Welcome to the sixth volume of the Game Programming Gems series. With team sizes constantly expanding, developers are finding themselves pushed to become increasingly specialized. This makes it important to have cutting-edge, ready-to-use material in your specialization, as well as resources that you can call upon if you need to work outside your area of expertise. Volume 6 has been explicitly designed with your current challenges in mind. With the new generation of machines, players expect higher-fidelity models and animations, fancier physics and graphics effects, and more intelligent AI. All of these capabilities require robust teams and longer schedules, so to help ensure that your games are still delivered on time and on budget, youall find 50 all new articles written by experts in game technology from many different backgrounds and over twenty countries. This volume also includes a brand new section dedicated to Scripting and Data-Driven Systems, which is focused entirely on the growing trend of removing the programmer from the data-tweaking loop. So, whether you're a new game programmer starting out on this exciting path, a grizzled, industry veteran, or a most welcome visitor, we hope that you will find inspiration, insight, and at least one or two true gems to use in your world!

Do you have what it takes to become a game developer? With this hands-on book, you'll learn quickly and easily how to develop computer games with Microsoft's XNA 3.0 framework-not just for your PC, but for Xbox 360 and the Microsoft Zune as well. Written by an experienced university-level game development instructor, Learning XNA 3.0 walks you through the framework in a clear and understandable step-by-step format. Each chapter offers a self-contained lesson with lots of illustrations and annotated examples to help you master key concepts. Once you finish the book, you'll know how to develop sophisticated games from start to finish. Learn game development concepts from 2D animation to 3D cameras and effects Delve into high-level shader language (HLSL) and introductory artificial intelligence concepts Develop three complete and exciting games using 2D,3D and multiplayer concepts Develop and deploy games to the Xbox 360 and the Microsoft Zune

While teaching XNA to beginning game developers, author Aaron Reed noticed that several key concepts were difficult for students to grasp. Learning XNA 3.0 was written specifically to address those issues. With this book, you can test your understanding and practice new skills as you go with unique "Test Your Knowledge" exercises and review questions in each chapter. Why wait? Amaze your family and friends by building your own games for the PC, Xbox 360, and Zune-with Learning XNA 3.0. "An outstanding book Teaches you XNA development in a smart way, starting from 2D basics and going into 3D and shader development. What I really like is the 'peeling the onion' approach the author takes, which builds up knowledge from previous chapters." --David "LetsKillDave" Weller, CEO, Cogito Ergonomics, LLC, and former XNA program manager

World-renowned future forecaster, game designer, and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jane McGonigal gives us the tools to imagine the future without fear. How can we be confident about making plans? How might we feel secure despite the future being unknown? How do we learn to feel at peace with the unexpected? Today it feels more challenging than ever to feel unafraid, hopeful, and equipped to face the future with optimism. How do we map out our lives when it seems impossible to predict what the world will be like next week, let alone next year or next decade? What we need now are strategies to help us recover our confidence and creativity in facing uncertain futures. By learning to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable you can better plan for a future you'd like to see. And by seeing what's coming faster, you can adapt to new challenges, reduce anxiety, and build hope and resilience. 'An accessible, optimistic field guide to the future.'-San Francisco Chronicle 'Jane McGonigal is unusually adept at anticipating events that most of us can't even fathom. In this eye-opening, actionable book, she teaches you how to widen your peripheral vision, extend your imagination farther into the future, and conceive of the inconceivable.' Adam Grant, #1 Bestselling Author of Think Again __________ 'Top 10 innovators to watch' Business Week 10 most powerful women to watch' Forbes 'Top 100 creative people in business' Fast Company

Play Anything is nothing short of brilliant... I will be recommending this provocative and entertaining book to everyone I know." u- Jane McGonigal, bestselling author of Reality is Broken and SuperBetter ife is boring: filled with meetings and traffic, errands and emails. Nothing we'd ever call fun . But what if we've gotten fun wrong? In Play Anything, visionary game designer and philosopher Ian Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities.The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games. Play Anything, reveals that games appeal to us not because they are fun, but because they set limitations . Soccer wouldn't be soccer if it wasn't composed of two teams of eleven players using only their feet, heads, and torsos to get a ball into a goal Tetris wouldn't be Tetris without falling pieces in characteristic shapes. Such rules seem needless, arbitrary, and difficult. Yet it is the limitations that make games enjoyable, just like it's the hard things in life that give it meaning. Play is what happens when we accept these limitations, narrow our focus, and, consequently, have fun. Which is also how to live a good life. Manipulating a soccer ball into a goal is no different than treating ordinary circumstances, like grocery shopping, lawn mowing, and making PowerPoints,as sources for meaning and joy. We can play anything" by filling our days with attention and discipline, devotion and love for the world as it really is, beyond our desires and fears.Ranging from Internet culture to moral philosophy, ancient poetry to modern consumerism, Bogost shows us how today's chaotic world can only be tamed,and enjoyed,when we first impose boundaries on ourselves. "An essential read for those seeking to understand how a new idea of play can be positive for our lives." u- Library Journal (STARRED review) /u Play Anything is a profound book: both a striking assessment of our current cultural landscape, and at the same time a smart self-improvement guide, teaching us the virtues of a life lived playfully." u- Steven Johnson, author of How We Got To Now and Everything Bad Is Good For You /u

Phone application development is a phenomenon, with games the hottest commodity on the App Store. And Unity is a hugely powerful game engine that is fast becoming the most loved middleware in the game world, revolutionizing game development and making game creation for the iPhone much more accessible and fun for artists. With these two killer platforms (iPhone and Unity) game developers are empowered to create compelling games but they must be careful to specifically address the unique challenges of the iPhone hardware cpu and gpu requirements. Art in this medium must adhere to specific specs like: texture size, polygon count, and shader support, so that the 3D content looks great and runs optimally. This book teaches artists how to circumvent the potential pitfalls of the medium by doing things like "batching," "creating meshes," and "sharing materials" to improve performance. Learn how to create stunning 3D game assets using Luxology's artist-friendly modo, and Blender, the free open-source 3D app. And optimize your art for the iPhone through exercises in modelling characters and environmental assets, texturing painting, animating skinned characters, UV Mapping and baking light information, as well as importing the assets and setting up shaders. The companion web site offers the assets and scene files in the book, and several video walkthrough further illustrating concepts covered in the book. **The author will also deploy a demo of the game assets to the App Store in the form of an iPhone/iPad app that mimics the look and feel of the book. The app will be available free

BlackBerry smart phones aren't just for business. In fact, throw away that boring spreadsheet, tear up that yearly budget reportthe BlackBerry is a lean, mean game-playing machine. Carol Hamer and Andrew Davison, expert software game developers, show you how to leverage the BlackBerry Java Development Environment (based on Java ME) to design and create fun, sophisticated game applications from role playing to dueling with light sabers. The BlackBerry: not as clumsy or as random as a blasteran elegant device, for a more civilized age.

In this book, Carol and Andrew give you the professional techniques you need to use music, 2D and 3D graphics, maps, and game design patterns to build peer-to-peer games, role playing games, and more for the BlackBerry. What you'll learn How to build a custom user interface with your game's theme How to take your graphics to the next level with SVG and OpenGL ES How to boogie on down with a MMAPI music player How to optimize your games with BlackBerry-specific APIs and tools How to program games for any BlackBerry device, from the earliest Java-enabled smartphones to models that run the BlackBerry 5 operating system How to build games for two players or the whole world with GPS, SMS, and the Internet How to create space adventures that may confound your mind with their awesomeness. How to drive a toy sports car from your BlackBerry using Bluetooth and USB How to sell your game on BlackBerry App World and beyond Who this book is for

This book is for game enthusiasts and software engineers who know at least a bit of Java and want to program games for the BlackBerry. No prior knowledge of Micro Edition programming is required. Table of Contents Gaming on BlackBerry BlackBerry Application Basics Game Graphics and Events with MIDP and RIM Classes Adding a Professional Look and Feel Security and Selling Your Game Swingin' Light Saber Play a Live Opponent with SMS Using Scalable Vector Graphics Creating Role-Playing Games on the Internet Remotely Drive a (Toy) Sports Car Fox and Hounds Introducing 3D with JSR 239

This is the first textbook dedicated to explaining how artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can be used in and for games. After introductory chapters that explain the background and key techniques in AI and games, the authors explain how to use AI to play games, to generate content for games and to model players. The book will be suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in games, artificial intelligence, design, human-computer interaction, and computational intelligence, and also for self-study by industrial game developers and practitioners. The authors have developed a website (http://www.gameaibook.org) that complements the material covered in the book with up-to-date exercises, lecture slides and reading.

Transnational Play approaches gameplay as a set of practices and a global industry that includes diverse participation from players and developers located within the global South, in nations outside of the First World. Players experience play in game cafes, through casual games for regional and global causes like environmentalism, through piracy and cheats, via cultural localization, on their mobile phones, and through urban playful art in Latin America. This book offers a reorientation of perspective on the global developers who make games, as well as the players who consume games, while still acknowledging geographically distributed socioeconomic, racial, gender, and other inequities. Over the course of the inquiry, which includes a chapter dedicated to the cartography of the mobile augmented reality game Pokemon Go, the author develops a theoretical line of argument critically informed by gender studies and intersectionality, postcolonialism, geopolitics, and game studies, problematizing play as a diverse and contested transnational domain.

Sheathe your sword, draw your cards, and summon more than 50 delicious bites and cocktails inspired by Blizzard Entertainment's smash-hit digital card game. From the best-selling author of World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook and A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook comes a new collection of delicious recipes. With the Innkeeper's Tavern Cookbook, fans will unlock Hearthstone-inspired eats, cocktails, and mocktails. A replica of Harth Stonebrew's own private cookbook, this delightful guide contains more than fifty all-new recipes perfect for any Fireside Gathering or game night, from Sarge's Easy Mac & Cheese to Medivh's favorite martini--and, of course, funnel cake. Complete with mouthwatering color photos and Harth's personal notations, recipe modifications, and reflections, the Innkeeper's Tavern Cookbook brings the world of Hearthstone to life like never before. Hearthstone is a fast-paced digital card game where players sling spells, summon minions, and command powerful heroes in duels of epic strategy. Featuring familiar characters from the Warcraft(R) universe, Hearthstone has won over legions of fans with its humor and deceptively simple gameplay.

Although the number of commercial Java games is still small compared to those written in C or C++, the market is expanding rapidly. Recent updates to Java make it faster and easier to create powerful gaming applications-particularly Java 3D-is fueling an explosive growth in Java games. Java games like Puzzle Pirates, Chrome, Star Wars Galaxies, Runescape, Alien Flux, Kingdom of Wars, Law and Order II, Roboforge, Tom Clancy's Politika, and scores of others have earned awards and become bestsellers.

Java developers new to graphics and game programming, as well as game developers new to Java 3D, will find "Killer Game Programming in Java" invaluable. This new book is a practical introduction to the latest Java graphics and game programming technologies and techniques. It is the first book to thoroughly cover Java's 3D capabilities for all types of graphics and game development projects.

"Killer Game Programming in Java" is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know to program cool, testosterone-drenched Java games. It will give you reusable techniques to create everything from fast, full-screen action games to multiplayer 3D games. In addition to the most thorough coverage of Java 3D available, "Killer Game Programming in Java" also clearly details the older, better-known 2D APIs, 3D sprites, animated 3D sprites, first-person shooter programming, sound, fractals, and networked games. "Killer Game Programming in Java" is a must-have for anyone who wants to create adrenaline-fueled games in Java.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Advances in Computer Games, ACG 2005, held in Taipei, Taiwan, in September 2005 in conjunction with the 10th Computer Olympiad. It contains 20 papers that cover all aspects of artificial intelligence in computer-game playing.

Push your GameMaker programming skills to the edge with 100 programming challenges using the popular GameMaker: Studio and GML. Each challenge includes an outline of the challenge, a scoring and time guide, useful GML code, and a working example provided in GMZ format. For more advanced programmers, each challenge comes with an additional task to complete. Think you're a good GameMaker game application developer or programmer? Think again with this awesome book! What You'll Learn Upgrade your skills with each specific game application coding challenge Create many different game events, action or scenarios Code for many different kinds of game applications or themes from space to adventure to sports to fantasy Who This Book Is For GameMaker and GameMaker: Studio users and coders.

Darksiders: Genesis is an action/adventure game that tears its way through hordes of demons, angels, and everything in-between on its way to Hell and back with guns blazing and swords swinging. Showcasing the introduction of the Horseman Strife and the return of his brother War, Genesis gives players their first look at the world of Darksiders before the events of the Apocalypse. The Art of Darksiders Genesis gathers the epic artwork behind this unique new installment in the franchise, and includes character designs, rough concepts, environments, storyboards, and more. Darksiders Genesis also heralds the return of series creator Joe Madureira (Battle Chasers, Uncanny X-men) alongside his development studio, Airship Syndicate.

Featuring interviews with the creators of 39 popular video games--including Halo 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Medal of Honor and Metroid Prime--this book gives a behind-the-scenes look at the origins of some of the most iconic shooter games. Interviewees recount endless hours of painstaking development, the challenges of working with mega-publishers, the growth of the genre and the creative processes that produced some of the industry's biggest hits, cult classics and indie successes.

"Advanced Java Game Programming" teaches you how to create desktop and Internet computer games using the latest Java programming language techniques. Whereas other Java game programming books focus on introductory Java material, this book covers game programming for experienced Java developers.

David Wallace Croft, founder of the Game Developers Java Users Group (GameJUG), has assembled an open-source reusable game librarya Swing animation engine that allows developers to use these techniques and put out new games very rapidly.

The open-source game library also includes a reusable game deployment framework and a multiplayer networking library with HTTP firewall tunneling capability for applets. All of the code is open source, including the example games. The animation has been scrupulously tested and optimized in the Swing environment, and Croft clearly explains how the code works in great detail. The graphics and audio libraries used in the examples are public domain and may also be used royalty-free for creating new games. Table of Contents Development Setup Deployment Frameworks Swing Animation Animation Library Advanced Graphics Persistent Data Game Architecture A* Algorithm HTTP Tunneling HTTP Polling HTTP Pulling

You don t need to be a wizard to transform a game you like into a game you love. Imagine if you could give your favorite PC game a more informative heads-up display or instantly collect all that loot from your latest epic battle. Bring your knowledge of Windows-based development and memory management, and Game Hacking will teach you what you need to become a true game hacker. Learn the basics, like reverse engineering, assembly code analysis, programmatic memory manipulation, and code injection, and hone your new skills with hands-on example code and practice binaries. Level up as you learn how to: Scan and modify memory with Cheat Engine Explore program structure and execution flow with OllyDbg Log processes and pinpoint useful data files with Process Monitor Manipulate control flow through NOPing, hooking, and more Locate and dissect common game memory structures You ll even discover the secrets behind common game bots, including: Extrasensory perception hacks, such as wallhac

A mysterious group of phantom thieves skulks in the shadows of Tokyo, changing the hearts of corrupt adults. But behind their masks are--normal teenagers and a talking black cat?! PERSONA 5: MEMENTOS MISSION is an all-new mystery featuring the cast of PERSONA 5. IN THIS VOLUME: Rivals Ren Amamiya and the famous high school detective Goro Akechi team up to bring this mystery to an end. Will the true identity of the mysterious Twin Fang Killer be revealed? Mystery solving, fishing, and homework... this slice of Ren's extremely busy phantom thief life comes to an end!

Volume 2 of SNES Omnibus is a fun and informative look at ALL the original Super Nintendo games released in the US starting with the letters N-Z. More than 375 games are featured, including such iconic titles as Star Fox, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Tetris Attack, and Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Each game, whether obscure or mainstream, is covered in exhaustive detail. In addition to thorough gameplay descriptions, the book includes reviews, fun facts, historical data, quotes from vintage magazines, and, best of all, nostalgic stories about many of the games from programmers, authors, convention exhibitors, video game store owners, YouTube celebs, and other industry insiders. The book also features more than 2,000 full-color images, including box art, cartridges, screenshots, and vintage ads. Plus, theres a gorgeous centerfold starring your favorite SNES characters.

Improve your game's code to make it more readable, reusable, modular and optimized following design patterns, and enhance your overall use of C++ with Unreal Engine Key Features * Explore the fascinating world of design patterns and their application to game development in Unreal Engine 5 * Learn how to translate code from Blueprint to C++ to produce performant solutions for your game's development * Discover best practices for clean code and apply them to Unreal Engine 5 and C++ Book Description Design patterns are a series of tools and practices by which we can learn to write faster and easier to work with code. With this book, you will explore a range of design patterns and how they can be applied to projects developed in Unreal Engine 5. The book begins by exploring the key principles which underpin code and develop an understanding of the concepts, challenges, and key benefits of using patterns in your code. We'll then move on to identifying patterns which are woven into the core of Unreal Engine 5 such as Double Buffer, Flyweight and Spatial Partitioning, then explore some of the existing tool sets which embody patterns in their design and usage including Component, Behaviour Tree and Update. You'll then start to develop a series of gameplay use cases through C++ to implement a range of design patterns including Interface and Event based Observers to build a decoupled communications hierarchy and explore Singleton, Command and State, as well as Behavioural Patterns, Template, Subclass Sandbox and Type Object. The final section of the book will introduce the use of design patterns for optimization including Dirty Flag, Data Locality and Object Pooling. By the end of this book, you will be able to design systems with the perfect C++/Blueprint blend for maintainable and scalable systems. What you will learn * Understand what a design pattern is and why it is useful * Understand the layers within UE5 and how they work together * Develop an understanding of the relationship between C++ code and Blueprint in Unreal Engine 5 * Translate code from Blueprint to C++ in Unreal Engine 5 * Understand design patterns found within existing Unreal Engine 5 functions * Explore design patterns to understand their purpose and application within Unreal Engine 5 * Creatively apply design patterns to existing code to simplify common problems * Apply best practice principles for clean code Who This Book Is For If you are a beginner or intermediate game developer who is working with Unreal Engine and would like to improve your C++ coding practices, this book will help you produce clean, reusable code using design patterns. The book will cover introductory tasks to show the key fundamentals of using Unreal Engine 5 however learning Unreal Engine from scratch is not the purpose of this book. You would benefit from having some experience of the Unreal Engine but deep working knowledge is not required as activities will introduce the tools and features when needed.