He asks what play might mean in our understanding of evolution, the brain, behavioral organization, and psychology. Is play essential to development? Is it the driving force behind human and animal behavior? What is the proper place for the study of play in the cognitive, behavioral, and biological sciences?The engaging nature of play--who does not enjoy watching a kitten attack a ball of yarn?--has made it difficult to study. Some scholars have called play undefinable, nonexistent, or a mystery outside the realm of scientific analysis. Using the comparative perspectives of ethology and psychology, The Genesis of Animal Play goes further than other studies in reviewing the evidence of play throughout the animal kingdom, from human babies to animals not usually considered playful. Burghardt finds that although playfulness may have been essential to the origin of much that we consider distinctive in human (and mammalian) behavior, it only develops through a specific set of interactions among developmental, evolutionary, ecological, and physiological processes. Furthermore, play is not always beneficial or adaptive.Part I offers a detailed discussion of play in placental mammals (including children) and develops an integrative framework called surplus resource theory. The most fascinating and most controversial sections of the book, perhaps, are in the seven chapters in part II in which Burghardt presents evidence of playfulness in such unexpected groups of animals as kangaroos, birds, lizards, and Fish That Leap, Juggle, and Tease. Burghardt concludes by considering the implications of the diversity of play for future research, and suggests that understanding the origin and development of play can shape our view of society and its accomplishments through history.

    Connections are made between diverse biological examples linked by common mathematical themes, exploring a variety of discrete and continuous ordinary and partial differential equation models. Although great advances have taken place in many of the topics covered, the simple lessons contained in Mathematical Models in Biology are still important and informative. Shortly after the first publication of Mathematical Models in Biology, the genomics revolution turned Mathematical Biology into a prominent area of interdisciplinary research. In this new millennium, biologists have discovered that mathematics is not only useful, but indispensable! As a result, there has been much resurgent interest in, and a huge expansion of, the fields collectively called mathematical biology. This book serves as a basic introduction to concepts in deterministic biological modeling.

    These same winning characteristics also define the best computer games, which suggests that the most effective learning experiences are also engaging. Learning can and should be hard fun! The challenge is to get in touch with what it takes to design learning experiences that will excite your audience. Engaging Learning offers a much-needed guide for training professionals who want to create learning programs that are both effective and engaging. Clark N. Quinn Learning, a system designer, presents a unique framework for systematically aligning the key elements of learning and engagement with a proven design process for e-learning games. This nuts-and-bolts guide, which is both research-based and grounded in experience, offers the tools needed to transform learning experiences from humdrum to fun.

    

    But in the real world, game design almost always needs to work within the constraints of time, money, hardware and software limitations, marketing issues, sales potential, and other challenges. Anyone who views this as an opportunity rather than a problem can learn to create exciting and truly original titles that become highly successful. The "complete" approach to game design is all about getting into the trenches and uncovering the real-world constraints and issues and providing design solutions that really work.This highly practical and informative guide shows that designing successful games involves critical factors such as how to design for licenses when a game is based on a film, book, or TV show; how to design for technology that has significant limitations such as limited memory, smaller displays, and limited CPU capacity; how to create designs that are compelling and really hook the player; and how to spot and take advantage of key design trends that are leading the industry. No other book like Game Design Complete brings together the amazing insight of today's top minds to cover topics like designing unique characters, dealing with strange and challenging environments like Mars or the artic, designing a game around famous people, designing a game to stand out as a brand, designing for different demographics, and much more. Throughout, the book is jam-packed with design related war stories, tips, and techniques that really work.