In the last few years, Android has progressed with the debut of better fonts, new User Interface and Experience (UI/UX) APIs, tablet considerations, multi-touch capabilities, multi-tasking, faster performance, improved battery management techniques, and now Google TV Android Apps for the Android game app developer repertoire. With actionable real-world source, Pro Android Games, Second Edition shows you how to build more sophisticated and addictive Android games, by leveraging the power of these recent advancements found in the new Android Jelly Beans development platform as well as those you've counted on in earlier releases. Multi-touch code gives these games and their players dynamic input and exchange ability, for a more realistic arcade game experience. Faster and better performance offers game players a more seamless, fun arcade experience like never before on Android. There is also improved native C/C++ integration with Android's NDK as well, which makes coding, compiling, and converting both productive and efficient with gains in app performance. Pro Android Games, Second Edition features the following improvements: Updates to the latest version of the Android SDK, NKD, plus the latest Eclipse IDE. Greater focus on tablets the ever changing device resolutions, and hardware specs. Native game development and hardware accelerated graphics. Bigger and Better Real World Engines, such as Quake I and II Plus an oldie from the previous edition: Doom Coverage of the new smart TV APIs (Google TV), UI, UX, multi-touch and multi-tasking features available with Android Jelly Bean. A look into the future with augmented reality Advanced techniques for improving your game playing experience including better multi-tasking, improved performance optimization, battery management and more. A Quake 3D-like game app case study You'll definitely have fun, and perhaps you'll even make some money. Enjoy What you'll learn Key advanced Android gaming techniques using the new Android SDK and NDK How to add and integrate multi-touch How to use Bluetooth controllers (Zeemote) More gaming tricks and tips, such as hybrid 3D graphics with OpenGL and JNI How to port, augment a 3D shooter Doom-like game app using OpenGL How to build a 3D shooter game like Quake and Quake II How and where to best deploy these game apps Who this book is for This book is for savvy Android app developers who are looking for professional or advanced techniques for porting, augmenting and building 3D game apps that are complex, fun and lucrative.

Game developers will use this book to gain a basic knowledge of programming artificial intelligence using Unity and C#. You will not be bored learning the theory underpinning AI. Instead, you will learn by experience and practice, and complete an engaging project in each chapter. AI is the one of the most popular subjects in gaming today, ranging from controlling the behavior of non-player characters to procedural generated levels. This book starts with an introduction to AI and its use in games. Basic moving behaviors and pathfinding are covered, and then you move through more complex concepts of pathfinding and decision making. What You Will Learn Understand the fundamentals of AI Create gameplay-based AI to address navigation and decision-making problems Put into practice graph theory and behavior models Address pathfinding problems Use the A* algorithm, the deus ex machina of pathfinding algorithms Create a mini stealth game Who This Book Is For Developers and programming enthusiasts with a basic knowledge of Unity and C# who want to understand and master the foundations of artificial intelligence in games

This book examines how video game mechanics and narratives can teach players skills associated with increased psychological well-being. It integrates research from psychology, education, ludology, media studies, and communication science to demonstrate how game play can teach skills that have long been associated with increased happiness and prolonged life satisfaction, including flexible thinking, openness to experience, self-care, a growth mindset, solution-focused thinking, mindfulness, persistence, self-discovery and resilience. The chapters in this volume are written by leading voices in the field of game studies, including researchers from academia, the video gaming industry, and mental health practitioners paving the way in the field of "geek therapy." This book will advance our understanding of the potential of video games to increase our psychological well-being by helping to mitigate depression, anxiety, and stress and foster persistence, self-care, and resilience.

Carry out the pre-planning, design, and programming of role playing games (RPGs) using the popular GameMaker: Studio in this very practical and fun book. Author Ben Tyers teaches you how to create a story or plotline for the RPG, apply aesthetics, and develop core and extended gameplay. Using Learn RPGs in GameMaker: Studio, you can design and build your own RPG using the GameMaker: Studio platform. Build your first game application and deploy in an app store, on Facebook, or just on a PC. Maybe, even, make a few bucks. What You'll Learn Use the GameMaker: Studio platform to design and build a role playing game Create a story for game design purposes, using a plot line and defining characters Discover the impact of aesthetics on art style, character separation, scene development, sound design and views Master core gameplay elements such as battles, exploration, scoring, and endings Work with extended gameplay elements such as collectibles, quirks, management, and saving Employ the various core and extended gameplay elements as appropriate to your RPG Who This Book Is For Game designers or developers looking to design and build their first role playing game using the GameMaker: Studio platform.

Do you make small leaps in your chair while attempting challenging jumps in Tombraider? Do you say ""Ouch!"" when a giant hits you with a club in Skyrim? Have you had dreams of being inside the underwater city of Rapture? Video games cast the player as protagonist in an unfolding narrative. Like actors in front of a camera, gamers' proprioception, or body awareness, can extend to onscreen characters, placing them ""physically"" within the virtual world. Sometimes players may even identify with the characters' ideological motivations. The author explores concepts central to the design and enjoyment of video games, including affect, immersion, liveness, presence, agency, narrative, ideology and the player's virtual surrogate - the avatar. Gamer and avatar are analyzed as a cybernetic coupling whose dynamics suggest a fulfillment of dramatist Atonin Artaud's vision of the ""body without organs.

This book will provide you with a comprehensive guide to developing games for both the Windows Mobile platform and the Windows Phone using the industry standard programming languages C# and VB .NET. You will be walked through every aspect of developing for the Windows Mobile platform-from setting up your development environment for the first time to creating advanced 3D graphics. Finally, you'll learn how you can make your applications available to others, whether distributing for free or selling online. Using extensive code samples throughout, you'll gather all the information needed to create your own games and distribute them successfully for others to enjoy. Aimed primarily at C# developers, almost everything in the book can be used in VB .NET too. For those areas where this is not the case, workarounds are suggested so that VB .NET developers are still able to use the techniques described.

Virtual reality is quickly becoming the next medium to communicate your ideas. Once siloed in make-believe world of science fiction, virtual reality can now touch any aspect of your life. This book shows you how to create original virtual reality content using the Unity game engine and the Virtual Reality Tool Kit. By the end of the book you'll be creating your own virtual reality experience using the fundamental building blocks within. You'll start by reviewing spatial computing, an emerging field that encompasses self-driving cars to space exploration. You'll also create your own virtual reality environments for use on headsets such as those from Oculus and HTC. Using the Unity3D game engine and the Virtual Reality Toolkit on a computer or laptop, you will walk through the fundamentals of virtual reality with as little code as possible. That is the beauty of Unity and the Virtual Reality Toolkit. You will discover how to use buttons in a virtual space, gaze-tracking for user input, and physics for enabling interaction between a human and a virtual space. From game design to education to healthcare to human resources, virtual reality offers new and creative ways to engage users, students, patients, customers, and more. Not a coding book, Virtual Reality with VRTK4 shows that you don't need to be a computer or graphics whiz to begin creating your own virtual reality experiences. What You'll Learn Grasp Virtual Reality Toolkit and its interaction with Unity3D Explore the fundamental science of virtual reality Review the inner workings of Unity3D and its integration with VRTK Understand the big picture of C# coding in Unity3D Incorporate head and hand movement into virtual experiences Who This Book Is For Creative professionals or students who are familiar with computer design programs and want to begin prototyping their own original virtual reality work as quickly as possible.

Delve into the concepts of physically based rendering (PBR) using Allegorithmic's Substance Painter. This book covers the integration of PBR textures with various 3D modeling and rendering packages as well as with the Unreal Engine 4 game engine. Beginning PBR Texturing covers all aspects of the software and guides you in implementing its incredible possibilities, including using materials, masks, and baking. Integration with both internal and popular external rendering engines is covered. This book teaches you the skills you need to use the texturing tool that is recognized by studios worldwide. You will know tips and tricks to implement the pipeline and speed up your workflow. What You Will Learn Know the fundamentals of PBR-based texturing from the ground up Create production-ready textured models from scratch Integrate PBR textures with standard 3D modeling and rendering applications Create portfolio-ready renders using offline renderers Who This Book Is For Beginners in the fields of 3D animation, computer graphics, and game technology

This book covers the state-of-the-art in digital games research and development for anyone working with or studying digital games and those who are considering entering into this rapidly growing industry. Many books have been published that sufficiently describe popular topics in digital games; however, until now there has not been a comprehensive book that draws the traditional and emerging facets of gaming together across multiple disciplines within a single volume.

Build engaging programs for the BBC micro:bit using Microsoft's MakeCode web editor. Using this open source platform, you'll learn to program in an accessible way that easily translates into real-world programming. BBC micro:bit Recipes is a practical guide with a problem-solving approach. It provides exact solutions for common application development problems for the micro:bit using MakeCode. You'll discover and apply techniques that can be used to build simple games with sprites, keep score, and control game play. The micro:bit is a small programmable device that is a cross between a very small computer and a programmable embedded board. It is easy to program, extremely versatile, and designed with young learners in mind. In particular, it is designed to be easy for people who have never programmed before. By the end of this book, you'll have the foundation to build programs with the Microsoft MakeCode editor and use and process data with built-in sensors, such as accelerometer, compass, temperature, touch, and light. You'll also see how to work with communication protocols, such as Serial, I2C, and SPI and how to use variables, loops, logic, arrays, math and functions to easily solve problems. What You'll Learn Display text, images, and animations on the micro:bit display Connect external sensors and process data Make and play music through speakers and headphones Use Bluetooth service to communicate with Smartphones and tablets Who This Book Is For Those who are interested in learning to program the BBC micro:bit with Microsoft MakeCode. The difficulty level falls from beginner to intermediate level.

Get up and running with Roblox environment and Luau programming basics to build and share your gamesIncludes an exclusive invite to join the online Roblox game development community Key Features * Begin coding in Luau: build player avatars, battlefields, game physics, countdown timers, a nd more * Learn tips, tricks, best practices, and advanced Roblox coding techniques for game creation * Join the Roblox coding bookclub to discuss queries, provide solutions, and ask Zander for advice on Roblox gaming Book Description Roblox is a huge entertainment platform like no other for both playing and creating games. With over 200 million monthly active users, Roblox has enabled new and experienced developers to create successful games, often called experiences, that can be played globally at no cost. Coding Roblox Games Made Easy, 2nd edition builds a solid foundation of concepts you need to embark on the journey of building 3 games in Roblox in an increasing order of complexity. Create obstacles and traps for an Obby and overcome them to win the game alongside other players and earn rewards. In the next game, manage player avatars, their weapons, a battlefield, add programming logic for the players to find their weapons and fight, with a reward for the last player standing. Take your game development skills to another level, building a multi-player game. Add a timer for players to locate items to escape while Granny hunts for each player to eliminate all of them before the time ends. Finally, you'll delve into the logistics of game production, focusing on optimizing your games' performance by implementing impressive mechanics, monetization, and marketing practices. We also discuss how metaverse is set to change the dynamics of user experience and what the future holds for Roblox game developers. Let's create and share experiences through play! What you will learn * Understand how to use Roblox Studio and other free resources * Learn coding in Luau: basics, game systems, physics manipulation, etc. * Test, evaluate, and redesign to create bug-free and engaging games * Use Roblox programming and rewards to make your first game * Move from lobby to battleground, build avatars, locate weapons to fight * Character selection, countdown timers, locate escape items, assign rewards * Master the 3 Ms: Mechanics, Monetization, Marketing (and Metaverse) Who This Book Is For Get started with building your first game on the Roblox platform. This book is for anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of Luau programming and Roblox Studio and needs direction to build and share games. If you're already familiar with Roblox and are looking for tips, tricks, and the best Roblox and Luau practices for efficient development, you'll find this book helpful. The book requires no prior knowledge of game development.

It's time to stop thinking that shaders are magical. You can use shaders to turn data into stunning visual effects, and get your hands dirty by building your own shader with this step-by-step introduction to shader development for game and graphics developers. Learn how to make shaders that move, tint, light up, and look awesome, all without cracking open a math textbook. Practical Shader Development teaches the theory behind how shaders work. The book also shows you how to apply that theory to create eye-popping visual effects. You'll learn to profile and optimize those effects to make sure your projects keep running quickly with all their new visuals. You'll learn good theory, good practices, and without getting bogged down in the math. Author Kyle Halladay explains the fundamentals of shader development through simple examples and hands-on experiments. He teaches you how to find performance issues in shaders you are using and then how to fix them. Kyle explains (and contrasts) how to use the knowledge learned from this book in three of the most popular game engines today. What You'll Learn Understand what shaders are and how they work Get up to speed on the nuts and bolts of writing vertex and fragment shaders Utilize color blending and know how blend equations work Know the coordinate spaces used when rendering real-time computer graphics Use simple math to animate characters, simulate lights, and create a wide variety of visual effects Find and fix performance problems in shaders See how three popular game engines (Unity, UE4, Godot) handle shaders Who This Book Is For Programmers who are interested in writing their own shaders but do not know where to start, anyone who has ever seen shader code on a forum and wished they knew how to modify it just a little bit to fit into their own projects, and game developers who are tired of using the default shaders found in the game engines they are using. The book is especially useful for those who have been put off by existing shader tutorials which introduce complex math and graphics theory before ever getting something on the screen.

Location-based games emerged in the early 2000s following the commercialisation of GPS and artistic experimentation with 'locative media' technologies. Location-based games are played in everyday public spaces using GPS and networked, mobile technologies to track their players' location. This book traces the evolution of location-based gaming, from its emergence as a marginal practice to its recent popularisation through smartphone apps like Pokemon Go and its incorporation into 'smart city' strategies. Drawing on this history and an analysis of the scholarly and mainstream literature on location-based games, Leorke unpacks the key claims made about them. These claims position location-based games as alternately enriching or diminishing their players' engagement with the people and places they encounter through the game. Through rich case studies and interviews with location-based game designers and players, Leorke tests out and challenges these celebratory and pessimistic discourses. He argues for a more grounded approach to researching location-based games and their impact on public space that reflects the ideologies, lived experiences, and institutional imperatives that circulate around their design and performance. By situating location-based games within broader debates about the role of play and digitisation in public life, Location-Based Gaming offers an original and timely account of location-based gaming and its growing prominence.

Create a fully featured application that's both sophisticated and engaging. This book provides a detailed guide in developing augmented reality games that can take advantage of the advanced capabilities of new iOS devices and code while also offering compatibility with still supported legacy devices. No programming experience is necessary as this book begins on the ground floor with basic programming concepts in Unity and builds to incorporating input from the real world to create interactive realities. You'll learn to program with the Unity 2017 development platform using C#. Recent announcements of increased AR capabilities on the latest iPhones and iPads show a clear dedication on Apple's part to this emerging market of immersive games and apps. Unity 2017 is the latest version of this industry leading development platform and C# is a ubiquitous programming language perfect for any programmer to begin with. Using the latest development technologies, Beginning iOS AR Game Development will show you how to program games that interact directly with the real world environment around the user for creative fantastic augmented reality experiences. What You'll Learn Download assets from the Unity store Create a scene in Unity 2017 Use physics and controls on mobile devices Who This Book Is For Beginner programmers and/or people new to developing games using Unity. It also serves as a great introduction to developing AR games and educators teaching the subject at high school or higher levels.

The official art book for the video game Gears Tactics. Gears Tactics is the fast-paced, turn-based strategy game from one of the most-acclaimed video game franchises - Gears of War. Outnumbered and fighting for survival, recruit and command your squad to hunt down an evil mastermind who makes monsters. In this lavish book, the full development process of the characters, weapons, armor, enemies and environments of the game is uncovered. From initial sketches through to beautiful final production art, the evolution of Gears Tactics is revealed, accompanied by fascinating insight from the artists and developers. Take a step into the war-scarred world of Sera and experience Gears of War from a whole new perspective.

Learn to build a simple data-driven mobile game application using the power of Xamarin.Forms, ASP.NET, the Web API, and SignalR with this short book. In it you will build a cross-platform mobile application that targets both iOS and Android, connect your app with your database using Entity Framework, and implement real-time syncing functionality using SignalR. Understanding Game Application Development starts by giving you an overview of the development tools, an installation guide, and a list of prerequisites. You will learn how to manage application flow, create your workspace, and set up your database. Next, you will see how to access data for handling CRUD operations and define the necessary API endpoints. Further, you will build a mobile application with Xamarin.Forms, both in iOS and in Android. You will also understand the deployment and testing process as well as how to build a real-time leader board using ASP.NET MVC and SignalR. Finally, you will understand how to publish your source code on GitHub from Visual Studio 2017. What You Will Learn Understand the basic concept and fundamentals of the technologies used for building the applications Set up your development environment Create a SQL database from scratch Implement a data access layer Define REST service endpoints using the Web API Deploy, test, and debug iOS and Android applications Push your source code to GitHub Who This Book Is For .NET developers who want to jump on mobile application development with Xamarin and learn with practical examples.

Create your first turn-based multiplayer game using GameMaker Studio 2's built-in networking functions as well as using a simple NodeJS server. This book introduces you to the complexities of network programming and communication, where the focus will be on building the game from the ground up. You will start with a brief introduction to GameMaker Studio 2 and GML coding before diving into the essential principles of game design. Following this, you will go through an introductory section on NodeJS where you will learn how to create a server and send and receive data from it as well as integrating it with GameMaker Studio. You will then apply multiplayer gaming logic to your server and unlock multiplayer game features such as locating a player, syncing their data, and recording their session. What You Will Learn Discover the architecture of GameMaker Studio 2 Add new features to your game with NodeJS modules Integrate GameMaker Studio 2 with NodeJS Master GameMaker Studio 2's built-in networking functions Who This Book Is For GameMaker Studio users who want to understand how the networking components of GMS 2 work. Basic JavaScript knowledge is required.

Gaming is multi-billion-dollar industry, which has been growing massively in the last few years. It seems that everyone is gaming in one way or another. You might not think that the Bible has anything to say about gaming, but Reagan Rose has written this helpful book on what our relationship with gaming should look like. Track is a series of books designed to disciple the next generation in the areas of culture, doctrine, & the Christian life. While the topics addressed aren't always simple, they are communicated in a manner that is.

Professor Odile Limpach gives independent developers everything they need to succeed in the world of video game publishing. The Publishing Challenge for Independent Video Game Developers: A Practical Guide defines what game publishing means for the indie developer and offers a concise framework to tackle the decision of whether to self-publish or not. Furthermore, the text establishes a catalogue of current known publishers with some salient characteristics and offers a list of useful publishing tools. Along with showcasing testimonials from several young and seasoned developers on their experiences with publishing and partners and recommendations from renown experts of the industry, this book offers tools, platforms, and guides to game publishing. Key features: Provides a broad overview of the game publishing market Explores criteria for choosing between a publishing partner or self-publishing Offers case studies and testimonials from indie game developers and publishers about the process. Professor Odile Limpach teaches economics and entrepreneurship at the Cologne Game Lab, TH Koeln (Technical University of Cologne). She is also co-founder of the Acceleration Program SpielFabrique 360 Degrees and works as a Strategic Consultant for games and serious game projects. Between 2007 and 2014, she was the managing director of the German entertainment software studio Ubisoft Blue Byte. Before, she was the managing director of Ubisoft GmbH. She graduated from business school Institut Commercial de Nancy in France and completed her MBA in the United States. Odile Limpach is also involved as a volunteer in the areas of vocational training and acts as a German partner for Games for Change Europe. Furthermore, she acts as an advisor (Conseiller du Commerce Exterieur) for the French Ministry for International Business Development.

For thirty years, Blizzard has been pushing boundaries and breaking expectations of what it means to draw for video games. Get a glimpse behind the curtain at how art has evolved at Blizzard and meet some of the artists who've shaped Blizzard's style and range to what it is today. Discover how art cross-pollinated amongst game teams and how grassroots movements from fans inspired some of Blizzard's most iconic artwork. With insights from more than fifty artists, animators, designers, and storytellers, this sweeping compendium is fans' ultimate keys to the kingdom of three decades in Blizzard artistry.

Quickly emerging from the fast-paced growth of mobile communications and wireless technologies, pervasive games take gaming away from the computer screen and back to the three-dimensional world. Now games can be designed to be played in public spaces like shopping malls, conferences, museums and other non-traditional game venues. Game designers need to understand how to use the world as a gamespace-and both the challenges and advantages of doing so. This book shows how to change the face of play-who plays, when and where they play and what that play means to all involved. The authors explore aspects of pervasive games that concern game designers: what makes these games compelling, what makes them possible today and how they are made. For game researchers, it provides a solid theoretical, philosophical and aesthetic understanding of the genre. Pervasive Games covers everything from theory and design to history and marketing.

This book offers a perspective into a phenomenon becoming more and more common: AAA developers 'going indie'. Written through the personal story of the author finding his way into the AAA games space, only to retreat back to indie games and consulting work and finding a new-old life making games for himself, and finding fulfillment in doing so. It is both a word of warning to creatives seeking a corporation and a call for disillusioned developers to break free and do something wild, creative, and unexpected. It is critical of common industry issues such as structural crunch, health issues, work life balance, and more, but is also a personal story of mismatched needs in doing creative work. Key Features Under-explored viewpoint of the games industry, someone who worked for years to 'break in', then worked for years to 'break out'. Offers a unique look at making an indie game life both financially and mentally feasible. Encourages developers sitting on the fence to take the plunge.