a dodgeball game, where you'll learn the concepts of line traces, collisions, projectiles, user interface, and sound effects. You'll also discover how to combine these concepts to showcase your new skills. The second project, a side-scroller game, will help you implement concepts such as animation blending, enemy AI, spawning objects, and collectibles. And finally, you'll cover the key concepts in creating a multiplayer environment as you work on the third project, an FPS game. By the end of this Unreal Engine book, you'll have a broad understanding of how to use the tools that the game engine provides to start building your own games. What you will learn Create a fully functional third-person character and enemies Implement navigation with keyboard, mouse, and gamepad Program logic and game mechanics with collision and particle effects Explore AI for games with Blackboards and behavior trees Build character animations with animation blueprints and montages Polish your game with stunning visual and sound effects Explore the fundamentals of game UI using a heads-up display Discover how to implement multiplayer in your games Who this book is forThis book is for game developers looking to get started with using Unreal Engine 5 for their game development projects. Anyone who has used Unreal Engine before and wants to consolidate, improve, and apply their skills will find this book useful. To better grasp the concepts explained in this book, prior knowledge of C++ basics such as variables, functions, classes, polymorphism, and pointers is required. For full compatibility with the IDE used in this book, a Windows system is recommended.

Discover how to build enhanced feature-filled games using the power of Luau programming by getting hands-on with creating a complete end-to-end game using Roblox Studio Key Features Leverage the tips and tricks covered in this game development book for writing advanced Roblox scripts Explore the capabilities of Roblox Luau to create complex games using user input, datastores, and user interfaces for all devices Each subject contains an additional exercise for the reader to experiment Book DescriptionRoblox is a game platform with over 47 million daily active users. Something unique to Roblox is that you're playing games made by other gamers! This means that you can make your own games, even if you have no experience. In addition, Roblox provides a free engine that allows you to create and publish a simple game in less than five minutes and get paid while at it. Most Roblox games require programming. This book starts with the basics of programming in Roblox Luau. Each chapter builds on the previous one, which eventually results in you mastering programming concepts in Lua. Next, the book teaches you complex technologies that you can implement in your game. Each concept is explained clearly and uses simple examples that show you how the technology is being used. This book contains additional exercises for you to experiment with the concepts you've learned. Using best practices, you will understand how to write and build complex systems such as databases, user input controls, and all device user interfaces. In addition, you will learn how to build an entire game from scratch. By the end of this book, you will be able to program complex systems in Roblox from the ground up by learning how to write code using Luau and create optimized code. What you will learn Understand and learn the basics of Roblox Luau Discover how to write efficient and optimized Luau code to avoid bad smells Explore how to optimize your game for PC, consoles, phones, and tablets Get up to speed with how to build databases using Luau Understand client and server functionalities and learn how to securely establish communication Discover how to build an advanced Roblox game from scratch Who this book is forThis book is for fairly experienced Roblox developers who have basic programming knowledge and want to take their skills to the next level with advanced concepts in a simple and effective way. Basic knowledge of Roblox, Roblox Studio, and Roblox Luau is recommended before getting started with this book. A short refresher is provided for those who have not used Roblox in a while.

Build a complete game from start to finish using Flutter and Flame while getting acquainted with each building block in game design along the way Key Features Begin your Flutter game development journey with step-by-step instructions and best practices Understand the Flame game engine and its essential elements for making games, sprite animation, tilemaps, and audio Build enjoyable games with Flutter that can be played across different platforms Book DescriptionWith its powerful tools and quick implementation capabilities, Flutter provides a new way to build scalable cross-platform apps. In this book, you'll learn how to build on your knowledge and use Flutter as the foundation for creating games. This game development book takes a hands-on approach to building a complete game from scratch. You'll see how to get started with the Flame library and build a simple animated example to test Flame. You'll then discover how to organize and load images and audio in your Flutter game. As you advance, you'll gain insights into the game loop and set it up for fast and efficient processing. The book also guides you in using Tiled to create maps, add sprites to the maps that the player can interact with, and see how to use tilemap collision to create paths for a player to walk on. Finally, you'll learn how to make enemies more intelligent with artificial intelligence (AI). By the end of the book, you'll have gained the confidence to build fun multiplatform games with Flutter. What you will learn Discover the Flame engine and how to use it in game programming in Flutter Organize the graphics and sounds used in your game Animate a sprite in your games and detect when the player collides with tiles Run the game as a web page and desktop app Expand our player control with key navigation Build your first game and make your enemies more intelligent with AI for games Who this book is forIf you are a Flutter developer looking to apply your Flutter programming skills to games development, this book is for you. Basic knowledge of Dart will assist with understanding the concepts covered.

Learn C# programming from scratch using Unity as a fun and accessible entry point with this updated edition of the bestselling series. Includes invitation to join the online Unity Game Development community to read the book alongside peers, Unity developers/C# programmers and Harrison Ferrone. Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free eBook in the PDF format.Key Features Learn C# programming basics, terminology, and coding best practices Become confident with Unity fundamentals and features in line with Unity 2021 Apply your C# knowledge in practice and build a working first-person shooter game prototype in Unity Book DescriptionThe Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity series has established itself as a popular choice for getting up to speed with C#, a powerful and versatile programming language with a wide array of applications in various domains. This bestselling franchise presents a clear path for learning C# programming from the ground up through the world of Unity game development. This sixth edition has been updated to introduce modern C# features with Unity 2021. A new chapter has also been added that covers reading and writing binary data from files, which will help you become proficient in handling errors and asynchronous operations. The book acquaints you with the core concepts of programming in C#, including variables, classes, and object-oriented programming. You will explore the fundamentals of Unity game development, including game design, lighting basics, player movement, camera controls, and collisions. You will write C# scripts for simple game mechanics, perform procedural programming, and add complexity to your games by introducing smart enemies and damage-causing projectiles. By the end of the book, you will have developed the skills to become proficient in C# programming and built a playable game prototype with the Unity game engine. What you will learn Follow simple steps and examples to create and implement C# scripts in Unity Develop a 3D mindset to build games that come to life Create basic game mechanics such as player controllers and shooting projectiles using C# Divide your code into pluggable building blocks using interfaces, abstract classes, and class extensions Become familiar with stacks, queues, exceptions, error handling, and other core C# concepts Learn how to handle text, XML, and JSON data to save and load your game data Explore the basics of AI for games and implement them to control enemy behavior Who this book is forIf you're a developer, programmer, hobbyist, or anyone who wants to get started with Unity and C# programming in a fun and engaging manner, this book is for you. You'll still be able to follow along if you don't have programming experience, but knowing the basics will help you get the most out of this book.

Play Anything is nothing short of brilliant... I will be recommending this provocative and entertaining book to everyone I know." u- Jane McGonigal, bestselling author of Reality is Broken and SuperBetter ife is boring: filled with meetings and traffic, errands and emails. Nothing we'd ever call fun . But what if we've gotten fun wrong? In Play Anything, visionary game designer and philosopher Ian Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities.The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games. Play Anything, reveals that games appeal to us not because they are fun, but because they set limitations . Soccer wouldn't be soccer if it wasn't composed of two teams of eleven players using only their feet, heads, and torsos to get a ball into a goal Tetris wouldn't be Tetris without falling pieces in characteristic shapes. Such rules seem needless, arbitrary, and difficult. Yet it is the limitations that make games enjoyable, just like it's the hard things in life that give it meaning. Play is what happens when we accept these limitations, narrow our focus, and, consequently, have fun. Which is also how to live a good life. Manipulating a soccer ball into a goal is no different than treating ordinary circumstances, like grocery shopping, lawn mowing, and making PowerPoints,as sources for meaning and joy. We can play anything" by filling our days with attention and discipline, devotion and love for the world as it really is, beyond our desires and fears.Ranging from Internet culture to moral philosophy, ancient poetry to modern consumerism, Bogost shows us how today's chaotic world can only be tamed,and enjoyed,when we first impose boundaries on ourselves. "An essential read for those seeking to understand how a new idea of play can be positive for our lives." u- Library Journal (STARRED review) /u Play Anything is a profound book: both a striking assessment of our current cultural landscape, and at the same time a smart self-improvement guide, teaching us the virtues of a life lived playfully." u- Steven Johnson, author of How We Got To Now and Everything Bad Is Good For You /u

A practical guide to Unity game scripting using C#, along with practice tests, exam tips, and easy-to-follow examples to help you pass the exam and become a professional Unity programmer Key Features Learn essentials of game scripting with Unity and C# to customize aspects of your game Tackle challenges in Unity game development and the certification exam using effective techniques and solutions Prepare for the latest Unity certification exam using mock tests, exam tips, and self-assessment questions Book DescriptionUnity Certified Programmer is a global certification program by Unity for anyone looking to become a professional Unity developer. The official Unity programmer exam will not only validate your Unity knowledge and skills, but will also enable you to be a part of the Unity community. This study guide will start by building on your understanding of C# programming and taking you through the process of downloading and installing Unity. You'll understand how Unity works and get to grips with the Unity exam's core objectives. As you advance, you'll enhance your skills by creating an enjoyable side-scrolling shooter game that can be played within the Unity Editor or any modern Android mobile device. This Unity book will test your knowledge with self-assessment questions and help you take your skills to an advanced level by working with Unity tools such as the animator, particle effects, lighting, UI/UX, scriptable objects, and debugging. By the end of this book, you'll have developed a solid understanding of the different tools in Unity and be able to create impressive Unity applications by making the most of its toolset. What you will learn Discover techniques for writing modular, readable, and reusable scripts in Unity Implement and configure objects, physics, controls, and movements for your game projects Understand 2D and 3D animation and write scripts to interact and use Unity's rendering API Explore Unity APIs for adding lighting, materials, and textures to your apps Write Unity scripts for building interfaces for menu systems, UI navigation, application settings, and much more Focus on SOLID principles for writing clean and maintainable Unity applications Who this book is forThis Unity engine book is for game developers, software developers, mobile app developers, and Unity developers who want to advance in their career and gain gaming industry certification. The book assumes basic knowledge of C# programming and the Unity engine.

The collected essays in this volume focus on the presentation, representation and interpretation of ancient violence - from war to slavery, rape and murder - in the modern visual and performing arts, with special attention to videogames and dance as well as the more usual media of film, literature and theatre. Violence, fury and the dread that they provoke are factors that appear frequently in the ancient sources. The dark side of antiquity, so distant from the ideal of purity and harmony that the classical heritage until recently usually called forth, has repeatedly struck the imagination of artists, writers and scholars across ages and cultures. A global assembly of contributors, from Europe to Brazil and from the US to New Zealand, consider historical and mythical violence in Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus and the 2010 TV series of the same name, in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, in the work of Lars von Trier, and in Soviet ballet and the choreography of Martha Graham and Anita Berber. Representations of Roman warfare appear in videogames such as Ryse: Son of Rome and Total War, as well as recent comics, and examples from both these media are analysed in the volume. Finally, interviews with two artists offer insight into the ways in which practitioners understand and engage with the complex reception of these themes.