Physics is really important to game programmers who need to know how to add physical realism to their games. They need to take into account the laws of physics when creating a simulation or game engine, particularly in 3D computer graphics, for the purpose of making the effects appear more real to the observer or player.The game engine needs to recognize the physical properties of objects that artists create, and combine them with realistic motion. The physics ENGINE is a computer program that you work into your game that simulates Newtonian physics and predict effects under different conditions. In video games, the physics engine uses real-time physics to improve realism. This is the only book in its category to take readers through the process of building a complete game-ready physics engine from scratch. The Cyclone game engine featured in the book was written specifically for this book and has been utilized in iPhone application development and Adobe Flash projects. There is a good deal of master-class level information available, but almost nothing in any format that teaches the basics in a practical way. The second edition includes NEW and/or revised material on collision detection, 2D physics, casual game physics for Flash games, more references, a glossary, and end-of-chapter exercises. The companion website will include the full source code of the Cyclone physics engine, along with example applications that show the physics system in operation.

Delve deeper into the lore behind one of the most successful and critically acclaimed fantasy games of all time, Skyrim. Featuring in-game texts on factions, landscapes, creatures, heroes, and dragons.

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 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.

This book is a potted history of video games, telling all the rollercoaster stories of this fascinating young industry that's now twice as big globally than the film and music industries combined. Each chapter explores the history of video games through a different lens, giving a uniquely well-rounded overview. Packed with pictures and stats, this book is for video gamers nostalgic for the good old days of gaming, and young gamers curious about how it all began. If you've ever enjoyed a video game, or you just want to see what all the fuss is about, this book is for you. There are stories about the experimental games of the 1950s and 1960s; the advent of home gaming in the 1970s; the explosion - and implosion - of arcade gaming in the 1980s; the console wars of the 1990s; the growth of online and mobile games in the 2000s; and we get right up to date with the 2010s, including such cultural phenomena as twitch.tv, the Gamergate scandal, and Fortnite. But rather than telling the whole story from beginning to end, each chapter covers the history of video games from a different angle: platforms and technology, people and personalities, companies and capitalism, gender and representation, culture, community, and finally the games themselves.

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

Forty original contributions on games and gaming culture What does Pokemon Go tell us about globalization? What does Tetris teach us about rules? Is feminism boosted or bashed by Kim Kardashian: Hollywood? How does BioShock Infinite help us navigate world-building? From arcades to Atari, and phone apps to virtual reality headsets, video games have been at the epicenter of our ever-evolving technological reality. Unlike other media technologies, video games demand engagement like no other, which begs the question-what is the role that video games play in our lives, from our homes, to our phones, and on global culture writ large? How to Play Video Games brings together forty original essays from today's leading scholars on video game culture, writing about the games they know best and what they mean in broader social and cultural contexts. Read about avatars in Grand Theft Auto V, or music in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. See how Age of Empires taught a generation about postcolonialism, and how Borderlands exposes the seedy underbelly of capitalism. These essays suggest that understanding video games in a critical context provides a new way to engage in contemporary culture. They are a must read for fans and students of the medium.

Learn how to market for your indie game, even with a small budget and limited resources. For those who want to earn a regular income from making indie games, marketing can be nearly as vital to the success of the game as the game itself. A Practical Guide to Indie Game Marketing provides you with the tools needed to build visibility and sell your game. With special focus on developers with small budgets and limited staff and resources, this book is packed with recommendations and techniques that you can put to use immediately. As a seasoned marketing professional, author Joel Dreskin provides insight into practical, real-world experiences from marketing numerous successful games and also shares tips on mistakes to avoid. Presented in an easy to read format, A Practical Guide to Indie Game Marketing includes information on establishing an audience and increasing visibility so you can build successes with your studio and games. Through case studies, examples, guidelines and tips, you will learn best practices for developing plans for your game launches, PR, community engagement, channel promotions and more Sample timelines help you determine how long in advance of a launch to prepare your first public communications, when to announce your game, as well as recommended timing for releasing different game assets Book also includes marketing checklist 'cheat sheets', dos and don'ts and additional resources

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gain the skills that will get you into game design

Bring fantasy creatures and settings to life, and launch a lucrative career

There's gold in them thar games, and here's your mining kit! Find out how to design, model, and animate characters, give your settings detail and dimension, create a storyboard, add dialogue, produce special effects, plan a game, and more. You'll even get an overview of essential software, and tips for landing a job in the game industry.

Discover how to Create realistic motion Develop a game concept Model a complete character from scratch Add a skeleton rig to your character Find out how to use particles and dynamics Sync facial movements with soundtracks

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.

Get a gentle introduction to the Cocos2d-JS framework to begin working with sprite manipulations, animations, and other 2d game development topics. This book covers environment setup and getting started with a framework that works seamlessly across all browsers. Rapid Game Development Using Cocos2d-JS teaches you the overall architecture of Cocos2d-JS and explains the internal working of the framework. You will dive deep into sprites, the most important entity in Cocos2d-JS, animation APIs, and primitive shapes. You'll also learn about the Cocos2d-JS UI system to get a head start in 2d game development. Finally, you'll discover the features of Chipmunk (the built-in physics engine) with full examples. What You'll Learn Get a simple head start in Cocos2d-JS Gain an architectural overview of the different blocks of the framework Master sprites, spritesheets, and frame animation Work with the event system in Cocos2d-JS Discover the animation APIs in Cocos2d-JS Leverage the built-in physics engine Who This Book Is For Beginners looking to develop cross-platform mobile/web games with cocos2d-js, developers with intermediate skills on cocos2d-js looking for the reference.

Learn the fundamentals of Godot by diving headfirst into creating a 2D platformer from scratch. This book is a hands-on, practical guide to developing 2D games using the Godot Engine 3.2.3/3.3, with the help of GDScript. Author Maithili Dhule begins by explaining some basic tools and techniques used to make games, the factors that need to be considered while choosing a game engine, and pointing out the benefits of using Godot. She then walks you through downloading the engine and guides you as you explore key features of its interface. Next, you'll receive a concise introduction to the basics of GDScript, the main scripting language used in Godot, before moving on to essential topics such as Godot's node-scene architecture, the interaction of various physics bodies, the creation of game scenes, and writing scripts. As the book progresses, you'll learn how to create and animate your game character, design the game world, add enemies, and implement a coin-collection system. You'll also see how the user's gaming experience can be enhanced through the addition of parallax backgrounds, a title screen, music, and sound effects. Toward the end of the book, you'll learn how to export your game to different platforms, both mobile and PC, as well as possible avenues for monetizing the game. Throughout the book, theoretical concepts are supplemented with concrete, ready-to-implement examples that you can try out. Upon finishing this book, you'll be able to make and publish your first 2D platform game. Beginning Game Development with Godot is for game development enthusiasts of all levels interested in creating their own games. What You Will Learn Understand the Godot engine and the benefits of using it for game development Master the fundamentals of programming in GDScript Use the Godot graphical interface to design and animate players, the game world, menus, and various games scenes Create your first 2D game in Godot and publish it to various platforms Who This Book Is For Aspiring game developers who may be new to game development, as well as experts exploring the potential of the Godot Engine.

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.