Gaming Book Club
Mr Watts has a number of books about the gaming industry and dames development. They are free to borrow just come and ask. The books that are available to borrow are:
Unlocking the Xbox 360
by Dean Takahashi The real story behind Microsoft's multi-billion dollar gamble, as they battle with Sony and Nintendo to become a leading force in the global video game industry. With unprecedented access, San Jose Mercury News Technology and Gaming Writer Dean Takahashi takes you behind the scenes as he reveals: · The birth of the machine as seen through the eyes of the Xbox 360 engineers who designed it. · Blow-by-blow coverage of the heated internal debates as senior Microsoft executives battle to define the future of the Xbox brand. · The strategic chess moves as Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and company take risk after risk, trying to outmaneuver their archrivals for the brass ring: dominance of the incredibly lucrative video game market and control of the digital entertainment gateway in the living room. |
The Making of Prince of Persia
Journals 1985 -1993 Before Prince of Persia was a best-selling video game franchise and a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, it was an Apple II computer game created and programmed by one person, Jordan Mechner. Mechner's candid and revealing journals from the time capture his journey from his parents' basement to the forefront of the fast-growing 1980s video game industry... and the creative, technical and personal struggles that brought the prince into being and ultimately into the homes of millions of people worldwide. |
The Ultimate History of Video Games
by Steven L Kent With all the whiz, bang, pop, and shimmer of a glowing arcade. The Ultimate History of Video Games reveals everything you ever wanted to know and more about the unforgettable games that changed the world, the visionaries who made them, and the fanatics who played them. From the arcade to television and from the PC to the handheld device, video games have entraced kids at heart for nearly 30 years. This engrossing book tells the incredible tale of how this backroom novelty transformed into a cultural phenomenon. Through meticulous research and personal interviews with hundreds of industry luminaries, you'll read firsthand accounts of how yesterday's games like Space Invaders, Centipede, and Pac-Man helped create an arcade culture that defined a generation, and how today's empires like Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts have galvanized a multibillion-dollar industry and a new generation of games. |
A Theory of Fun for Games Design
At first glance A Theory of Fun for Game Design is a book that will truly inspire and challenge game designers to think in new ways. The author masterfully presents his engaging theory by showing readers how many designs are lacking because they are predictable and not engaging enough. He then explains how great designers use different types of elements in new ways to make designs more fun and compelling. Anyone who is interested in games design will enjoy how the book works on two levels--as a quick inspiration guide to game design, or as an informative discussion that details the insightful thinking from a great mind in the game industry. |
Steve Jobs Autobiography
by Walter Issacson Walter Isaacson tells the story of the rollercoaster life and intense personality of creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.. |
Jacked: The unauthorized behind-the-scenes story of Grand Theft Auto
by David Kushner Jacked is the incredible story behind the phenomenon that changed video games for ever – Grand Theft Auto. Powerful politicians tried to stop it, parents and activists vigorously campaigned against it, but they couldn’t stop GTA breaking records. GTA IV became the biggest entertainment product launch of all time, eclipsing all other books, films and music, and went on to become the most controversial video game in history. Now, after 10 years of research, David Kushner reveals how Sam Houser’s company, Rockstar Games, made it all possible. He lifts the veil of secrecy around the team to show how a blend of creative genius, daring PR campaigns, big egos and an obsessive work ethic all came together to create a monster with a tendency to spiral out of control. Including the full story behind ‘Hot Coffee’ – the hidden sex minigame that nearly killed the game and the company – Jacked gets right to the heart of what it takes to make a classic computer game… |