Like civilization, play requires structure and participants willing to create within limits. Starting with Plato, Huizinga traces the contribution of Homo Ludens, or "Man the player" through Medieval Times, the Renaissance, and into our modern civilization. Huizinga defines play against a rich theoretical background, using cross-cultural examples from the humanities, business, and politics. Homo Ludens defines play for generations to come."A happier age than ours once made bold to call our species by the name of Homo Sapiens. In the course of time we have come to realize that we are not so reasonable after all as the Eighteenth Century with its worship of reason and naive optimism, though us; "hence moder fashion inclines to designate our species asHomo Faber Man the Maker. But though faber may not be quite so dubious as sapiens it is, as a name specific of the human being, even less appropriate, seeing that many animals too are makers. There is a third function, howver, applicable to both human and animal life, and just as important as reasoning and making--namely, playing. it seems to me that next to Homo Faber, and perhaps on the same level as Homo Sapiens, Homo Ludens, Man the Player, deserves a place in our nomenclature. "--from the Foreward, by Johan Huizinga

    Each chapter covers a different topic important to game designers, and was taken from actual industry experience. After a brief overview of the topic, there are five challenges that each take less than two hours and allow you to apply the material, explore the topic, and expand your knowledge in that area. Each chapter also includes 10 -non-digital shorts- to further hone your skills. None of the challenges in the book require any programming or a computer, but many of the topics feature challenges that can be made into fully functioning games. The book is useful for professional designers, aspiring designers, and instructors who teach game design courses, and the challenges are great for both practice and homework assignments. The book can be worked through chapter by chapter, or you can skip around and do only the challenges that interest you. As with anything else, making great games takes practice and Challenges for Game Designers provides you with a collection of fun, thoughtprovoking, and of course, challenging activities that will help you hone vital skills and become the best game designer you can be.

    They teach you how to make games. This book does not show you how to make games. It shows you how to take your game project to the finish line. Many game projects never make it beyond the alpha state.Game Development Success Is All About The Inner Game.Being a successful game developer does not (just) mean being a great programmer, a smart game designer or a gifted artist. It means dominating the inner game of game making. This separates the pros from the wannabes. It's the knowledge of how to stay focused, motivated and efficient during your game projects. It's the skillset of keeping things simple and avoiding misleading dreams of the next overnight success. Finally it's about thinking as a salesperson, not just as a designer, programmer or artist.

    Innocent curiosity had brought that day a lot faster than either of you had planned for. *** Read It FREE With Kindle Unlimited Or Prime Membership! Don't have a Kindle device? No worries! Read it on your PC, Mac, Tablet Or Smartphone! ***

    Clumsy, awkward, naive, and frequently a nuisance to his mentor wizard, it was hard for Mithris to believe he’d ever become a great and powerful wielder of magic... But everything changed for the young apprentice one day when vicious and foul creatures attacked his master’s tower, killing his mentor, and driving Mithris into exile in the wild world outside. Alone and left to care for himself for the first time in his life, Mithris must find the strength and courage to become the very thing he never expected he could be...A powerful wizard... And he must do it in time to stop the monsters, avenge his master’s death, and save the world from the clutches of a power-hungry wizard. Length: 80,000 Words This Bundle Contains: - EverMage #1: Of Swords and Magic - EverMage #2: Of Wizards and Men - EverMage #3: Of Earth and Stone - EverMage #4: Of Flame and Ash - EverMage #5: Of Absence and Void - EverMage #6: The Final Foundation

    Designed by Origins Award-winning game designer Luke Crane for beginners and veterans alike, the game comes complete with three sample patrols and three sample missions, so you and your friends can get started playing right away. Includes art and extensive background material on the Mouse Territories specially prepared by Mouse Guard creator David Petersen, as well as character sheets and maps.

    The crystal shells that encase them bob and drift in a turbulent, rainbow ocean which fills all the cosmos. Sturdy merchants, bold pirates, and daring explorers venture into the great, unknown vastness of the universe, seeking wealth and adventure.The SPELLJAMMER Game puts you in command of a fantastic ship capable of spanning the tremendous distances between planets. Graceful elven flitters, stately illithid galleys, deadly beholder tyrants, and the awesome Spelljammer itself carry trade, emissaries, and heroic action throughout all the worlds of the AD&D game.

    Techniques for using simple accessories such as bounce cards and diffusers, as well as how to improve a lighting scenario by enhancing it rather than overwhelming it, show photographers how to master this challenging aspect of portraiture.

    I'm sure it will be ...

    A companion volume for gamers and nongamers alike, Darksword Adventures is an indispensable Who's Who guide to the world of Darksword that no fan of the bestselling trilogy will want to be without. Here is the full, never-before-told history of Thimhallan, the secret texts of its priestly caste and expanded character backgrounds of Joram, Saryon, Bishop Vanya, King Garald, the Duuk-tsarith and much more.Including a full set of rules and guidelines for play, this single volume contains everything you need to join the adventure. Let the quest for the Darksword begin!

    It presents the mathematical foundations of computer graphics with a focus on geometric intuition, allowing the programmer to understand and apply those foundations to the development of efficient code. - The fundamental mathematics used in graphics programs - The basics of the graphics pipeline - BSP trees - Ray tracing - Surface shading - Texture mapping Advanced topics include: - Curves and surfaces - Color science - Global illumination - Reflection models - Image-based rendering - Visualization Extensive exercises and references for further reading enhance each chapter. An introduction for novices---a refresher for professionals.

    This includes how to write compelling reviews, how to pitch yourself as a writer, how to tackle some tricky ethical quandaries, and yes, even how to get free games. Based on Dan Amrich’s own experience as a game journalist for more than 15 years, it’s advice that can serve you for your entire career, from press start to game over.

    If you aspire to move from game player to game creator, it all starts with learning the fundamentals of C++ and game-programming basics. With BEGINNING C++ THROUGH GAME PROGRAMMING, FOURTH EDITION, you will find an up-to-date and thorough introduction to everything you need to get started—with no previous programming experience required. In the new fourth edition of this popular guide to learning C++, you will work with a complete program while learning each new concept and a game program at the end of each chapter. A final game project at the end of the book draws together everything you’ve learned. Written with the beginning programmer in mind, BEGINNING C++ THROUGH GAME PROGRAMMING, FOURTH EDITION is a great way to get started in game programming

    Whether you're designing your own monstrous helpers as an enigmatic summoner, brewing up trouble with a grimy urban alchemist, or simply teaching an old rogue a new trick, this book has everything you need to make your heroes more heroic.The Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide is a must-have companion volume to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 10 years of system development and an Open Playtest featuring more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.The 336-page Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide includes:- Six new base classes: the monster-hunting inquisitor, the explosive alchemist, the noble cavalier, the prophecy-haunted oracle, the monster-crafting summoner, and the hex-weaving witch.- More than a hundred innovative new feats and combat abilities for characters of all classes, including Steal, Point-Blank Master, and Bouncing Spell.- Variant class abilities, rules subsystems, and thematic archetypes for all 11 core classes, such as the antipaladin, the hungry ghost monk, and the urban ranger- Hundreds of new spells and magic items, from phantasmal revenge to the Storm King's Cloud Castle.- A wealth of fantastic equipment, such as fireblast rods and fortune-tellers' cards.- New prestige classes like the Master Chymist and the Battle Herald.... and much, much more!Cover art by Wayne Reynolds

    Dreams aren't really anything like reality. Dreams are, well, they're more dreamy. You can just tell. Things happen in dreams that don't happen in reality. Usually, anyway. An intriguing tale that will instill readers with an abiding sense of philosophical wonder. If you're smitten with Sophie's World, you're sure to be entranced by The Dream Weaver. - Christopher Phillips, author, Socrates Cafe. Jack Bowen's novel is like traveling with Alice to a Wonderland inhabited by the greatest philosophers and scientists who ever lived... A triumph! - Wenda O'Reilly, Ph.D., President, Birdcage Press and author, The Impressionist Art Game. The Dream Weaver is an outstanding how-to-think book... This book is a philosophical odyssey that tackles the mysteries of life, of science, and of the meaning of reality. - Susanne Pari, author, The Fortune Catcher.