Written by Computer Scientist Andre' LaMothe, the world's best selling game programming author, The Black Art of Video Game Console Design breaks new ground in game development by bridging the alien worlds of hardware and software together for the first time! The Black Art of Video Game Console Design is written for the programmer and/or hobbyist interested in software game development, but also wants to understand the hardware games are implemented on. This book assumes no prior knowledge of Electrical Engineering or Computer Architecture, but takes you on a breathtaking journey from atomic semiconductor theory to the design and construction of basic video game consoles that you can build and write your own games for! Included in the book is the entire design of numerous embedded game systems including the XGameStation systems and much more. The Black Art of Video Game Console Design with 800+ pages covers everything you need to know to design your own game console including: * Basic atomic physics and semiconductor theory primer. * Introduction to circuit analysis; current, voltage, and resistance. * Analog design using discrete components. * Digital electronics and Boolean algebra. * Physical hardware construction and prototyping techniques. * Combinational logic and advanced integrated circuit building blocks. * Finite state machine design. * Computer architecture and design. * Understanding and using microprocessors and microcontrollers. * Developing software for embedded systems. * Designing video (NTSC/VGA), audio, and input device systems. * Interfacing and communications. * The complete design and discussion of numerous game systems including the XGameStations! CD-ROM Contains * PCB and circuit simulation tools. * All necessary data sheets. * Demos and source code. * Complete designs to numerous embedded systems including the XGameStations.

This is a comprehensive book that gives aspiring artists an honest, informative, and concise look at what it takes to become a concept artist in the video game industry. Author Eliott Lilly uses his own student work as a teaching tool along with personal experiences to help you on your journey. From finding the right school and getting the most out of your education, to preparing your portfolio and landing your first job, the advice and strategies Eliott offers are organized for easy reference and review. The book also features an extensive list of resources that students will find useful, as well as interviews with renowned concept artists David Levy, Sparth, Stephan Martiniere, Ben Mauro, and Farzad Varahramyan, all offering their own invaluable advice.

Catalog of an exhibition published on the occasion of the exhibit September 4 - December 13, 2015

THE CON50LE is a comprehensive yet conversational account of 50 years of home video gaming history, leaving no rarely sighted system unturned and providing a chronological account of the evolution of the biggest entertainment medium in the world. From the earliest consoles of the 1970s to the cutting-edge machines of the here and now, a line is drawn from one man’s eureka moment to the multi-billion-dollar global industry of today. All the well-known names and massive-selling consoles are here: the Nintendo Entertainment System, the SEGA Mega Drive, the Atari 2600, the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 2. But there’s plenty of room for hardware that many a gamer won’t have heard of before, from Japan-only releases and home computer conversions to ill-advised experiments with VHS and all manner of micro-console magic. Learn about the creators and their inspirations, the games that made the biggest consoles’ eternal reputations, and the failures and flops along the way. Even the consoles that came and went without notable commercial success left a mark, an imprint, on this compelling history – and THE CON50LE unravels it, explains it, one fascinating machine at a time.

A book/CD-ROM package on computer game design, featuring interviews with 13 designers, writers, and other experts in the industry. Walks through steps needed to get ideas on paper, and offers an insider's view on how games come together. Overviews different interactive writing and design software programs, and discusses the newest game technology and what the future holds for both console and computer gaming systems. The author is a computer game designer. The CD-ROM contains demo versions of games and software. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In today's game market more games are developed for the Xbox?, PlayStation?, and Nintendo? systems than for the PC, so designers and developers need to hone their skills and learn console specific techniques in order to succeed in this very competitive field. Designing Character-Based Console Games delves into the intricacies and technical details of console design, while covering the broader aspects of design that apply to all types of games, including action-adventure, first person shooters, and role-playing games. It offers a starting point for any budding designer, a point of reference for anyone who wants to learn more about how games are made, and a few choice nuggets of information for the expert. By following the process of design from start to finish, the book teaches best-practice design methods to help designers avoid repeating common mistakes. It provides a thorough discussion of gameplay and how to design it effectively, and how to write the narrative and develop the characters. It explores the important aspects of a character-based game design, including game structure, character control, and combat. Specifics on viewpoint & cameras, artificial intelligence, physics, environments, audio, interface design, economies, and game balancing are also covered in detail.

The complex material histories of the Nintendo Entertainment System platform, from code to silicon, focusing on its technical constraints and its expressive affordances. In the 1987 Nintendo Entertainment System videogame Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, a character famously declared: I AM ERROR. Puzzled players assumed that this cryptic mesage was a programming flaw, but it was actually a clumsy Japanese-English translation of “My Name is Error,” a benign programmer's joke. In I AM ERROR Nathan Altice explores the complex material histories of the Nintendo Entertainment System (and its Japanese predecessor, the Family Computer), offering a detailed analysis of its programming and engineering, its expressive affordances, and its cultural significance. Nintendo games were rife with mistranslated texts, but, as Altice explains, Nintendo's translation challenges were not just linguistic but also material, with consequences beyond simple misinterpretation. Emphasizing the technical and material evolution of Nintendo's first cartridge-based platform, Altice describes the development of the Family Computer (or Famicom) and its computational architecture; the “translation” problems faced while adapting the Famicom for the U.S. videogame market as the redesigned Entertainment System; Nintendo's breakthrough console title Super Mario Bros. and its remarkable software innovations; the introduction of Nintendo's short-lived proprietary disk format and the design repercussions on The Legend of Zelda; Nintendo's efforts to extend their console's lifespan through cartridge augmentations; the Famicom's Audio Processing Unit (APU) and its importance for the chiptunes genre; and the emergence of software emulators and the new kinds of play they enabled.