A comprehensive, practical guide to composing video game music, from acquiring the necessary skills to finding work in the field. Music in video games is often a sophisticated, complex composition that serves to engage the player, set the pace of play, and aid interactivity. Composers of video game music must master an array of specialized skills not taught in the conservatory, including the creation of linear loops, music chunks for horizontal resequencing, and compositional fragments for use within a generative framework. In A Composer's Guide to Game Music, Winifred Phillips-herself an award-winning composer of video game music-provides a comprehensive, practical guide that leads an aspiring video game composer from acquiring the necessary creative skills to understanding the function of music in games to finding work in the field. Musicians and composers may be drawn to game music composition because the game industry is a multibillion-dollar, employment-generating economic powerhouse, but, Phillips writes, the most important qualification for a musician who wants to become a game music composer is a love of video games. Phillips offers detailed coverage of essential topics, including musicianship and composition experience; immersion; musical themes; music and game genres; workflow; working with a development team; linear music; interactive music, both rendered and generative; audio technology, from mixers and preamps to software; and running a business. A Composer's Guide to Game Music offers indispensable guidance for musicians and composers who want to deploy their creativity in a dynamic and growing industry, protect their musical identities while working in a highly technical field, and create great music within the constraints of a new medium.

Learn how to use Unreal Engine 4 by building 3D and multiplayer games using Blueprints Key Features Learn the fundamentals of Unreal Engine such as project templates, Blueprints, and C++ Learn to design games; use UMG to create menus and HUDs, and replication to create multiplayer games Build dynamic game elements using Animation Blueprints and Behavior Trees Book DescriptionUnreal Engine is a popular game engine for developers to build high-end 2D and 3D games. This book is a practical guide, starting off by quickly introducing you to the Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) ecosystem. You will learn how to create Blueprints and C++ code to define your game's functionality. You will be familiarized with the core systems of UE4 such as UMG, Animation Blueprints, and Behavior Trees. You will also learn how to use replication to create multiplayer games. By the end of this book, you will have a broad, solid knowledge base to expand upon on your journey with UE4. What you will learn Use project templates to give your game a head start Create custom Blueprints and C++ classes and extend from Epic's base classes Use UMG to create menus and HUDs for your game Create more dynamic characters using Animation Blueprints Learn how to create complex AI with Behavior Trees Use replication to create multiplayer games Optimize, test, and deploy a UE4 project Who this book is forReaders who already have some game development experience and Unity users who would like to try UE4 will all benefit from this book. Knowledge of basic Object-Oriented Programming topics such as variables, functions, and classes is assumed.

Get close and comfortable with Unity and build applications that run on HoloLens, Daydream, and Oculus Rift Key Features Build fun augmented reality applications using ARKit, ARCore, and Vuforia Explore virtual reality by developing more than 10 engaging projects Learn how to integrate AR and VR concepts together in a single application Book DescriptionUnity is the leading platform to develop mixed reality experiences because it provides a great pipeline for working with 3D assets. Using a practical and project-based approach, this Learning Path educates you about the specifics of AR and VR development using Unity 2018 and Unity 3D. You'll learn to integrate, animate, and overlay 3D objects on your camera feed, before moving on to implement sensor-based AR applications. You'll explore various concepts by creating an AR application using Vuforia for both macOS and Windows for Android and iOS devices. Next, you'll learn how to develop VR applications that can be experienced with devices, such as Oculus and Vive. You'll also explore various tools for VR development: gaze-based versus hand controller input, world space UI canvases, locomotion and teleportation, timeline animation, and multiplayer networking. You'll learn the Unity 3D game engine via the interactive Unity Editor and C# programming. By the end of this Learning Path, you'll be fully equipped to develop rich, interactive mixed reality experiences using Unity. This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products: Unity Virtual Reality Projects - Second Edition by Jonathan Linowes Unity 2018 Augmented Reality Projects by Jesse Glover What you will learn Create 3D scenes to learn about world space and scale Move around your scenes using locomotion and teleportation Create filters or overlays that work with facial recognition software Interact with virtual objects using eye gaze, hand controllers, and user input events Design and build a VR storytelling animation with a soundtrack and timelines Create social VR experiences with Unity networking Who this book is forIf you are a game developer familiar with 3D computer graphics and interested in building your own AR and VR games or applications, then this Learning Path is for you. Any prior experience in Unity and C# will be an advantage. In all, this course teaches you the tools and techniques to develop engaging mixed reality applications.

Embrace the mobile gaming revolution by creating popular iOS games with Swift 4.2 Key Features Learn to create games for iPhone and iPad with the latest Swift Programming language Understand the fundamental concepts of game development like game physics, camera action, sprites, controls, among others Build Augmented reality games using ARKit for true performance Book DescriptionSwift is the perfect choice for game development. Developers are intrigued by Swift and want to make use of new features to develop their best games yet. Packed with best practices and easy-to-use examples, this book leads you step by step through the development of your first Swift game. The book starts by introducing Swift's best features - including its new ones for game development. Using SpriteKit, you will learn how to animate sprites and textures. Along the way, you will master physics, animations, and collision effects and how to build the UI aspects of a game. You will then work on creating a 3D game using the SceneKit framework. Further, we will look at how to add monetization and integrate Game Center. With iOS 12, we see the introduction of ARKit 2.0. This new version allows us to integrate shared experiences such as multiplayer augmented reality and persistent AR that is tied to a specific location so that the same information can be replicated on all connected devices. In the next section, we will dive into creating Augmented Reality games using SpriteKit and SceneKit. Then, finally, we will see how to create a Multipeer AR project to connect two devices, and send and receive data back and forth between those devices in real time. By the end of this book, you will be able to create your own iOS games using Swift and publish them on the iOS App Store. What you will learn Deliver powerful graphics, physics, and sound in your game by using SpriteKit and SceneKit Set up a scene using the new capabilities of the scene editor and custom classes Maximize gameplay with little-known tips and strategies for fun, repeatable action Make use of animations, graphics, and particles to polish your game Understand the current mobile monetization landscape Integrate your game with Game Center Develop 2D and 3D Augmented Reality games using Apple's new ARKit framework Publish your game to the App Store Who this book is forIf you wish to create and publish iOS games using Swift, then this book is for you. No prior game development or experience with Apple ecosystem is needed.

Bill Gates, born in Seattle, Washington, in 1955, is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. In this "Who Was...? "biography, children will learn of Gates' childhood passion for computer technology, which led him to revolutionize personal computers. Through the success of his now-world-famous software company, Microsoft, Bill Gates became one of the wealthiest philanthropists in history.This fascinating story of a child technology genius is sure to captivate any audience

Understand the fundamentals of C# programming and get started with coding from ground up in an engaging and practical manner Key Features Beginner's guide to getting started with software development concepts from a macro level Leverage the power of the latest C# in solving the complex programming problems Learn to script and customize your 3D games and implement animation techniques to make them engaging Book DescriptionLearning to program in today's technical landscape can be a daunting task, especially when faced with the sheer number of languages you have to choose from. Luckily, Learning C# with Unity 2019 removes the guesswork and starts you off on the path to becoming a confident, and competent, programmer using game development with Unity. You'll start off small by learning the building blocks of programming, from variables, methods, and conditional statements to classes and object-oriented systems. After you have the basics under your belt you'll explore the Unity interface, creating C# scripts, and translating your newfound knowledge into simple game mechanics. Throughout this journey, you'll get hands-on experience with programming best practices and macro-level topics such as manager classes and flexible application architecture. By the end of the book, you'll be familiar with intermediate C# topics like generics, delegates, and events, setting you up to take on projects of your own. What you will learn Understand programming fundamentals with practice examples in C# Explore the interface and features of Unity 2019 Learn C# programming syntax from scratch Create a game design document and prototype level Explore intermediate programming topics and best practices Implement game mechanics, interactions, and UI elements with C# Who this book is forThe book caters to developers and programmers who want to get started with C# programming in a fun and engaging manner. Anyone who wants to build games and script in C# language and Unity can take this book up. No prior programming or Unity experience is required.

Jump into the world of Game AI development About This Book * Move beyond using libraries to create smart game AI, and create your own AI projects from scratch * Implement the latest algorithms for AI development and in-game interaction * Customize your existing game AI and make it better and more efficient to improve your overall game performance Who This Book Is For This book is for game developers with a basic knowledge of game development techniques and some basic programming techniques in C# or C++. What You Will Learn * Get to know the basics of how to create different AI for different type of games * Know what to do when something interferes with the AI choices and how the AI should behave if that happens * Plan the interaction between the AI character and the environment using Smart Zones or Triggering Events * Use animations correctly, blending one animation into another and rather than stopping one animation and starting another * Calculate the best options for the AI to move using Pruning Strategies, Wall Distances, Map Preprocess Implementation, and Forced Neighbours * Create Theta algorithms to the AI to find short and realistic looking paths * Add many characters into the same scene and make them behave like a realistic crowd In Detail The book starts with the basics examples of AI for different game genres and directly jumps into defining the probabilities and possibilities of the AI character to determine character movement. Next, you'll learn how AI characters should behave within the environment created. Moving on, you'll explore how to work with animations. You'll also plan and create pruning strategies, and create Theta algorithms to find short and realistic looking game paths. Next, you'll learn how the AI should behave when there is a lot of characters in the same scene. You'll explore which methods and algorithms, such as possibility maps, Forward Chaining Plan, Rete Algorithm, Pruning Strategies, Wall Distances, and Map Preprocess Implementation should be used on different occasions. You'll discover how to overcome some limitations, and how to deliver a better experience to the player. By the end of the book, you think differently about AI. Style and approach The book has a step-by-step tutorial style approach. The algorithms are explained by implementing them in #.

Learn the art of making Android games and turn your game development dreams into reality About This Book * Leverage the latest features of Android N to create real-world 2D games * Architect a 2D game from scratch and level up your Android game development skill * Transition from developing simple 2D games to 3D games using basic Java code Who This Book Is For If you are a mobile developer who has basic Java programming knowledge, then this book is ideal for you. Previous Android development experience is not needed; however, basic mobile development knowledge is essential. What You Will Learn * Understand the nuts and bolts of developing highly interactive and interesting games for Android N * Link the interface to the code used in games through simple methods * Interact with the images on the screen and also learn to animate them * Set and save the game state and save high scores, hit points, and so on for your games * Get a grasp of various collision techniques and implement the bounding box technique * Convert your 2D games to 3D games using Android N * Get an understanding of the process of UI creation using Android Studio In Detail In this book, we'll start with installing Android studio and its components, and setting it up ready for Android N. We teach you how to take inputs from users, create images and interact with them, and work with sprites to create animations. You'll then explore the various collision detection methods and use sprites to create an explosion. Moving on, you'll go through the process of UI creation and see how to create buttons as well as display the score and other parameters on screen. By the end of the book, you will have a working example and an understanding of a 2D platform game like Super Mario and know how to convert your 2D games to 3D games. Style and approach This easy-to-understand guide follows a step-by-step approach to building games, and contains plenty of graphical examples for you to follow and grasp quickly, giving you the chance to implement the concepts practically.

Although gaming was once primarily used for personal entertainment, video games and other similar technologies are now being utilized across various disciplines such as education and engineering. As digital technologies become more integral to everyday life, it is imperative to explore the underlying effects they have on society and within these fields. Exploring the Cognitive, Social, Cultural, and Psychological Aspects of Gaming and Simulations provides emerging research on the societal and mental aspects of gaming and how video games impact different parts of an individual's life. While highlighting the positive, important results of gaming in various disciplines, readers will learn how video games can be used in areas such as calculus, therapy, and professional development. This book is an important resource for engineers, graduate-level students, psychologists, game designers, educators, sociologists, and academics seeking current information on the effects of gaming and computer simulations across different industries.