The Minds Behind the Games


Book Description

Featuring interviews with the creators of 36 popular video games--including Deus Ex, Night Trap, Mortal Kombat, Wasteland and NBA Jam--this book gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of some of the most influential and iconic (and sometimes forgotten) games of all time. Recounting endless hours of painstaking development, the challenges of working with mega publishers and the uncertainties of public reception, the interviewees reveal the creative processes that produced some of gaming's classic titles.




The Game Behind the Game


Book Description

At a time when record numbers of Americans are unemployed and under-employed, syndicated radio personality Russ Parr has something important to add to the conversation about how to get a job, keep a job or move up the corporate ladder. The Game Behind The Game: Mastering The Art Of Bullshit a fresh look at what it really takes to win impress bosses and move ahead in the business game. In his humorous, urban style, Parr lets everyone know that 'the world runs on BS' and if you want to be 'cash-checking' (i.e. making money)— you might need to pucker up for a little old fashioned a$$-kissing. A how-to-succeed-in-business book unlike any you've ever seen, Parr offers readers a unique and humorous approach to what it really takes to succeed. Using the unique examples gleaned from his syndicated program The Russ Parr Morning Show, Parr recounts the foibles of unfortunate characters whose examples the reader should avoid—as well as stories from Parr's own riveting journey and ultimate ascent to top of the national airwaves. From his advice on 'How to Talk BS,' his suggestions to 'play the opposite' of what people expect and his heartfelt belief in the 'Power of Negative Thinking' Parr offers a move by move blueprint for success that is accessible to all. No matter the field in which your career aspirations may lie, Parr teaches us how to be victorious with a long term strategy while leap-frogging competitors who play the success game with a short term vision. This part motivational part biographical narrative boasts a lively wisdom delivered in a straight-forward diatribe that only an uncensored Russ Parr can convey.




The Minds Behind Adventure Games


Book Description

Featuring interviews with the creators of 31 popular video games--including Grand Theft Auto, Strider, Maximum Carnage and Pitfall--this book gives a behind-the-scenes look at the origins of some of the most enjoyable and iconic adventure games of all time. Interviewees recount the endless hours of painstaking development, the challenges of working with mega-publishers, the growth of the adventure genre, and reveal the creative processes that produced some of the industry's biggest hits, cult classics and indie successes.




Game Design


Book Description

"Learn how video games are designed and find out how you can create games of your own."--




Monopoly


Book Description

The author chronicles the history of the world's most popular board game,racing the origins of each "property" within Atlantic City, New Jersey,hile recalling the evolution of the game. Original.




Gaming the Game


Book Description

Now in paperback, Gaming the Game delves inside the FBI investigation of illegal gambling involving former basketball NBA referee, Tim Donaghy. The story examines Donaghy's relationships with professional gambler Jimmy Battista and Tommy Martino (the intermediary between Donaghy and Battista), the involvement of Italian-American crime families in the scheme, and the FBI's failed efforts to "flip" Battista into a cooperating witness.




Fabric of the Game


Book Description

An in-depth look into the origins of how each NHL team was named, received their logo and design, with interviews by those responsible. Written by those most knowledgeable, you'll learn why every hockey team to every play in the National Hockey League looks the way it does. Nothing unites or divides a random assortment of strangers quite like the hockey team for which they cheer. The passion they hold within them for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Boston Bruins allows them to look past any differences which would have otherwise disrupted a perfectly fine Thanksgiving dinner and channels it into a powerful, shared admiration for their team. We decorate our lives with their logos, stock our wardrobe with their jerseys, and, in some cases, even tattoo our bodies with their iconography and colors. They’re so ingrained in our lives we don’t even think to ask ourselves why Los Angeles celebrates royalty; why Buffalo cheers for not one, but two massive cavalry swords; or why the Broadway Blueshirts named themselves for a law enforcement agency in Texas (or why they even wear blue shirts, for that matter). All that and more is explored in Fabric of the Game, authored by two of the sports world’s leading experts in team branding and design: Chris Creamer and Todd Radom. Tapping into their vast knowledge of the whys and hows, Creamer and Radom explore and share the origin stories behind these and more, talking directly to those involved in the decision processes and designs of the National Hockey League’s team names, logos, and uniforms, pouring through historical accounts to find and deliver the answers to these questions. Learn more about the historied Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, as well as the lost but not forgotten Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques, all the way to the lesser-known Kansas City Scouts and Philadelphia Quakers. Whichever team you pledge allegiance, Fabric of the Game covers them in-depth with research and knowledge for any hockey fan to enjoy.




Football


Book Description

Football is the most popular sport on the planet partly because it’s so simple to play – but as philosopher, novelist and avid fan Stephen Mumford shows, behind the straightforward rules of the game there lurks a world of intriguing complexity. Mumford considers the intellectual basis upon which football rests, guiding readers through a number of issues at the heart of the game. How can a team be greater than the sum of its individual players? What is the essential role of chance? Should we want to win at all costs? What does it mean to control space? And can true beauty be found in football? Rich with colourful examples from football’s past and present, Mumford’s book is both a love letter to football and a reflection on its enduring capacity to enthral and excite.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Game Theory


Book Description

Gain some insight into the game of life... Game Theory means rigorous strategic thinking. It is based on the idea that everyone acts competitively and in his own best interest. With the help of mathematical models, it is possible to anticipate the actions of others in nearly all life's enterprises. This book includes down-to-earth examples and solutions, as well as charts and illustrations designed to help teach the concept. In The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Game Theory, Dr. Edward C. Rosenthal makes it easy to understand game theory with insights into: • The history of the discipline made popular by John Nash, the mathematician dramatized in the film A Beautiful Mind • The role of social behavior and psychology in this amazing discipline • How important game theory has become in our society and why




The History Behind Game of Thrones


Book Description

The true history behind the hit HBO fantasy show and George R. R. Martin’s bestselling Fire and Ice series. A wall in the distant north cuts the world in two. Ruthless sea-born warriors raid the coasts from their war galleys. A young nobleman and his kin are slaughtered under a banner of truce within a mighty castle. A warrior king becomes a legend when he smites his foe with one swing of his axe during a nation-forging battle. Yet this isn’t Westeros—it’s Scotland. Game of Thrones is history re-imagined as fantasy. The History Behind Game of Thrones turns the tables, using George R. R. Martin’s extraordinary fictional universe as a way to understand the driving forces and defining moments from Scotland’s story. Why were castles so important? Was there a limit to the powers a medieval king could use—or abuse? What was the reality of being under siege? Was there really anything that can compare to the destructive force of dragons? By joining forces, Westeros and Scotland hold the answers. Writer and presenter David C. Weinczok draws on a vast array of characters, events, places, and themes from Scottish history that echo Game of Thrones at every dramatic turn. Visit the castle where the real Red Wedding transpired, encounter the fearsome historical tribes beyond Rome’s great wall, learn how a blood-red heart became the most feared sigil in Scotland, and much more. By journey’s end, the cogs in the wheels of Martin’s world and Scottish history will be laid bare, as well as the stories of those who tried to shape—and sometimes even break—them.