Game Development Principles

  • 5h 21m
  • Alan Thorn
  • Cengage Course PTR
  • 2014

The art of game development requires much more than simply the ability to operate game-programming software. Compelling, successful games--games that enchant players and stand the test of time--are created by developers who have absorbed the fundamental principles of good game design. Unless you get your mind around that basic theoretical framework, making games is destined to remain a frustrating, disappointing exercise. In GAME DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES, developer Alan Thorn clearly lays out the core theoretical knowledge on which most successful game developers rely--the concepts, workflow practices, techniques, and general details that go into the making of great computer games. Each chapter focuses on a key set of development concepts, including game math, textures and materials, geometry and topology, lighting, sound, effects, and more. Through a variety of illustrations, case studies, and examples, all your questions about the fundamentals of game development will be answered in a friendly, easy-to-grasp way. And you'll finish GAME DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES with a strong understanding of game development's core theoretical concepts.

About the Author

Alan Thorn is an author, mathematician, and independent video game developer based in London. He is the founder of game development studio Wax Lyrical Games and the creator of the award winning PC adventure game Baron Wittard: Nemesis of Ragnarok. He works freelance for some of the world's largest entertainment corporations and has lectured on game development at some of the most prestigious institutions in Europe. He has written seven books on games programming, including Teach Yourself Games Programming, Game Engine: Design and Implementation, and UDK Game Development.

In this Book

  • Games and Game Design
  • Game Software Development
  • Games Programming
  • Game Math
  • Graphics, Pixels, and Color
  • Meshes, Rigging, and Animation
  • Lighting and Rendering
  • Sound and Music
  • Special Effects and Post-Processing
  • Distribution, Publishing, and Marketing