To build this expansive universe, the team at Bungie drew from a multitude of inspirations—from classic fantasy and science fiction worlds, the myth-meets-technology adventure of space operas, and the ornate design of medieval drapery juxtaposed with modern architecture—all of which combine to create a world uniquely imagined down to the smallest detail. The Art of Destiny is a celebration of the dynamic art at the heart of the game, featuring hundreds of pieces of concept illustrations, cinematic imagery, early sketches, and world-building graphic design. Covering the meticulous artistic development behind each class, vehicle, weapon, and environment, this lush and comprehensive overview explores the game’s sweeping world, grand scope, and vibrant visuals. © 2014 Bungie, Inc. All rights reserved. Destiny, Bungie, and the Bungie logo are trademarks of Bungie, Inc. in the US and/or other countries.

    Movies defined the 20th century but games are now pushing them aside as the medium that captures our time, fascination and money. Generation Xbox digs into the love-hate relationship between games and cinema that has led us to this point. It's a story of disaster, triumph and Angelia Jolie in hot pants. Learn how Steven Spielberg's game-making dreams fell apart and why Silicon Valley pioneers wooed Stanley Kubrick. Discover the story behind the failed Halo movie, how videogame tech paved the way for Avatar, and what companies like Ubisoft and Valve are doing to take gaming to the next level. Based on more than 100 interviews with leading figures from videogames and Hollywood, Generation Xbox is the definitive history of an epic power struggle that has reshaped the entertainment landscape. Are you ready to play?

    What started as a game of Pong, with little blips dancing across a computer screen, has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry that is changing the future, making inroads into virtually all aspects of our culture.Who are the minds behind this revolution? How did it happen? Where is it headed? In Smartbomb, journalists Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby take the reader behind the scenes at gaming conventions, into powerhouse think tanks where new games are created, into the thick of the competition at cyberathlete tournaments, and into the homes of gamers for whom playing a role in a virtual world has assumed more relevance and reality than life in the real world.

    You'll master the Unity toolset from the ground up, adding the skills you need to go from application coder to game developer. Based on Unity version 5.About the BookThis book helps readers build successful games with the Unity game development platform. You will use the powerful C# language, Unity's intuitive workflow tools, and a state-of-the-art rendering engine to build and deploy mobile, desktop, and console games. Unity's single codebase approach minimizes inefficient switching among development tools and concentrates your attention on making great interactive experiences.Unity in Action teaches you how to write and deploy games. You'll master the Unity toolset from the ground up, adding the skills you need to go from application coder to game developer. Each sample project illuminates specific Unity features and game development strategies. As you read and practice, you'll build up a well-rounded skill set for creating graphically driven 2D and 3D game applications.You'll need to know how to program, in C# or a similar OO language. No previous Unity experience or game development knowledge is assumed.

    Connecting games to math, science, and psychology, GameTek has grown to be one of the most popular parts of the show.This volume commemorates the anniversary with a collection of over seventy of the best segments, many with annotations and illustrations.With chapters on everything from Rock, Paper, Scissors to the Prisoner’s Dilemma to Player Engagement to Quasicrystals to Buddha’s Forbidden Games, GameTek is sure to delight not just game designers and players, but anyone who wants to learn about the world from a new perspective.Sections:• Game Theory• Math• Psychology• Science• Game Mechanics• Psychology Games• HistoryFrom the first time I heard it, the GameTek segment in The Dice Tower podcast became my favorite part of the show. Listening to Geoff is like going to your favorite lesson with your favorite teacher. He teaches about games (yay!) and does it in a very interesting way with lots of examples. He does amazing stuff. He knows about the construction of games, he knows the theory, he knows all that stuff behind the scenes that we gamers do not see when just playing a game and having fun.Ignacy Trzewiczek, Portal GamesThere are many hobby game 'experts' out there, dying to give you their opinion on how the industry works, how games work, what types of games are best, and so on. Geoff Engelstein is the expert that requires your attention. He is a scholar of games, and his research on games and other principles that apply to gaming is matched by none.Stephen Buonocore, Stronghold GamesOver the years, I’ve listened to a lot of people talk about board games, yet the short snippets that Geoff puts out are the ones that I find myself thinking about in the quiet of the night. His are the segments that you laugh at and say, “I have NO idea what you are talking about” — but later on use to show people just how intellectual you are.Tom Vasel, The Dice Tower

    Taking players back to the survival horror atmosphere of the first film, ALIEN: ISOLATION features Amanda Ripley as the hero trying to survive on a decommissioned space station. The Art of ALIEN: ISOLATION is the ultimate gallery of the eagerly anticipated game, featuring extensive concept and development art, and creator and artist commentary throughout.

    Sid Sackson presents solitaire, strategy, and party games that can be played by children or adults with such common items as cards, checkerboards, dice, pencils, and paper. Diagrams and an abundance of examples, together with clear explanations of strategy and goals, show how to play such intriguing entertainments as Mate, a game of pure skill and logic; Blue and Gray, an exciting variation of Checkers; Plank, an advanced version of Tic-Tac-Toe; Knight Chase, a form of hide-and-seek on the checkerboard; Last Word, in which players select letters to form words in two, three, or four directions; Crossings, a fast-paced battle in which pieces move forward in a group; and other challenging diversions. The author also presents brief reviews of more than 300 other games.

    The veteran game journalist takes you inside the curious experience of life and work in video games -- through the lens of one week spent at the incredible Game Developers Conference.Available in epub, mobi (kindle compatible), microsoft word, and pdf formats.

    Eurogames have simple rules and short playing times and emphasize strategy over luck and conflict. This book examines the form of eurogames, the hobbyist culture that surrounds them, and the way that hobbyists experience the play of such games. It chronicles the evolution of tabletop hobby gaming and explores why hobbyists play them, how players balance competitive play with the demands of an intimate social gathering, and to what extent the social context of the game encounter shapes the playing experience. Combining history, cultural studies, leisure studies, ludology, and play theory, this innovative work highlights a popular alternative trend in the gaming community.

    You'll learn the basics of design, modeling, rigging, and animation-while mastering exciting new techniques for stretch-and-squash deformation, advanced blend extraction, and the latest software tools. Walk through the author's detailed analysis of sample animations and discover how to add nuance and sophistication to your designs.Full of insights drawn from years of professional experience, this book provides the focused and practical information you need to create believable facial animations. Learn visimes and lip sync techniques Construct a mouth and mouth keys Explore the process of facial landmarking Master the cartoon techniques of squash and stretch Harness the latest advanced blend extraction tools Create interfaces for your faces Understand skeletal setup, weighting, and rigging Control faces with the book's powerful rig and learn how skin moves to make various shapes and expressionsMaster powerful stretch-and-squash (and squoosh!) techniquesFeatured on the CDFine-tune your facial animations with the techniques demonstrated on the companion CD. Content includes tutorial files, lip sync samples, models, textures, and more.Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

    It is the first truly balanced research-based analysis on the games and gamers, addressing both the positive and negative aspects of habitual playing by drawing on significant recent studies and established motivational theory.Filled with examples from popular games and the real experiences of gamers themselves, Glued to Games gets to the heart of gaming's powerful psychological and emotional allure--the benefits as well as the dangers. It gives everyone from researchers to parents to gamers themselves a clearer understanding the psychology of gaming, while offering prescriptions for healthier, more enjoyable games and gaming experiences.

    It was written by the game's first level designer, John Staats, from notes he took during WoW's creation. The WoW Diary explains why developers do things and debunks popular myths about the games industry. In great detail he covers the what it took to finish the project; the surprises, the arguments, the mistakes, and Blizzard's formula for success.

    It's a tour de force of VW design, stunning in intellectual scope, spanning the literary, economic, sociological, psychological, physical, technological, and ethical underpinnings of design, while providing the reader with a deep, well-grounded understanding of VW design principles. It covers everything from MUDs to MOOs to MMORPGs, from text-based to graphical VWs.Designing Virtual Worlds brings a rich, well-developed approach to the design concepts behind virtual worlds. It is grounded in the earliest approaches to such designs, but the examples discussed in the book run the gamut from the earliest MUDs to the present-day MMORPG games mentioned above. It teaches the reader the actual, underlying design principles that many designers do not understand when they borrow or build from previous games. There is no other design book on the market in the area of online games and virtual worlds that provides the rich detail, historical context, and conceptual depth of Designing Virtual Worlds.

    Author Mike Selinker (Betrayal at House on the Hill) has invited some of the world's most talented and experienced game designers to share their secrets on game conception, design, development, and presentation. In these pages, you'll learn about storyboarding, balancing, prototyping, and playtesting from the best in the business.

     • Multiple tactics and tips for every Main, Miscellaneous, and Freeform quest. • Karma flowcharts plus everything you need to know about completing all endings. • Expert tactical advice on V.A.T.S., combat techniques, S.P.E.C.I.A.L. abilities, plus which skills to pick as your adventure progresses. • Damage and health statistics for every weapon and enemy.