Computer Game Art & Design

"Introduction to Video Game Engine Development reviews the design and implementation of a 2D game engine in three parts. Part 1 covers the low-level API class by class. You’ll see how to abstract lower-level functionality and design a set of classes that interact seamlessly with each other. You’ll learn how to draw objects, play sounds, render text, and more. In Part 2, you’ll review the mid-level API that is responsible for drawing the game, loading resources, and managing user input. Lastly, in Part 3, you’ll build a game from the ground up following a step-by-step process using the 2D game engine you just reviewed."

"Over the years, the Unity game engine has extended its scope from just being about creating video games to building AR/VR experiences, complex simulations, real-time realistic rendering, films, and serious games for training and education. Its features for implementing gameplay, graphics, and customization using C# programming make Unity a comprehensive platform for developing professional-level, rich experiences. With this book, you'll be able to build impressive Unity projects in a step-by-step manner and apply your knowledge of Unity concepts to create a real-world game."

"Discover how to use the Unity game engine to its full potential for both 3D and 2D game development--from the basics of scripting to useful tricks in gameplay, behavior, and animation. Using our cookbook format, we pinpoint the problem, set out the solution, and discuss how to solve your problem in the best and most straightforward way possible. This book is ideal for beginning to intermediate Unity developers. You'll find solutions for: 2D and 3D graphics Math, physics, and character control Animation and movement Behavior and AI Sound and music Input and gameplay Scripting and user interface."

"Game Development Projects with Unreal Engine starts with the basic skills you'll need to get started as a game developer. The book starts with an introduction to the Unreal Editor and key concepts such as actors, blueprints, animations, inheritance, and player input. You'll then move on to the first of 3 projects: building a dodgeball game. In this project, you'll explore line traces, collisions, projectiles, user interface, and sound effects, combining these concepts to showcase your new skills. In the second project; a side-scroller game, you'll implement concepts including animation blending, enemy AI, spawning objects, and collectibles. The final project is an FPS game, where you will cover the key concepts behind creating a multiplayer environment. To grasp the concepts explained in this book better, you must have prior knowledge of the basics of C++ and understand variables, functions, classes, polymorphism, and pointers. For full compatibility with the IDE used in this book, a Windows system is recommended."

"The Art of Game Design guides you through the design process step-by-step, helping you to develop new and innovative games that will be played again and again. It explains the fundamental principles of game design and demonstrates how tactics used in classic board, card and athletic games also work in top-quality video games. For over 10 years this book has provided inspiration and guidance to budding and experienced game designers - helping to make better games faster."

"This book offers a play-focused, process-oriented approach for designing games people will love to play. The authors link the concepts and elements of play to the practical tasks of game design. Using full-color examples, they reveal how real game designers think and work, and illuminate the amazing expressive potential of great game design. The book focuses on practical details, guiding readers from idea to prototype to playtest and fully realized design. Step by step, you'll assemble every component of your "videogame," creating practically every kind of play: from cooperative to competitive, from chance-based to role-playing, and everything in between. Games, Design and Play is for all game design students, and for beginning-to-intermediate-level game professionals, especially independent game designers."

Game designers today are expected to have an arsenal of multi-disciplinary skills at their disposal in the fields of art and design, computer programming, psychology, economics, composition, education, mythology--and the list goes on. How do you distill a vast universe down to a few salient points? Players Making Decisions brings together the wide range of topics that are most often taught in modern game design courses and focuses on the core concepts that will be useful for students for years to come. A common theme to many of these concepts is the art and craft of creating games in which players are engaged by making meaningful decisions. It is the decision to move right or left, to pass versus shoot, or to develop one's own strategy that makes the game enjoyable to the player. As a game designer, you are never entirely certain of who your audience will be, but you can enter their world and offer a state of focus and concentration on a task that is intrinsically rewarding. This detailed and easy-to-follow guide to game design is for both digital and analog game designers alike and some of its features include: A clear introduction to the discipline of game design, how game development teams work, and the game development process Full details on prototyping and playtesting, from paper prototypes to intellectual property protection issues A detailed discussion of cognitive biases and human decision making as it pertains to games Thorough coverage of key game elements, with practical discussions of game mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics Practical coverage of using simulation tools to decode the magic of game balance A full section on the game design business, and how to create a sustainable lifestyle within it

This book presents the theory and practice behind the creation of digital characters for film and games using software-agnostic descriptions that apply to any animation application. It covers: evolution and history of digital characters; contemporary issues affecting character design decisions, e.g., the "Uncanny Valley" phenomenon; the process of building characters: anatomical considerations, character motion systems, facial setup and more; animation technology including keyframe strategies, curve interpolation, motion capture, procedural animation, and more; the future of digital characters, including research questions are unanswered. Interviews with leading character development professionals provide insights into the challenges for success in this field.

This book is an essential tool to understanding the basics of a 3D world. Essential Skills for 3D Modeling, Rendering, and Animation examines the complexities of 3D computer-generated art, and outlines the basics of how things work and are used in 3D. The book describes the three cornerstones of 3D--modeling, rendering, and animation; focuses on common elements; and provides a full understanding of the foundational concepts involved. It details the skills and knowledge needed to become an accomplished 3D artist, and includes step-by-step instruction with ample examples. Each chapter builds on the fundamentals of 3D computer graphics and augments skills based on the concepts, enabling the student to learn both theory and application simultaneously. The book highlights two basic geometry types, polygons and NURBS surfaces, showing the student basic modeling techniques with both.

3D Animation for the Raw Beginner Using Autodesk Maya is a hands-on academic textbook as well as a do-it-yourself training manual for the individual animator. This second edition has been completely rewritten to take into account updates to Autodesk Maya, including Autodesk's renderer, Arnold. It contains entirely new examples and tutorial lessons. All 612 images are in full color. The book directs the reader to the parts of Maya that must be mastered in order to create complete 3D projects, and thus it simplifies the process of taking on Maya's vast and intricate interface, while giving the reader a firm foundation on which to build future knowledge of Maya. It also presents brief examples of other popular 3D applications and rendering engines. This principles-based, yet pragmatic book: Introduces the basic steps of the 3D modeling, materials, animation, lighting, and rendering processes. Presents clear and concise tutorials that link key concepts to practical techniques. Includes access to a webpage for the book: https://buzzking.com/AnimationTextbook/AnimationTextbook.html. On this webpage are videos that cover many of the lessons in the book, as well as video tutorials that present bonus material not included in the book. Frees instructors from the painstaking task of developing step-by-step examples to present Maya's complex interface and basic capabilities. Boasts an easy-to-follow, tutorial-based learning style ideal for individual study by aspiring animators and do-it yourselfers. Roger "Buzz" King is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he teaches 3D Animation for the Computer Science Department and the Alliance for Technology, Learning, and Society (ATLAS), an institute dedicated to the application of technology to the arts. Buzz is an independent 3D animator who serves on the board of directors of a 3D animation startup. Buzz has a B.A. in Mathematics from Occidental College, an M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Southern California, and an M.Div. from the Iliff School of Theology.   Key Features Introduces critical aspects of the 3D animation process Presents clear and concise tutorials that link key concepts to practical techniques Includes access to a dedicated Web site, http://3dbybuzz.com, featuring useful videos, lessons, and updates Frees instructors from developing step-by-step examples to present Maya's complex interface and basic Boasts an easy-to-follow, hands-on learning style ideal for individual study by aspiring animators and do-ityourselfers

"Do you have an awesome idea for the next break-through mobile gaming title? This updated edition will help you kick-start your project as it guides you through the process of creating several example game apps using APIs available in Android.

You will learn the basics needed to join the ranks of successful Android game app developers. the book starts with game design fundamentals using Canvas and Android SDK 10 or earlier programming basics. You then will progress toward creating your own basic game engine and playable game apps that work on Android 10 or earlier smartphones and tablets. You will also learn about publishing and marketing your games to monetize your creation."

"This book leads you step by step through the development of your first Swift game. Using SpriteKit, learn to animate sprites and textures. Along the way, you will master physics, animations, and collision effects and how to build the UI aspects of a game. Next, create a 3D game using the SceneKit framework. Learn how to add monetization and integrate Game Center. This new version allows integration of shared experiences such as multiplayer augmented reality and persistent AR that is tied to a specific location. Create Augmented Reality games using SpriteKit and SceneKit. Create a Multipeer AR project to connect two devices, and send and receive data between those devices in real time. By the end of this book, you will be able to create your own iOS games using Swift and publish them on the iOS App Store"

"Design, build, and publish an iOS game from scratch using the stunning features of iOS .Create storyboards in Xcode, chalk out your game's overall navigation and structure, work with 2D and 3D game development tools and more. For developers who want to create 2D and 3D games for phones or tablets."

Create a complete game with advanced techniques through the course of the book using in-depth, hands-on instructions. This book Is for those who have created an iOS game already and want to hone their skills.

"Play to Learn bridges the gap between instructional design and game design; it's written to grow your game literacy and strengthen crucial game design skills. Experts Sharon Boller and Karl Kapp share real examples of in-person and online games, and offer an online game for you to try as you read. They walk you through evaluating entertainment and learning games, so you can apply the best to your own designs. You will also learn to: Link game design to your business needs and learning objectives. Test your prototype and refine your design. Deploy your game to motivated and excited learners. Think big, design well, and use Play to Learn as your guide."

"This book examines how to create an engaging, effective story (necessary to teach participants), while relating practical considerations of building a simulation. It also looks at stories as classic ways of teaching and gathering knowledge and considers other theories of interactive narrative design such as synthetic story creation and management and participant-generated story experiences. It includes discussions of enabling technologies in artificial intelligence, synthetic characters design and development, speech recognition technology, 3D modelling, and the future of story-driven games. Story Driven Simulations reviews the existing efforts in this field as well as focusing on work done by Paramount Pictures and The Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California."

Provides detailed information on the process to develop and commercialize independent and serious games as well as simulations.

This book presents the state of the art technology in Serious Games and topics include: (1) Fashion simulation; (2) Chinese calligraphy ink diffusion simulation; (3) Rehabilitation (4) Long vehicle turning simulation; (5) Marine traffic conflict control; (6) Special needs education. The book also addresses fundamental issues in Simulation and Serious Games such as rapid collision detection, game engines or game development platforms. The major part of this book comprises of papers presented at the 2012 Asia-Europe Workshop on Serious Games and Simulation held in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (May 9, 2012).