Cosplayers: Gender and Identity is an examination of identity practices in cosplay, as expressed by cosplayers themselves. It challenges the assumed correlation between cosplay and cosplayer identity and considers the lived experiences of cosplayers engaging in the fan practice of sartorial performance. Through a series of chapters covering the blurring lines of gender, sexualized fantasy in real spaces, and nostalgia, the author argues that observational data run the risk of affirming normative expectations of identity in the absence of cosplayer narratives, and produce misreadings that generalize. The work develops and builds an understanding of a complex cultural system of art, engaging with multiple methodologies to make identity, fandom, and critical analysis on the parts of participants and observers alike. This is an accessible and innovative study suitable for scholars and students in gender studies, cultural studies, sexuality studies, sociology, and media studies.

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.

From the one-bit beeps of Pong to the 3D audio of PlayStation 5, this book examines historical trends in video game sound and music. A range of game systems sold in North America, Europe and Japan are evaluated by their audio capabilities and industry competition. Technical fine points are explored, including synthesized v. sampled sound, pre-recorded v. dynamic audio, backward compatibility, discrete and multifunctional soundchips, storage media, audio programming documentation, and analog v. digital outputs. A timeline chronicles significant developments in video game sound for PC, NES, Dreamcast, Xbox, Wii, Game Boy, PSP, iOS and Android devices and many others.

A comprehensive and fun guide to Backgammon

Backgammon is one of the oldest games in the world, the origins of which date back some 5000 years - and it's still going strong. It enjoyed a huge resurgence in the 1970s, and then again in the 1990s with the popularity of the Internet, where millions of people play tournaments online every day.

Today, backgammon's following in the UK is huge, with a dedicated British Isles Backgammon Association, and hundreds of face-to-face tournaments taking place across the UK every year.

In this book, backgammon expert Chris Bray walks you through the basics of setting up a board, opening strategies, middle and end-game tactics, and tips on when to make key moves. You'll also get to grips with basic probabilities, the doubling cube and the 25% rule. And if you want to take your gaming further, there's plenty of advice to get you started in tournament backgammon, as well as playing online.

Suitable for both beginners and experienced player looking for more tips and techniques, "Backgammon For Dummies" includes coverage on: Starting and Playing the GameHandling the Middle GameBearing Off (The Last Lap)Varying the PlayAbout the author

Eagerly anticipated, this update of the highly regarded third book from pinball author Michael Shalhoub includes over 900 color photos and covers the most recent period in pinball history, from 1982 through 2011. Each chapter is devoted to a specific year and features descriptions, release dates, and historical background on the games released that year from manufacturers Gottlieb, Williams, Bally, Data East, Stern, Sega, and others. Current values are listed for each machine shown in the book. Interspersed with the games are stories and interviews with many of the legendary designers and artists who created them. Readers will gain fascinating insight into the planning that went into the games, how the designers and artists got their start in the industry, behind-the-scenes tales of life in the pinball world, and more. “Michael Shalhoub’s Pinball Compendium is a great documentary of our business,” says designer Steve Ritchie of the second book in the trilogy. Along with its two companion volumes (the first covering the 1930s-1960s and the second covering 1970-1981), this book is a must-have for all who love the sights and sounds of the world’s great pinball machines.

This is the perfect book for fans of Journal 29, and those who want to re-create an exciting escape-room experience in their own home! You are Adam Parkinson, an intrepid journalist who has recently been employed by the time-travelling Wexell Corporation. Adam is invited to an unusual art gallery, filled with objects and artworks donated by a mysterious figure. It will be up to you to help Adam unravel the mysteries of the Gallery, and you will travel from Ancient Egypt to Victorian England - and beyond - to do it. And, quite possibly, to save the world! Escape from the Gallery is an immersive escape-room experience that provides a visual feast as well as a tricky puzzle adventure. Featuring artworks ranging from Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to Mexican masterpieces, you will need to solve visual riddles and discover the hidden secrets that lie within the artworks if you want to figure out what is going on, and why this might be the most important visit to a gallery you have ever made.

The perfect book for any adult who loves to challenge their brain but also craves a creative outlet that allows them to use the artistic and inventive side too. Featuring over 120 fantastic puzzles, mazes, dot-to-dots, crosswords, spot the difference, hanjie, sudoku and more, as well as colouring pages, The Adult Activity Book truly lives up to its name and presents a variety of puzzles and activities that will help boost your brain power. Apart from enhancing the brain, you will find that taking time for yourself and concentrating on an activity has real therapeutic benefits too, as it allows you to recharge your batteries and better cope with the stresses we all face every day. All the activities increase in difficulty as you work through the book, and all you need are pens and pencils to get stuck in – so challenge your brain to ever-harder puzzles or kick back and relax with bit of creative colouring.

From early classics like Contact to marvels like High Speed, gaming publisher Williams dazzled arcade goers with its diverse range of quality pinball games. The age of video games catapulted the company into legend with blockbusters like Defender and Joust, and by the end of the 1980s it was the largest coin-op publisher in North America. Its acquisition of Bally/Midway began a period of hits that included Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam, as well as the best-selling pinball machine of all time, The Addams Family. The history of Williams spans nearly six decades and is filled with great games, huge gambles and technical innovations that impacted every aspect of pinball and arcade video games. With interviews from over 40 former designers and executives from Williams/Bally/Midway, as well as information from hundreds of contemporaneous news reports and documents, this book presents a never-before-seen chronology of how the small company became a coin-op juggernaut. Thirty pinball and 26 video game classics are examined in depth with direct input from the people who made them, along with the story of the events that made and shaped one of gaming's greatest publishing houses.

Bursting with facts on over 600 unique blocks! Minecraft continues to grow every year and Minecraft Blockopedia: Updated Edition catalogues every single block in the game. Over 200 new blocks have been added in this completely revised edition, including those from the most recent Caves & Cliffs update. Ever wanted to know how to make obsidian, or find out where you can mine for emeralds? Maybe you've wondered what you can use ancient debris or copper ore for? The answers are all contained in this comprehensive collection of blocks. Every page has been lovingly crafted from the ground up to suitably showcase each of the blocks - from deep dives on the intricate patterns of glazed terracotta and the benefits of the beacon block to concise explanations of furnace and anvil mechanics. This is the perfect gift for Minecraft fans of all generations, in a beautifully presented hardback edition. The original version of this title was a bestseller, shifting 200,000 copies in the UK alone.