The perfect gift for any fan of World of Warcraft. Journey through Azeroth and prepare to feast on new culinary delights inspired by World of Warcraft. This official gift set comes with World of Warcraft: New Flavors of Azeroth and an exclusive apron featuring celebrated Pandaren chef Nomi, equipped with a large front pocket and adjustable straps. As a young boy in Pandaria, Nomi answered the beckoning call of the Cooking School Bell and quickly grew into a promising chef. Through the years, this intrepid cook has traveled across Azeroth, learning countless regional recipes and techniques from Pandaria, the Broken Isles, and even the mysterious Shadowlands. In this cookbook, Nomi has collected the best recipes gathered during his travels, including: --Bladespire Bagel --Wild Berry Bread --Chewy Fel Taffy Equip your apron and let culinary expert Nomi be your guide in World of Warcraft: New Flavors of Azeroth Gift Set.

Computer games are one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving media of our time. Revenues from console and computer games have now overtaken those from Hollywood movies; and online gaming is one of the fastest-growing areas of the internet. Games are no longer just kids' stuff: the majority of players are now adults, and the market is constantly broadening. The visual style of games has become increasingly sophisticated, and the complexities of game-play are ever more challenging. Meanwhile, the iconography and generic forms of games are increasingly influencing a whole range of other media, from films and television to books and toys.
This book provides a systematic, comprehensive introduction to the analysis of computer and video games. It introduces key concepts and approaches drawn from literary, film and media theory in an accessible and concrete manner; and it tests their use and relevance by applying them to a small but representative selection of role-playing and action-adventure games. It combines methods of textual analysis and audience research, showing how the combination of such methods can give a more complete picture of these playable texts and the fan cultures they generate. Clearly written and engaging, it will be a key text for students in the field and for all those with an interest in taking games seriously.

100% Unofficial

A gamer's guide to the phenomenal new battle royal game, Apex Legends. In this full-colour illustrated unofficial handbook, you'll find guides that will help you improve your survival skills, master each of the colourful Legend characters and become a master of the map and all its hidden secrets.

With tips on how to play, the different modes, tactical strategies, looting and maximising load outs and much more, this easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide launches readers into Apex Legends' battle for survival.

For parents, there's also a guide to playing safely online, as well as advice on setting parental controls.

This student-friendly book provides an accessible overview of the primary debates about the effects of video games. It expands on the original The Video Game Debate to address the new technologies that have emerged within the field of game studies over the last few years. Debates about the negative effects of video game play have been evident since their introduction in the 1970s, but the advent of online and mobile gaming has revived these concerns, reinvigorating old debates and generating brand new ones. The Video Game Debate 2 draws from the latest research findings from the top scholars of digital games research to address these concerns. The book explores key developments such as virtual and augmented reality, the use of micro-transactions, the integration of loot boxes, and the growth of mobile gaming and games for change (serious games). Furthermore, several new chapters explore contemporary debates around e-sports, gamification, sex and gender discrimination in games, and the use of games in therapy. This book offers students and scholars of games studies and digital media, as well as policymakers, the essential information they need to participate in the debate.

With its unique focus on video game engines, the data-driven architectures of game development and play, this innovative textbook examines the impact of software on everyday life and explores the rise of engine-driven culture. Through a series of case studies, Eric Freedman lays out a clear methodology for studying the game development pipeline, and uses the video game engine as a pathway for media scholars and practitioners to navigate the complex terrain of software practice. Examining several distinct software ecosystems that include the proprietary efforts of Amazon, Apple, Capcom, Epic Games and Unity Technologies, and the unique ways that game engines are used in non-game industries, Freedman illustrates why engines matter. The studies bind together designers and players, speak to the labors of the game industry, value the work of both global and regional developers, and establish critical connection points between software and society. Freedman has crafted a much-needed entry point for students new to code, and a research resource for scholars and teachers working in media industries, game development and new media.

This journal subline serves as a forum for stimulating and disseminating innovative research ideas, theories, emerging technologies, empirical investigations, state-of-the-art methods, and tools in all different genres of edutainment, such as game-based learning and serious games, interactive storytelling, virtual learning environments, VR-based education, and related fields. It covers aspects from educational and game theories, human-computer interaction, computer graphics, artificial intelligence, and systems design. The 19 papers presented in the 14th issue were organized in topical sections named: 3D modeling and visualization; image; e-learning and games; and miscellaneous.

The Art of Game Design guides you through the design process step-by-step, helping you to develop new and innovative games that will be played again and again. It explains the fundamental principles of game design and demonstrates how tactics used in classic board, card and athletic games also work in top-quality video games.

Good game design happens when you view your game from as many perspectives as possible, and award-winning author Jesse Schell presents over 100 sets of questions to ask yourself as you build, play and change your game until you finalise your design.

This latest third edition includes examples from new VR and AR platforms as well as from modern games such as Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us, Free to Play games, hybrid games, transformational games, and more.

Whatever your role in video game development an understanding of the principles of game design will make you better at what you do. For over 10 years this book has provided inspiration and guidance to budding and experienced game designers - helping to make better games faster.

Table of Contents

Ch 1 In the Beginning, There Is the Designer. Ch 2 The Designer Creates an Experience. Ch 3 The Experience Takes Place in a Venue. Ch 4 The Experience Rises Out of a Game. Ch 5 The Game Consists of Elements. Ch 6 Ch 7 The Elements Support a Theme. Ch 8 The Game Begins with an Idea. Ch 9 The Game Improves through Iteration. Ch 10 The Game Is Made for a Player. Ch 11 The Experience Is in the Player’s Mind. Ch 12 The Player’s Mind Is Driven by the Player’s Motivation. Ch 13 Some Elements Are Game Mechanics. Ch 14 Game Mechanics Must Be in Balance. Ch 15 Game Mechanics Support Puzzles. Ch 16 Players Play Games through an Interface. Ch 17 Experiences Can Be Judged by Their Interest Curves. Ch 18 One Kind of Experience Is the Story. Ch 19 Story and Game Structures Can Be Artfully Merged with Indirect Control. Ch 20 Stories and Games Take Place in Worlds. Ch 21 Worlds Contain Characters. Ch 22 Worlds Contain Spaces. Ch 23 The Look and Feel of a World Is Defined by Its Aesthetics. Ch 24 Some Games Are Played with Other Players. Ch 25 Other Players Sometimes Form Communities. Ch 26 The Designer Usually Works with a Team. Ch 27 The Team Sometimes Communicates through Documents. Ch 28 Good Games Are Created through Playtesting. Ch 29 The Team Builds a Game with Technology. Ch 30 Your Game Will Probably Have a Client. Ch 31 The Designer Gives the Client a Pitch. Ch 32 The Designer and Client Want the Game to Make a Profit. Games Ch 33 Transform Their Players. Designers Have Certain Responsibilities. Ch 34 Each Designer Has a Purpose.

Dress to impress! The Outfit you rock when you drop from the Battle Bus makes a big statement about who you are. This all-new official collectors' edition from Epic Games showcases the most exciting looks that have appeared in the latest seasons. Whether your choice of Outfit is fresh, fun, or fearsome, you'll find the style that's right for you here. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER Get the lowdown to your look with top tips, stats, and facts. COOL CUSTOMIZING Check out the hottest Gliders, Back Bling, and Pets from Fortnite Chapter 2 GET THE GEAR Psych out your enemies with the best new Outfits - which will you be adding to YOUR locker?

Learning C# Programming with Unity 3D, Second Edition is for the novice game programmer without any prior programming experience. Readers will learn how C# is used to make a game in Unity 3D. Many example projects provide working code to learn from and experiment with. As C# evolves, Unity 3D evolves along with it. Many new features and aspects of C# are included and explained. Common programming tasks are taught by way of making working game mechanics. The reader will understand how to read and apply C# in Unity 3D and apply that knowledge to other development environments that use C#. New to this edition: includes latest C# language features and useful tools included with the .NET library like LINQ, Local Functions Tuples, and more! Key Features Provides a starting point for the first-time programmer C# Code examples are simple short and clear Learn the very basics on up to interesting tricks which C# offers

You know what's even better than playing games? Programming your own! Make your own online games, even if you're an absolute beginner. Let your imagination come to 3D life as you learn real-world programming skills with the JavaScript programming language - the language used everywhere on the web. This new edition is completely revised, and takes advantage of new programming features to make game programming even easier to learn. Plus, new effects make your games even cooler. When you're done, you're going to be amazed at what you can create. Jump right in! Start programming cool stuff on page 1. Keep building new and different things until the very last page. This book wants you to play. Not just play games, but play with code. Play with programming. Because the best way to learn something is to have fun with it! This second edition is updated from start to finish to make it even easier to get started programming in JavaScript. Every example has been updated to make it easier, with new example games to explore and new 3D effects that make your games even more fun! Want a red donut? You can make hundreds of them, spinning around like mad. Want to create a star field? Make a hundred or a thousand stars. Make them red, green, or blue. Explosions? Fireworks? Planets? It's up to you. And, using a code editor created especially for this book, you'll program right in your web browser. You'll see the results of your work and imagination right away - right next to the code that you just typed! Along the way, you'll pick up a ton of programming knowledge, and dive in even deeper with some more advanced chapters. Whatever you want to do, this book has your back. Best of all, you get to create awesome games and say, "I made this!" What You Need: You need the latest version of the Google Chrome Web browser, available for free from https: //chrome.google.com. You also need an Internet connection to access the ICE Code Editor the first time. ICE Code Editor will be loaded onto your computer, so you won't need Internet access for later projects.

The first in the field to focus on the key aspects of videogames themselves as a distinctive medium, this is a rich and original read for gamers as well as students and researchers of popular culture internationally, which reviews the passionate gamer/game relationship viz all types of games from "Doom" to "EverQuest". Videogames now rival Hollywood cinema in popularity and profits and there are huge followings for titles such as "Tomb Raider" or "The Sims". Exactly what games offer, however, as a distinct form of entertainment, has received scant attention. This book is a valuable contribution to this new field. Its main focus is on key formal aspects of games and the experiences and pleasures offered by the activities they require of the player. A wide range of games are considered, from first-person shooters to third-person action-adventures, strategy, sports-related and role-playing games. Issues examined in detail include the characteristics of gameplay and its relationship with narrative, genre, virtual landscapes, realism, spectacle and sensation. Lively and accessible in style, this book is written for both an academic readership and the wider audience of gamers and those interested in popular culture.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Serious Games, JCSG 2018, held in Darmstadt, Germany, in November 2018. The 15 full and 12 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 40 submissions. They were organized in topical sections named: serious games studies; game-based learning and teaching; game development - serious games design, models, tools and emerging technologies; and serious games for health.

Understanding Video Game Music develops a musicology of video game music by providing methods and concepts for understanding music in this medium. From the practicalities of investigating the video game as a musical source to the critical perspectives on game music - using examples including Final Fantasy VII, Monkey Island 2, SSX Tricky and Silent Hill - these explorations not only illuminate aspects of game music, but also provide conceptual ideas valuable for future analysis. Music is not a redundant echo of other textual levels of the game, but central to the experience of interacting with video games. As the author likes to describe it, this book is about music for racing a rally car, music for evading zombies, music for dancing, music for solving puzzles, music for saving the Earth from aliens, music for managing a city, music for being a hero; in short, it is about music for playing.

Game of X v.2 is the story that leads up to Xbox. It is a story of DOS games, Microsoft culture, the crazy stories around the development and promotion of DirectX and the graphics standards that were required for Xbox to happen. Stories based on dozens of interviews include a colorful cast of characters and some solid technical background. The history of games for DOS and the initial challenges of Windows, the surprising source of the earliest Windows games, and much, much more. This is the fascinating prequel to Game of X v.1: Xbox. Key Features Game of X v.2 is the story that leads up to Xbox. It is a story of DOS games, Microsoft culture, the crazy stories around the development and promotion of DirectX and the graphics standards that were required for Xbox to The history of games for DOS and the initial challenges of Windows, the surprising source of the earliest Windows games, and much, much more. This is the fascinating follow-up to Game of X v.1: Xbox Stories based on dozens of interviews include a colorful cast of characters and some solid technical background.

Create a game for the Windows Phone market with a heavy emphasis placed on optimization and good design decisions. While doing so, you will be introduced to key Unity concepts and functionality, weigh the pros and cons of various possibilities, and gain a good working knowledge of scripting in the Unity environment using both JavaScript and C#. Learn Unity for Windows 10 Game Development starts by exploring the Unity editor and experimenting with staple game functionality. If you are new to scripting or just new to C#, you will be able to investigate syntax, commonly used functions, and communication required to bring your ideas to life. With the book's included art assets, you will learn the ins and outs of asset choices and management while making use of Unity's 2D physics, Shuriken particle systems and Mecanim's character and state management tools. Finally, you will bring it all together to create a multi-level game as you learn how to incorporate mobile specific functionality, test on a Windows Phone device, and others for Windows 10 and ultimately, publish your game to the Windows App Store. What You Will Learn Learn C# basics for Unity Work with the Unity Editor Manage assets Use the Mecanim animation system and 2D features and physics Who This Book Is For Game developers, hobbyists and game dev students who are new to Unity or Windows Mobile game development or both. JavaScript and C# experience are helpful, but C# experience is not required.

Learn how to build a game using Platino Studio. Follow step-by-step basics to create an app, and then add different functionalities and game logic. With Beginning Platino Game Engine you will be able to develop UWP apps using the Processing JS language. You also will be introduced to Temboo and extending the processing language to IoT. What You'll Learn: Develop using the Platino game engine Build UWP apps using the Processing JS language Extend the processing language to IoT with Temboo Who Is this Book for: Indie game developers, app developers interested in games, and students new to the Platino game engine and perhaps new to game development.

The Game Design Deep Dive series examines specific game systems or mechanics over the course of the history of the industry. This book examines the history of jumping - one of the oldest mechanics in the industry - and how it has evolved and changed over the years. The author looks at the transition from 2D to 3D and multiple elements that make jumping more complicated than it looks from a design perspective. Key Selling Points: The first in a series of books that focus entirely on a singular game design system or mechanic, in this case: jumping. A perfect read for anyone interested in understanding game design, or just curious from a historical standpoint. A must read for anyone interested in building their own platformer or just interested in the history of the game industry's most famous game mechanic. This book is a perfect companion for someone building their first game or as part of a game design classroom. Includes real game examples to highlight the discussed topics and mechanics. Joshua Bycer is a Game Design Critic with more than seven years of experience critically analyzing game design and the industry itself. In that time, through Game-Wisdom, he has interviewed hundreds of game developers and members of the industry about what it means to design video games. He also strives to raise awareness about the importance of studying game design by giving lectures and presentations; his first book was titled 20 Essential Games to Study.

Learn the things you need for a complete game, such as translations and tutorials, and improve the things you've already written to raise their standard to a professional level. This is a practical guide covering every discipline: art, music, writing, and code. In the case of the latter, code examples are included to demonstrate how to implement functionality to make the game shine. Polished Game Development acts as a comprehensive checklist of everything your game should, and should not, do, in order to be as good as it possibly can. It is more than just a book on theoretical game design principles. Explains the difference between a pet project, and a professional one. Covers how to test for the problems and bugs you don't know you'll have. Details simple, but effective, visual improvements that can be done with very little effort. Regardless of platform (web, mobile, or console), or language (C++, C#, JavaScript) there is a wealth of common (and specific) tips within these pages that will enable you to make the most professional games you can. What You Will Learn Learn what essential elements are often missed Stay on-brand, visually and verbally Use audio to enhance your game Improve game balance Test effectively Who This Book Is For Game developers looking for a guide and checklist on how to get their game finished to the highest possible standards. They will know how to write a game, and get it released, but not necessarily how to make it shine. They will be professional developers, indies, university students and graduates.

Get a head start in your game development career with this all-genre guide for absolute beginners. Whether you're into action games, role-playing games, or interactive fiction, we've got you covered. Mostly Codeless Game Development empowers new developers with little or no previous programming experience and explores all major areas of game development in a succinct, entertaining fashion. Have you dreamed of making your own video game? Do you find the prospect daunting? Fear not. A new generation of game engines has emerged. Lengthy and complicated feats of programming are largely a thing of the past in video game development. To create commercially viable games you simply need the right tools, many of which are discussed in this book. A gigantic software team isn't a must-have prerequisite for success. The one-person operation is back. What You Will Learn Master the concepts and jargon used in game creation for the beginner Find the best game development suite for your project Make the most out of related graphics and audio production software Discover video game marketing essentials Who This Book Is For People with no programming experience who desire a career in the video game industry as producers or independent, single-person developers.

This collection of essays is devoted to the philosophical examination of the aesthetics of videogames. Videogames represent one of the most significant developments in the modern popular arts, and it is a topic that is attracting much attention among philosophers of art and aestheticians. As a burgeoning medium of artistic expression, videogames raise entirely new aesthetic concerns, particularly concerning their ontology, interactivity, and aesthetic value. The essays in this volume address a number of pressing theoretical issues related to these areas, including but not limited to: the nature of performance and identity in videogames; their status as an interactive form of art; the ethical problems raised by violence in videogames; and the representation of women in videogames and the gaming community. The Aesthetics of Videogames is an important contribution to analytic aesthetics that deals with an important and growing art form.

A textbook for learning 3d modeling fundamentals, this step-by-step lesson book develops the readers modeling skills through a series of modeling exercises creating modules for a medieval castle environment. As the text introduces new modeling skills it additionally calls on the reader to perform repetitive tasks, reinforcing skills learned in the process. The content is presented as if the reader is in a working video game studio, being responsible for researching asset design, providing the team with placeholder assets, and final model assets that are unwrapped and custom textured. Upon completion of the modeling projects, the modeled environment is exported to the Unity game engine for use in a real game environment, Although the text uses Autodesk 3ds Max for the modeling program, the principals are transferable to other major modeling programs. Key Features: The goal of this book is to teach the fundamentals of 3d modeling video game assets in a simplified, logical progression, optimized for learning at a beginner level. This series of modeling exercises is the result of having taught over one thousand video game students the fundamentals of 3d modeling. Often, teachers are not fully trained in teaching the concepts of 3d modeling. This text, written for self-paced learning helps those instructors. Includes instructions and project files for exporting the finished project environment into a 3d game engine, Unity. Appendices include additional 3ds Max tool instructions. A companion site includes working 3ds Max project files for Chapters, a 3ds Max user interface and 3ds Max short cut keys and more.