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Books > Computing & IT > Computer software packages > Computer games
On November 21, 1990, the Super Nintendo was officially introduced
to the Japanese public as the Super Famicom - a date that would
forever be engraved in the hearts and souls of gamers worldwide.
Following in the footsteps of the NES, whose universal success had
definitively shaped the fate of the gaming industry, the Super
Nintendo was a technological masterpiece teeming with power and
potential, and that still fascinates us to this very day. Across
more than 510+ pages richly illustrated with photographs and
documents from the period, this perfect fusion of our two previous
Super Nintendo Anthology volumes recounts the life story of the
Kyoto-based giant's wondrous 16-bit console and delves deep into
its huge international games library. A true work of reference,
allowing those who missed out on our Super Nintendo/Super Famicom
Deluxe Edition the chance to own even more content than before.
This new version of our SNES Anthology meshes together both the
Software and Hardware books from our out-of-print Ultimate Edition.
It covers the console's genesis through to the end of its life
cycle (including a deep-dive into its many components, and its
graphic/audio capabilities), as well as its accessories (official
or otherwise), secrets behind the hardware, and a total of 1770+
official, unofficial and cancelled games - with a specific amount
of page space dedicated to each one based on its quality and
reputation, including their release date, developer, publisher,
genre, and a rating out of five.
Four decades after the Oblivion Crisis, Tamriel is threatened anew
by an ancient and all-consuming evil. It is Umbriel, a floating
city that casts a terrifying shadow-for wherever it falls, people
die and rise again.
And it is in Umbriel's shadow that a great adventure begins, and a
group of unlikely heroes meet. A legendary prince with a secret. A
spy on the trail of a vast conspiracy. A mage obsessed with his
desire for revenge. And Annaig, a young girl in whose hands the
fate of Tamriel may rest . . . .
Based on the award-winning "The Elder Scrolls," The Infernal City
is the first of two exhilarating novels following events that
continue the story from "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion," named
2006 Game of the Year.
Despite the pervasive rhetorics of immersion and embodiment found
in industrial and social discourses, playing a video game is an
exercise in non-linearity. The pervasiveness of trial and error
mechanics, unforgiving game over screens, loading times, minute
tweakings of options and settings, should lead us to consider video
games as a medium that cannot eschew fragmentation. Every Game is
an Island is an analysis and a critique of grey areas, dead ends
and extremities found in digital games, an exploration of border
zones where play and non-play coexist or compete. Riccardo Fassone
describes the complexity of the experience of video game play and
brings integral but often overlooked components of the gameplay
experience to the fore, in an attempt to problematize a reading of
video games as grandiosely immersive, all-encompassing narrative
experiences. Through the analysis of closures and endings, limits
and borders, and liminal states, this field-advancing study looks
at the heart of a medium starting from its periphery.
This book provides insights into the state of the art of digital
cultural heritage using computer graphics, image processing,
computer vision, visualization and reconstruction, virtual and
augmented reality and serious games. It aims at covering the
emergent approaches for digitization and preservation of Cultural
Heritage, both in its tangible and intangible facets. Advancements
in Digital Cultural Heritage research have been abundant in recent
years covering a wide assortment of topics, ranging from visual
data acquisition, pre-processing, classification, analysis and
synthesis, 3D modelling and reconstruction, semantics and symbolic
representation, metadata description, repository and archiving, to
new forms of interactive and personalized presentation,
visualization and immersive experience provision via advanced
computer graphics, interactive virtual and augmented environments,
serious games and digital storytelling. Different aspects
pertaining to visual computing with regard to tangible (books,
images, paintings, manuscripts, uniforms, maps, artefacts,
archaeological sites, monuments) and intangible (e.g. dance and
performing arts, folklore, theatrical performances) cultural
heritage preservation, documentation, protection and promotion are
covered, including rendering and procedural modelling of cultural
heritage assets, keyword spotting in old documents, drone mapping
and airborne photogrammetry, underwater recording and
reconstruction, gamification, visitor engagement, animated
storytelling, analysis of choreographic patterns, and many more.
The book brings together and targets researchers from the domains
of computing, engineering, archaeology and the arts, and aims at
underscoring the potential for cross-fertilization and
collaboration among these communities.
It was over a decade ago that experimental psychologists and
media-effects researchers declared the debate on the effects of
violent video gaming as "essentially over," referring to the way
violence in videogames increases aggressive thoughts, feelings and
behaviors in players. Despite the decisive tone of this statement,
neither the presence nor popularity of digital games has since
diminished, with games continuing to attract new generations of
players to experience its technological advancements in the
narration of violence and its techniques of depiction. Drawing on
new insights achieved from research located at an intersection
between humanities, social and computer sciences, Gareth Schott's
addition to the Approaches in Digital Game Studies series
interrogates the nature and meaning of the "violence" encountered
and experienced by game players. In focusing on the various ways
"violence" is mediated by both the rule system and the semiotic
layer of games, the aim is to draw out the distinctiveness of
games' exploitation of violence or violent themes. An important if
not canonical text in the debates about video games and violence,
Violent Games constitutes an essential book for those wishing to
make sense of the experience offered by games as technological,
aesthetic, and communicational phenomena in the context of issues
of media regulation and the classification of game content "as"
violence.
Enter the world of Overwatch, the smash-hit from Blizzard
Entertainment, in this five-story anthology chronicling some of the
video game's most fascinating and celebrated characters, now
available for the first time in print! Since its initial launch in
2016, Overwatch has captivated the imaginations of over 50 million
players worldwide. Now fans can join some of the game's most iconic
heroes-and villains-on a series of missions ranging from the lush
Caribbean to southern India, and everywhere in between. Authored by
some of the most compelling voices in science fiction today,
including Michael Chu, Brandon Easton, Christie Golden, and Alyssa
Wong, this short story anthology is rife with themes of love and
loss, ambition and despair, alliances and conflict, all pointing
toward a common hope, that the future is worth fighting for.
For two decades, Rockstar Games have been making games that
interrogate and represent the idea of America, past and present.
Commercially successful, fan-beloved, and a frequent source of
media attention, Rockstar's franchises are positioned as not only
game-changing, ground-breaking interventions in the games industry,
but also as critical, cultural histories on America and its
excesses. But what does Rockstar's version of American history look
like, and how is it communicated through critically acclaimed
titles like Red Dead Redemption (2010) and L.A. Noire (2011)? By
combining analysis of Rockstar's games and a range of official
communications and promotional materials, this book offers critical
discussion of Rockstar as a company, their video games, and
ultimately, their attempts at creating new narratives about U.S.
history and culture. It explores the ways in which Rockstar's brand
identity and their titles coalesce to create a new kind of video
game history, how promotional materials work to claim the
"authenticity" of these products, and assert the authority of game
developers to perform the role of historian. By working at the
intersection of historical game studies, U.S. history, and film and
media studies, this book explores what happens when contemporary
demands for historical authenticity are brought to bear on the way
we envisage the past - and whose past it is deemed to be.
Ultimately, this book implores those who research historical video
games to consider the oft-forgotten sources at the margins of these
games as importance spaces where historical meaning is made and
negotiated. Watch our talk with the author Esther Wright here:
https://youtu.be/AaC_9XsX-CQ
Though once considered purely for their entertainment value,
computer and online games have applications as learning tools in
learning in a variety of different environments. Computer Games as
Educational and Management Tools: Uses and Approaches considers the
many uses of games and simulations, focusing specifically on their
use in organizational and educational settings. Providing
perspectives on gaming for distance learning, gaming for
rehabilitation, business simulators, and motivational games, this
publication explores new and emerging trends in this ever-evolving
area of research.
Music Video Games takes a look (and listen) at the popular genre of
music games - video games in which music is at the forefront of
player interaction and gameplay. With chapters on a wide variety of
music games, ranging from well-known console games such as Guitar
Hero and Rock Band to new, emerging games for smartphones and
tablets, scholars from diverse disciplines and backgrounds discuss
the history, development, and cultural impact of music games. Each
chapter investigates important themes surrounding the ways in which
we play music and play with music in video games. Starting with the
precursors to music games - including Simon, the hand-held
electronic music game from the 1980s, Michael Austin's collection
goes on to discuss issues in musicianship and performance,
authenticity and "selling out," and composing, creating, and
learning music with video games. Including a glossary and detailed
indices, Austin and his team shine a much needed light on the often
overlooked subject of music video games.
Computer and online games have emerged as a critical area of study
due to their implications for business and society, as well as
their increased presence in individuals lives. Business,
Technological and Social Dimensions of Computer Games:
Multidisciplinary Developments is a collection of the most recent
developments in all areas of game development, encompassing
planning, design, marketing, business management, and consumer
behavior. This publication explores a number of aspects of gaming,
which include supporting technologies, human interaction,
psychological and behavioral effects, business opportunities, and
intellectual property considerations, offering readers a complete
perspective on the evolution of games and gaming technologies.
Recent advancements have put Gaming and Computer-Mediated
Simulations at the forefront of technology and learning. A closer
look at these topic areas opens the door for development and
innovation and the implications that go with it. Discoveries in
Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations: New Interdisciplinary
Applications explores and promotes a deep conceptual and empirical
understanding of the roles of electronic games and
computer-mediated simulations across multiple disciplines. This
book helps build a significant bridge between research and practice
on electronic gaming and simulations, supporting the work of
researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. Drawing on history
allows this publication to help move this field forward.
Online gaming is widely popular and gaining more user attention
every day. Computer game industries have made considerable growth
in terms of design and development, but the scarcity of hardware
resources at player or client side is a major pitfall for the
latest high-end multimedia games. Cloud gaming is one proposed
solution, allowing the end-user to play games using a variety of
platforms with less demanding hardware requirements. Emerging
Technologies and Applications for Cloud-Based Gaming explores the
opportunities for the gaming industry through the integration of
cloud computing. Focusing on design methodologies, fundamental
architectures, and the end-user experience, this publication is an
essential reference source for IT specialists, game developers,
researchers, and graduate-level students.
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