HTML5 Game Development Insights is a from-the-trenches collection of tips, tricks, hacks, and advice straight from professional HTML5 game developers. The 24 chapters here include unique, cutting edge, and essential techniques for creating and optimizing modern HTML5 games. You will learn things such as using the Gamepad API, real-time networking, getting 60fps full screen HTML5 games on mobile, using languages such as Dart and TypeScript, and tips for streamlining and automating your workflow. Game development is a complex topic, but you don't need to reinvent the wheel. HTML5 Game Development Insights will teach you how the pros do it. The book is comprised of six main sections: Performance; Game Media: Sound and Rendering; Networking, Load Times, and Assets; Mobile Techniques and Advice; Cross-Language JavaScript; Tools and Useful Libraries. Within each of these sections, you will find tips that will help you work faster and more efficiently and achieve better results. Presented as a series of short chapters from various professionals in the HTML5 gaming industry, all of the source code for each article is included and can be used by advanced programmers immediately.What you'll learn *From The Trenches tips, hacks, and advice on HTML5 game development * Best practices for building Mobile HTML5 games * Actionable advice and code for both professional and novicesWho this book is for HTML5 Game Development Insights is for the game developer looking to improve their development process at all stages of the game development pipeline; The nuggets of awesome in this book are applicable both to the hobbyist, trying to track down a performance bug in rendering, and the professional, who is looking to speed up loading time by re-packing their artist-generated images. With this book, it's like looking over the shoulder of the top HTML5 game developers

In Pro Unity Game Development with C#, Alan Thorn, author of Learn Unity for 2D Game Development and experienced game developer, takes you through the complete C# workflow for developing a cross-platform first person shooter in Unity. C# is the most popular programming language for experienced Unity developers, helping them get the most out of what Unity offers. If you're already using C# with Unity and you want to take the next step in becoming an experienced, professional-level game developer, this is the book you need.Whether you are a student, an indie developer, or a season game dev professional, you'll find helpful C# examples of how to build intelligent enemies, create event systems and GUIs, develop save-game states, and lots more. You'll understand and apply powerful programming concepts such as singleton classes, component based design, resolution independence, delegates, and event driven programming. By the end of the book, you will have a complete first person shooter game up and running with Unity. Plus you'll be equipped with the know-how and techniques needed to deploy your own professional-grade C# games. If you already know a bit of C# and you want to improve your Unity skills, this is just the right book for you.

Beginning Android 3D Game Development is a unique, examples-driven book for today's Android and game app developers who want to learn how to build 3D game apps that run on the latest Android 5.0 (KitKat) platform using Java and OpenGL ES. Android game app development continues to be one of the hottest areas where indies and existing game app developers seem to be most active. Android is the second best mobile apps eco and arguably even a hotter game apps eco than iOS. 3D makes your games come alive; so in this book you'll find that we go in depth on creating 3D games for the Android platform with OpenGL ES 2.0 using an original case study game called Drone Grid. Moreover, this book offers an extensive case study with code that will be modular and re-useable helping you create your own games using advanced vertex and fragment shaders. Drone Grid is a game app case study that is somewhat similar to the best selling Geometry Wars game series utilizing a gravity grid and colorful abstract graphics and particles. After reading and using this book, you'll be able to build your first 3D Android game app for smartphones and tablets. You may even be able to upload and sell from popular Android app stores like Google Play and Amazon Appstore.

Good or bad level design can make or break any game, so it is surprising how little reference material exists for level designers. Beginning level designers have a limited understanding of the tools and techniques they can use to achieve their goals, or even define them. This book is the first to use a conceptual and theoretical foundation to build such a set of practical tools and techniques. It is tied to no particular technology or genre, so it will be a useful reference for many years to come. Kremers covers many concepts universal to level design, such as interactivity, world building, immersion, sensory perception, pace, and more, and he shows how to apply these concepts in practical ways, with many examples from real games.

It's certainly fun to build games that run on your iPhone and iPad. But, wouldn't it be more fun to create games that allow you to play with other gamers in your social network? There's a whole lot more things you can do. Most of the top best selling games around the world, like World of Warcraft, let you play with others online and share your experiences with your friends. Beginning iOS Social Games is your concise introduction to iOS social and other networked gaming app development using iOS Game Center, Game Kit, Store Kit, AirPlay, iOS 7 Game Controllers, iTunes App Store and integrating with social networks/media like Facebook and Twitter. Author Kyle Richter of Empirical Development is an expert game developer who guides you through the social game app development process step by step. This book may allow you to turn your already existing, created game into a well polished networkable and/or social media capable game app.What you'll learn * Build socially integrated games on iOS for iPhone and iPad using Twitter and Facebook * Configure and begin using Game Center, Apple's social gaming platform * Work with the advanced features of Apple's Game Center using leaderboards, achievements, matchmaking, invitations, and multiplayer * Exchange data while dealing with errors, dropped connections and other hurdles * Create turned-based iOS games using Game Center * Implement other socially rich features like real time Voice Chat, In App Purchases with Store Kit, and displaying content on a TV using Airplay * Explore all these features and more while building a real iOS game, UFOs Who this book is for This book is for iPhone and iPad app developers looking to build iOS game apps that can network with other apps and social media like Facebook.

Want to create sophisticated games and graphics-intensive apps? Learn OpenGL ES gets you started immediately with OpenGL ES. After mastering the basics of OpenGL ES itself, you will quickly find yourself writing and building game apps, without having to learn about object oriented programming techniques. This book demonstrates the use of a powerful open-source modeling tool, Blender. You will be guided, step by step, through the development of Tank Fence, a dynamic, interactive 3D game. Along the way you'll gain skills in building apps with Eclipse and the Android SDK or NDK, rendering graphics using hardware acceleration, and multithreading for performance and responsiveness. iOS developers will also find this book's information invaluable when writing their apps. You'll learn everything you need to know about: Creating simple, efficient game UIs Designing the basic building blocks of an exciting, interactive 3D game Pulling all the elements together with Blender, a powerful open-source tool for modeling, animation, rendering, compositing, video editing, and game creation Taking the next big step using custom and inbuilt functions, texturing, shading, light sources, and more Refining your mobile game app through collision detection, player-room-obstacle classes, and storage classes Doing all this efficiently on mobile devices with limited resources and processing

2D games are everywhere, from mobile devices and websites to game consoles and PCs. Timeless and popular, 2D games represent a substantial segment of the games market. In Learn Unity for 2D Game Development, targeted at both game development newcomers and established developers, experienced game developer Alan Thorn shows you how to use the powerful Unity engine to create fun and imaginative 2D games. Written inclear and accessible language, Learn Unity for 2D Game Development will showyou how to set up a step-by-step 2D workflow in Unity, how to build and import textures, how to configure and work with cameras, how to establish pixel-perfect ratios, and all of this so you can put that infrastructure to work in a real, playable game. Then the final chapters show youhow to put what you've already made to work in creating acard-matching game, plus you'll learn how to optimize your game for mobile devices. What you'll learn How to create a 2D workflow in Unity Customizing the Unity Editor How to generate atlas textures and textured quads Animation effects and camera configuration Handling user input Creating a game from start to finish Optimizing for mobile devices Who this book is for

Game development students and professionals, indie developers, game artists and designers, and Unity developers looking to improve their workflow and effectiveness. Table of Contents 1. Unity Basics for 2D Games 2. Materials and Textures 3. Quick 2D Workflow 4. Customizing the Editor with Editor Classes 5. Procedural Geometry and Textured Quads 6. Generating Atlas Textures 7. UVs and Animation 8. Cameras and Pixel Perfection 9. Input for 2D Games 10. Getting Started with a 2D Game 11. Completing the 2D Card Game 12. Optimization 13. Wrapping Things Up

2D games are hugely popular across a wide range of platforms and the ideal place to start if you're new to game development. With Learn 2D Game Development with C#, you'll learn your way around the universal building blocks of game development, and how to put them together to create a real working game. C# is increasingly becoming the language of choice for new game developers. Productive and easier to learn than C++, C# lets you get your games working quickly and safely without worrying about tricky low-level details like memory management. This book uses MonoGame, an open source framework that's powerful, free to use and easy to handle, to further reduce low-level details, meaning you can concentrate on the most interesting and universal aspects of a game development: frame, camera, objects and particles, sprites, and the logic and simple physics that determines how they interact. In each chapter, you'll explore one of these key elements of game development in the context of a working game, learn how to implement the example for yourself, and integrate it into your own game library. At the end of the book, you'll put everything you've learned together to build your first full working game! And what's more, MonoGame is designed for maximum cross-platform support, so once you've mastered the fundamentals in this book, you'll be ready to explore and publish games on a wide range of platforms including Windows 8, MAC OSX, Windows Phone, iOS, Android, and Playstation Mobile. Whether you're starting a new hobby or considering a career in game development, Learn 2D Game Development with C# is the ideal place to start.

HTML5 Game Programming with enchant.js gives first-time programmers of all ages the tools to turn their video game ideas into reality. A step-by-step guide to the free, open-source HTML5 and JavaScript engine enchant.js, it is ideally suited for game fans who have always wanted to make their own game but didn't know how. It begins with the foundations of game programming and goes on to introduce advanced topics like 3D. We live in an age where smartphones and tablets have made games more ubiquitous than ever. Based around HTML5, enchant.js is ideally suited for aspiring game programmers who have always been intimidated by code. Games written using enchant.js take only a few hours to write, and can be played in a browser, iOS, and Android devices, removing the stress of programming to focus on the fun. Discover the joy of game development with enchant.js. * Provides a comprehensive, easy guide to game programming through enchant.js * Gives aspiring game developers a tool to realize their ideas * Introduces readers to the basics of HTML5 and JavaScript programming What you'll learn * Master the basics of HTML5 and JavaScript programming * Create a game that can be played on a desktop, iOS, or Android * Upload your game to 9leap.net, where you can share it easily * Program your own 3D games * Grasp the essential concepts of making a compelling and popular game Who this book is for HTML5 Game Programming with enchant.js is for aspiring game developers of all ages who have wanted to make their own games but didn't know how. It's for programmers interested in learning the potential of HTML5 through designing games.

Make ten simple, casual games, and learn a ton of GML coding along the way. Each of these games is the kind you can play when you have a minute or two free, and are great for playing on your PC, or exported to HTML5 or Android. Each game in Practical GameMaker Projects has its own chapter that explains the process of making each game, along with sketches, screenshots, coding, explanations, and tips. For each game there is a YYZ project file of the completed game that is ready to load and play. Also, all resources are available so you can make the game as you follow along in the book. To take full advantage of this book and the accompanying resources and project files, a Creator, Developer or Educational version of GameMaker Studio 2 is required. You can still gain a lot from this book if you have the free version of GameMaker Studio 2, but note that the free version doesn't allow the importation of YYZ project files used in the book, and has other limitations such as a limit on how many resources you can create. Each chapter has an introduction that explains what the aim of the game is, followed by a design and coding section which will cover the coding of the game. You're free to re-use code in your own projects, both free and paid. At the end of each chapter there is a things-to-try page that gives you five things to add to the game to improve its playability or appearance - pushing you a little to improve your planning and GML skills. What You'll Learn Build ten game applications using GameMaker Studio 2 Use the GameMaker Markup Language along the way Master the concepts behind each of the ten game apps Design and code for each of the ten game examples Try some add-ons for each of the ten games Who This Book Is For Game developers with at least some prior game development experience. GameMaker Studio experience recommended, but not required.

Corona SDK is one of the most popular app and game mobile development platforms in the world, and Learn Corona SDK Game Development walks you through creating a full-featured Corona game from scratch to the App Store. You'll learn Lua basics (the foundation of Corona), how to add and manipulate graphics, and how to use controls like multitouch, accelerometer, and gyroscope. You'll also learn how to use Box2D (Corona physics under the hood), and how to add sound effects and music. As you're polishing your game, you'll also learn about ads, in-app purchases, and OpenFeint and Game Center integration. Finally, you'll learn the ins and outs of getting a game into the App Store or other app marketplaces. Whether you're developing exclusively for iOS, or whether you're developing for Android or other platforms, Learn Corona SDK Game Development explains just what you need to launch your career as a mobile game developer. What you'll learn Just enough Lua to get started with Corona How to put your Corona code together How to work with images and effects Adding music and sound Game physics and AI Working with app stores and marketplaces Who this book is for Beginning mobile game developers, with a grasp of the basics of programming, who want a complete walkthrough of the Corona app and game development tool, or iOS or Android developers who want to learn about Corona SDK.

See How to Unobtrusively Incorporate Good Teaching into Your Game's Mechanics Learn to Play: Designing Tutorials for Video Games shows how to embed a tutorial directly into your game design mechanics so that your games naturally and comfortably teach players to have fun. The author deciphers years of research in game studies, education, psychology, human-computer interaction, and user interface and experience that equip you to make dynamic tutorials that help players enjoy your games. The book links game design principles with psychology through the game tutorial. It offers easy-to-implement changes that can make a huge difference in how players receive your games. It explains how you can educate new players and engage experienced players at the same time through a combination of good design and basic understanding of human educational, motivational, and cognitive psychologies. Transcending disciplinary boundaries, this book improves your understanding of the science of learning and the art of teaching. It helps you design game mechanics, or tutorials, that teach people how to have fun with your games without ever feeling as though they're being instructed.

The Post-9/11 Video Game: A Critical Examination demonstrates that a new genre of video games arises from the American experience of 9/11. The representations reflect reshaped notions of the (sub)urban spaces, identity and the role of the citizen as a consumer and as a producer of culture. Ouellette and Thompson combine semiotic and rhetorical analysis to bridge the gap between the narratology and ludology strands of game studies in an original interpretation of dominant game franchises Call of Duty, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, Grand Theft Auto and Syphon Filter in both pre- and post- 9/11 game titles. The comparisons reveal striking changes in the iconography of cultural narratives that mainstream audiences were interested in seeing and playing in this period. New York transforms into a symbol of America itself, the mall becomes a symbol of American values, and zombies offer a symbol of foreign invasion. Since these narrative elements can serve differing political purposes and social ends, the focus is not on any particular game, character or narrative aspects but on what those elements come to figure through the genre and what it means to be able to manipulate and to participate in the conflict, at least within the structures, conventions and algorithms of video games. Indeed, these elements transcend traditional genre and platform categories so that post-9/11 representation shapes video games and is shaped by them. Taken together, post-9/11 video games offer a new genre that, in revisiting a national trauma, offers a therapeutic, apolitical solution to the geopolitical upheavals occasioned by 9/11 so that mainstream games become the successor to film and television in the ongoing redefinition American identity, especially masculinity, in times of war and conflict.

Game designers today are expected to have an arsenal of multi-disciplinary skills at their disposal in the fields of art and design, computer programming, psychology, economics, composition, education, mythology-and the list goes on. How do you distill a vast universe down to a few salient points? Players Making Decisions brings together the wide range of topics that are most often taught in modern game design courses and focuses on the core concepts that will be useful for students for years to come. A common theme to many of these concepts is the art and craft of creating games in which players are engaged by making meaningful decisions. It is the decision to move right or left, to pass versus shoot, or to develop one's own strategy that makes the game enjoyable to the player. As a game designer, you are never entirely certain of who your audience will be, but you can enter their world and offer a state of focus and concentration on a task that is intrinsically rewarding. This detailed and easy-to-follow guide to game design is for both digital and analog game designers alike and some of its features include: A clear introduction to the discipline of game design, how game development teams work, and the game development process Full details on prototyping and playtesting, from paper prototypes to intellectual property protection issues A detailed discussion of cognitive biases and human decision making as it pertains to games Thorough coverage of key game elements, with practical discussions of game mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics Practical coverage of using simulation tools to decode the magic of game balance A full section on the game design business, and how to create a sustainable lifestyle within it

Few industries fit the description of high turbulence and high velocity better than the computer games industry. Relatively young, rapidly evolving, and frequently experiencing disruptive innovation, its potential for growth and new business opportunities seems barely exhausted. And indeed, in the current economic climate this industry seems positively recession-proof. Those making and those playing games use digital technology to share an enthusiasm for the industry's products that we rarely find elsewhere. This fascination with computer games and gaming and the economic significance of the industry make it one of the most remarkable socio-cultural phenomena of our world. As the industry emerges, we become more aware of the need to trace it and to understand it in all its meanings, and the challenges it poses. The 10 chapters in this book provide an examination of the computer games industry from 10 different perspectives, discussing the following aspects: -The spatial logic of the industry-Business model innovation-Games development - a risky business-Co-production and the role of the consumer-Business sustainability-The place of creativity-Emerging people management challenges-Violent games and work well-being-A critical perspective on games as phantasmagoric commodities-Virtual worlds - blurring boundaries between realities and games

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

Foundation Game Design with HTML5 and JavaScript teaches you everything you need to know about how to make video games. If you've never done any programming before and don't know where to start, this book will show you how to make games from start to finish. You'll learn all the latest programming technologies (HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript) to create your games. All written in a fun and friendly style with open-ended projects that encourage you to build your own original games. Foundation Game Design with HTML5 and JavaScript starts by showing you how you can use basic programing to create logic games, adventure games, and create interactive game graphics. Design a game character, learn to control it with the keyboard, mouse, or touch screen interface, and then learn how to use collision detection to build an interactive game world. You'll learn to make maze games, platform jumping games, and fast paced action games that cover all the popular genres of 2D gaming. Create intelligent enemies, use realistic physics, sound effects and music, and learn how to animate game characters.Whether you're creating games for the web or mobile devices, everything you need to get started on a career as a game designer is right here. * Focused and friendly introduction to making games with HTML5. * Essential programming and graphic design techniques for building games, with each chapter gently building on the skills of preceding chapters. * Detailed case studies demonstrating techniques that can be used for making games in a wide variety of genres. What you'll learn * Get a thorough grounding in HTML5 and good programming practices, with minimal prior programming experience required. * Discover how to build logic, adventure, and 2D action games in a wide range of genres. * Master collision detection, Enemy AI systems, player control, basic physics and easy trigonometry. * Make use of modern JavaScript programming techniques to build robust games that are quick to make, easy to maintain, and simple to extend. * Understand the strategies for making games fun to play and easy to build.Who this book is for Foundation Game Design with HTML5 and JavaScript is for a non-technical creative person who wants to learn the art of video game design, but has no idea where to start or where to look for help. It is a lucid, friendly and step-by-step guide though all the technical and creative issues involved in game design. This book treats programming as a creative artistic tool, and will help anyone who may be afraid of programming to love the subject as much as the author does. The techniques in the book are comprehensive enough to form the basis of a career as a game designer, and form a solid foundation for continued study of programming and graphic design for games. This book is the missing link that will guide and inspire any curious and creative person to turn a good game idea into a reality.

Dive into game development and create great multiplayer online games with Pro Android Web Game Apps. This hands-on guide covers both the theory and practice of browser game development for the Android platform. You'll use cutting-edge technologies to make game engines in your browser, establish real-time server communication, and create amazing gaming experiences with artificial intelligence and rich media. Bring your knowledge of HTML and JavaScript to the next level with Pro Android Web Game Apps. You are guided through exciting projects that give you firsthand experience with core game app development concepts. You'll start with a blank HTML page, and by the end of the book, have the skills needed to create a multiplayer online game with rich graphics, sound, animation, and more-even if you have no previous games development or server-side experience.

Create compelling 2D games with Learn cocos2d 2: Game Development with iOS. This book shows you how to use the powerful new cocos2d, version 2 game engine to develop games for iPhone and iPad with tilemaps, virtual joypads, Game Center, and more. It teaches you: The process and best practices of mobile game development, including sprite batching, texture atlases, parallax scrolling, touch and accelerometer input. How to enhance your games using the Box2D and Chipmunk physics engines and other cocos2d-related tools and libraries. How to add UIKit views to cocos2d and how to add cocos2d to UIKit apps. The ins and outs of the Kobold2D development environment for cocos2d and its pre-configured libraries, including cocos3d and Lua. Best of all, this book will have you making games right from the very start. It guides you step-by-step through the creation of sample games. These fun examples are modeled after popular App Store games and teach you key concepts of the new cocos2d 2 game engine and relevant tools like TexturePacker (texture atlas), PhysicsEditor (physics collision shapes), Particle Designer (particle effects), Glyph Designer (bitmap fonts), and others. This book offers a rock-solid introduction to creating games made entirely with cocos2d and little or no iOS SDK and OpenGL code. It also details alternative implementations, identifies the best free and commercial tools for cocos2d game development, features coverage of the author's improved cocos2d game engine (Kobold2D), and even helps you enhance your game's marketability on the App Store.

Understanding Game Scoring explores the unique collaboration between gameplay and composition that defines musical scoring for video games. Using an array of case studies reaching back into the canon of classic video games, this book illuminates the musical flexibility, user interactivity and sound programming that make game scoring so different from traditional modes of composition. Mack Enns explores the collaboration between game scorers and players to produce the final score for a game, through case studies of the Nintendo Entertainment System sound hardware configuration, and game scores, including the canonic scores for Super Mario Bros. (1985) and The Legend of Zelda (1986). This book is recommended reading for students and researchers interested in the composition and production of video game scores, as well as those interested in ludo-musicology.

Beginning Android Games, Second Edition offers everything you need to join the ranks of successful Android game developers, including Android tablet game app development considerations. You'll start with game design fundamentals and programming basics, and then progress toward creating your own basic game engine and playable game apps that work on Android and earlier version compliant smartphones and now tablets. This will give you everything you need to branch out and write your own Android games. The potential user base and the wide array of available high-performance devices makes Android an attractive target for aspiring game developers. Do you have an awesome idea for the next break-through mobile gaming title? Beginning Android Games will help you kick-start your project.This book will guide you through the process of making several example game apps using APIs available in new Android SDK and earlier SDK releases for Android smartphones and tablets: * The fundamentals of game development and design suitable for Android smartphones and tablets * The Android platform basics to apply those fundamentals in the context of making a game, including new File Manager system and better battery life management * The design of 2D and 3D games and their successful implementation on the Android platform This book lets developers see and use some Android SDK Jelly Bean; however, this book is structured so that app developers can use earlier Android SDK releases. This book is backward compatible like the Android SDK. What you'll learn * How to set up/use the development tools for creating your first Android game app * The fundamentals of game programming in the context of the Android platform * How to use the Android's APIs for graphics (Canvas, OpenGL ES 1.0/1.1), audio, and user input to reflect those fundamentals * How to develop two 2D games from scratch, based on Canvas API and OpenGL ES * How to create a full-featured 3D game * How to publish your games, get crash reports, and support your users * How to complete your own playable 2D OpenGL games Who this book is for This book is for people with a basic knowledge of Java who want to write games on the Android platform. It also offers information for experienced game developers about the pitfalls and peculiarities of the platform.

"Gamers at Work is a critical resource for new and experienced business leadersfor anyone who feels unprepared for the demanding and seemingly insurmountable trials ahead of them." Peter Molyneux OBE, founder, Lionhead Studios

"Gamers at Work explores every imaginable subtlety of the video-game industry through the fascinating stories of those who took the risks and reaped the rewards." Hal Halpin, president, Entertainment Consumers Association "This is the sort of book that can tear the most hardcore gamers away from their PCs, Macs, or consoles for a few hours of rewarding reading." North County Times "Gamers at Work is truly an invaluable resource that's well worth adding to your personal library." Wii Love It

There are few companies in the video-game industry that have withstood the test of time; most startups exit as quickly as they enter. In Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play, the countless challenges of building successful video-game developers and publishers in this unstable industry are explored through interviews containing entertaining stories, humorous anecdotes, and lessons learned the hard way.

Gamers at Work presents an inside look at how 18 industry leaders play the odds, seize opportunities, and transform small businesses into great businesses. Here, in Gamers at Work, you will find their stories replete with their personal struggles, corporate intrigue, and insights into strategy, leadership, and management.

Gamers at Work: Explores the formation of entertainment software companies from the perspectives of successful founders who played the odds Provides insight into why experienced professionals sacrifice the comfort of gainful employment for the uncertainty and risk of the startup Shares the experiences and lessons that shape the lives, decisions, and struggles of entrepreneurs in this volatile business

Featured Entrepreneurs: Trip Hawkins, Electronic Arts (Madden NFL) Nolan Bushnell, Atari (Pong) Wild Bill Stealey, MicroProse Software (Sid Meier's Civilization) Tony Goodman, Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires) Feargus Urquhart, Obsidian Entertainment (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II) Tim Cain, Troika Games (Arcanum, Vampire: the MasqueradeBloodlines) Warren Spector, Junction Point Studios (Disney Epic Mickey) Doug & Gary Carlston, Broderbund Software (Prince of Persia, Carmen Sandiego) Don Daglow, Stormfront Studios (Neverwinter Nights, Tony La Russa Baseball) John Smedley, Verant Interactive (EverQuest, PlanetSide) Ken Williams, Sierra On-Line (King's Quest, Leisure Suit Larry) Lorne Lanning, Oddworld Inhabitants (Oddworld) Chris Ulm, Appy Entertainment (FaceFighter, Trucks & Skulls) Tobi Saulnier, 1st Playable (Kung Zhu, Yogi Bear) Christopher Weaver, Bethesda Softworks (The Elder Scrolls) Jason Rubin, Naughty Dog (Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted) Ted Price, Insomniac Games (Spyro, Resistance)

Other books in the Apress At Work Series: Coders at Work, Seibel, 978-1-4302-1948-4 Venture Capitalists at Work, Shah & Shah, 978-1-4302-3837-9 CIOs at Work, Yourdon, 978-1-4302-3554-5 CTOs at Work, Donaldson, Seigel, & Donaldson, 978-1-4302-3593-4 Founders at Work, Livingston, 978-1-4302-1078-8 European Founders at Work, Santos, 978-1-4302-3906-2 Women Leaders at Work, Ghaffari, 978-1-4302-3729-7 Advertisers at Work, Tuten, 978-1-4302-3828-7 What you'll learn How to lead and execute strategy as an entrepreneur About developing meaningful, long-term business relationships Recognize strategic opportunities and threats How and when to take the next step without compromising principles About balancing dreams with practical considerations To avoidthe pitfalls that can trigger disaster To learn from mistakes and make informed course corrections

Who this book is for

Software professionals or managers, usually working in the video games industry Game developers interested in starting an independent studio Gamers who are interested in the history of games and game studios Table of Contents 1. Trip Hawkins Electronic Arts, 3DO, Digital Chocolate 2. Nolan Bushnell Atari 3. Wild Bill Stealey MicroProse Software 4. Tony Goodman Ensemble Studios 5. Feargus Urquhart Obsidian Entertainment 6. Tim Cain Troika Games 7. Warren Spector Junction Point Studios 8. Doug & Gary Carlston Broderbund Software 9. Don Daglow Stormfront Studios 10. John Smedley Verant Interactive 11. Ken Williams Sierra On-Line 12. Lorne Lanning Oddworld Inhabitants 13. Chris Ulm Malibu Comics, High Moon Studios, Appy Entertainment 14. Tobi Saulnier 1st Playable Productions 15. Christopher Weaver Bethesda Softworks 16. Jason Rubin Naughty Dog 17. Ted Price Insomniac Games

In response to the success of the first edition of Foundation Game Design with Flash, Rex van der Spuy has revised and updated all the code to meet current programming best practices, and the focus is now on accurate ActionScript 3.0, regardless of the IDE that you use. We've all sneaked the odd five minutes here or there playing the latest Flash game that someone sent around the office, but creating those games is trickier than it looks. The aim of Foundation Game Design with ActionScript 3.0 is to take you, even if you've minimal multimedia or programming experience, through a series of step-by-step examples and detailed case studies--to the point where you'll have the skills to independently design any conceivable 2D game using Flash and ActionScript. Foundation Game Design with ActionScript 3.0 is a non-technical one-stop shop for all the most important skills and techniques a beginning game designer needs to build games with Flash from scratch. Whether you're creating quick blasts of viral amusement, or more in-depth action or adventure titles, this is the book for you.* Focused and friendly introduction to designing games with Flash and ActionScript * Detailed case studies of Flash games * Essential techniques for building games, with each chapter gently building on the skills of preceding chapters * Modern best practices and new content on ActionScript 3.0 * Also covers asset creation in Photoshop and Illustrator What you'll learn * How to build interactive movies and objects with Flash * A thorough grounding in ActionScript 3.0 and good programming practices, with minimal prior programming experience required * How to build interactive storybooks, space-shooter, adventure and drag-and-drop games * To master collision detection, enemy AI systems, player control, managing game data, basic physics and trigonometry * To make use of design patterns and object-oriented programming techniques to build robust games * Strategies for making games fun to play and easy to build Who this book is for This book is for a non-technical, creative person who wants to learn the art of video game design, but has no idea where to start or where to look for help.It is a lucid, friendly and step-by-step guide though all the technical and creative issues involved in game design with Flash and ActionScript. The book treats programming as a creative artistic tool, and will help anyone who may be afraid of programming come to love the subject as much as the author does. The techniques in the book are comprehensive enough to form the basis of career as a game designer, and form a solid foundation for continued study of programming and ActionScript. This book is the missing link that will guide and inspire any curious and creative person turn a good game idea into a reality. Table of Contents * Programming Foundations: How to Make a Video Game * Making Objects * Programming Objects * Controlling Movie Clip Objects * Decision Making * Controlling a Player Character * Bumping into Things * Object-Oriented Game Design * Platform Game: Physics and Data Management * Advanced Object and Character Control * Using Flash Professional

Create compelling 2D games with Learn cocos2d Game Development with iOS 5. This book shows you how to use the powerful cocos2d game engine to develop games for iPhone and iPad with tilemaps, virtual joypads, Game Center, and more. It teaches you: * The process and best practices of mobile game development, including sprite batching, texture atlases, parallax scrolling, touch and accelerometer input. * How to enhance your games using the Box2D and Chipmunk physics engines and other cocos2d-related tools and libraries. * How to add UIKit views to cocos2d and how to add cocos2d to UIKit apps. * The ins and outs of the Kobold2D development environment for cocos2d and its preconfigured libraries, including cocos3d and Lua. Best of all, Learn cocos2d Game Development with iOS 5 will have you making games right from the very start. It guides you step-by-step through the creation of sample games.These fun examples are modeled after popular App Store games and teach you key concepts of the cocos2d game engine and relevant tools like TexturePacker (texture atlas), PhysicsEditor (physics collision shapes), Particle Designer (particle effects), Glyph Designer (bitmap fonts), and others. This book offers a rock-solid introduction to creating games made entirely with cocos2d and little or no iOS 5 SDK and OpenGL code. It also details alternative implementations, identifies the best free and commercial tools for cocos2d game development, features coverage of the author's improved cocos2d game engine (Kobold2D), and even helps you enhance your game's marketability on the App Store. What you'll learn * The process and best practices of mobile game development, including sprite batching, texture atlases, parallax scrolling, touch and accelerometer input. * How to enhance your games using the Box2D and Chipmunk physics engines and other cocos2d-related tools and libraries. * How to add UIKit views to cocos2d and how to add cocos2d to UIKit apps.* The ins and outs of the Kobold2D development environment for cocos2d and its preconfigured libraries, including cocos3d and Lua. Who this book is for The book is aimed at beginning game developers looking for an easier and even more powerful way to create compelling 2D graphics using OpenGL and Objective-C. It is assumed that the reader will have some knowledge of object-oriented programming and the Apple and iPhone/iPad developer environment. Table of Contents * Introduction * Getting Started * Essentials * Your First Game * Game Building Blocks * Sprites In-Depth * Scrolling with Joy * Shoot em Up * Particle Effects * Working with Tilemaps * Isometric Tilemaps * Physics Engines * Pinball Game * Game Center * Best Tools for cocos2D Development * Kobold2D Fundamentals * Out of the Ordinary