X-Play Insider's Guide to Gaming


Book Description

Reviews of the hottest games; a "Holiday Hub" of gadget, game, and hardware shopping advice; and a feature on Japan's hot new gaming genre (dating sims!)--these are just a sampling of what you might find on any given day at the X-Play Web site. Multiply these by a hundred, and that's what you'll find in this encyclopedia of gaming knowledge and X-Play lore from the folks at TechTV.




Developing Online Games


Book Description

A soup-to-nuts overview of just what it takes to successfully design, develop and manage an online game. Learn from the top two online game developers through the real-world successes and mistakes not known to others. There are Case studies from 10+ industry leaders, including Raph Koster, J. Baron, R. Bartle, D. Schubert, A. Macris, and more! Covers all types of online games: Retail Hybrids, Persistent Worlds, and console games. Developing Online Games provides insight into designing, developing and managing online games that is available nowhere else. Online game programming guru Jessica Mulligan and seasoned exec Bridgette Patrovsky provide insights into the industry that will allow others entering this market to avoid the mistakes of the past. In addition to their own experiences, the authors provide interviews, insight and anecdotes from over twenty of the most well-known and experienced online game insiders. The book includes case studies of the successes and failures of today's most well-known online games. There is also a special section for senior executives on how to budget an online game and how to assemble the right development and management teams. The book ends with a look at the future of online gaming: not only online console gaming (Xbox Online, Playstation 2), but the emerging mobile device game market (cell phones, wireless, PDA).




Paid to Play


Book Description

Offers a review of employment opportunities in the computer games industry, describing the different types of jobs that are available, the qualifications that are needed, responsibilities, and salary potential.




Game Plan


Book Description

National bestselling author Charles Wilson delivers a cutting-edge thriller based on real-life experiments at improving human intelligence currently underway in both government and private circles. Imagine a computer chip no bigger than the tip of a pencil. This chip, if implanted in a human brain, could give someone encyclopedic knowledge, lightning-fast reflexes and superior learning skills. In a remote military hospital in Montana, an experiment is being performed: implant the chip into the brains of five volunteers. These volunteers, four men and one woman, are all serving life sentences in prison. The experiment works...but the five criminals escape. One young doctor is pulled into the intrigue by the baffling murder of his medical school mentor. Can this one doctor stop the conspiracy of five powerful opponents...whose driving desire is absolute and total control?




How to Become a Video Game Artist


Book Description

Become a Player in the Business of Video Game Art Every year video games generate billions of dollars and some of the most dynamic and engaging artwork today. It’s an ever-growing field that holds great professional opportunity, but you need the right skills and savvy if you want to stake your claim. In How to Become a Video Game Artist, veteran video game designer Sam R. Kennedy provides the inside track on everything you need to forge a career in the world of video game art. Starting with the basics of game creation and a look at the artistic skills necessary to get started, Kennedy spotlights specific, key roles for creators—from concept artists to character animators to marketing artists and beyond. Each chapter features screenshots from popular video games like Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon and World of Warcraft; interviews with video game art professionals who’ve worked for top gaming companies like BioWare, Blizzard, and Ubisoft; step-by-step examples of actual game art; and detailed breakdowns of the training and portfolio samples you’ll need to make these jobs your own. For anyone who wants to go from gamer to game designer, this book contains all the secrets you’ll need to rise to the top of one of the most exciting industries of our time.




An Insider's Guide to Paintball


Book Description

Though it has been around for only a few decades, paintball is an incredibly popular sport. Paintball fans will appreciate the history of the sport that is offered here, as well as the discussion of tactics that will help them dominate the competition. Neophytes will also find this title valuable, with its overview of how the game is played proving particularly useful. Sidebars offer extra information, while dynamic photos of paintball players in action are sure to capture readers’ attention. A great resource on a high-interest topic.




The Video Games Guide


Book Description

The Video Games Guide is the world's most comprehensive reference book on computer and video games. Presented in an A to Z format, this greatly expanded new edition spans fifty years of game design--from the very earliest (1962's Spacewar) through the present day releases on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PC. Each game entry includes the year of release, the hardware it was released on, the name of the developer/publisher, a one to five star quality rating, and a descriptive review which offers fascinating nuggets of trivia, historical notes, cross-referencing with other titles, information on each game's sequels and of course the author's views and insights into the game. In addition to the main entries and reviews, a full-color gallery provides a visual timeline of gaming through the decades, and several appendices help to place nearly 3,000 games in context. Appendices include: a chronology of gaming software and hardware, a list of game designers showing their main titles, results of annual video game awards, notes on sourcing video games, and a glossary of gaming terms.




Insiders' Guide® to North Carolina's Piedmont Triad


Book Description

A first edition, Insiders' Guide to North Carolina's Piedmont Triad is the essential source for in-depth travel and relocation information to North Carolina's Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Highpoint region. Written by a local (and true insider), this guide offers a personal and practical perspective of North Carolina's Piedmont Triad and its surrounding environs.




Gamers


Book Description

This book explores patterns of gameplay and sociality afforded by online gaming. Bringing together essays from leading and emerging academics, this book explores key issues in understanding online gaming, including: patterns of play, legality, production, identity, gamer communities, communication, social exclusion and inclusion, and considers future directions in online gaming.




Insiders' Guide® to St. Louis


Book Description

With this guide, readers will get an inside perspective on St. Louis--the city's more than 170 parks, a thriving live music and local arts scene, an abundance of nightclubs and casinos, and world-class sports teams, not to mention the Gateway Arch.