"[David is] the foremost chronicler of FPS history." –John Romero"The premier FPS historian working today." –Dave OshryBased on over 50 interviews and written by bestselling author David L. Craddock, Knee-Deep in the '90s: The First-Person Shooters That Defined a Decade takes you behind the scenes of one of the most creative periods in gaming history. Discover the origin stories of over 20 genre-defining hits—from Doom and Duke Nukem 3D to System Shock and Tom Clan...

It is the Year 1994…In North America, turn-based strategy games were trampled by flashier video games like Doom and Mortal Kombat. All but one: Sid Meier's Civilization, a game of conquest and megahit developed by Maryland-based MicroProse.Over in southwest England, the producers at MicroProse UK aspired to design a tactical game that matched or exceeded the success of their American counterparts, who viewed the UK branch as nothing more than a support studio. Nearby, a bes...

As a kid, Nicholas DiMucci dreamed of growing up and creating the world's next mega-best-selling video game. As an adult, he's got the money for an education and the passion to make his dream come true. There's just one problem. He's deathly afraid of math.Angels, Devils, and Boomsticks: The Making of Demons with Shotguns follows an aspiring designer as he conquers his fears and pursues his dream of releasing his first commercial video game.

Game Dev Stories: Interviews About Game Development and Culture Volumes 1 and 2 are a collection of interviews from renowned author David L. Craddock as he explores all corners of the video game industry. Collected from the author's archives, Game Dev Stories gathers conversations with individuals from all corners of the industry: Who they are, the paths they paved, and their contributions to this multibillion-dollar industry. This text of...

Game Dev Stories: Interviews About Game Development and Culture Volumes 1 and 2 are a collection of interviews from renowned author David L. Craddock as he explores all corners of the video game industry. Collected from the author's archives, Game Dev Stories gathers conversations with individuals from all corners of the industry: Who they are, the paths they paved, and their contributions to this multibillion-dollar industry. This text of...

"An entertaining, race-against-time narrative."—Kobo review"A fast-paced look into seven-day roguelikes, something so niche most people wouldn't have heard about, but the book is well written and shows how important it is to get your thoughts down so you can sort out your ideas."—Goodreads reviewEleven game designers. Eight grand ideas. Seven days to will them into reality.Every year, programmers around the world compete in the 7-da...

In 1980, computers were instruments of science and mathematics, military secrets and academia. Stern administrators lorded over sterile university laboratories and stressed one point to the wide-eyed students privileged enough to set foot within them: Computers were not toys.Defying authority, hackers seized control of monolithic mainframes to create a new breed of computer game: the roguelike, cryptic and tough-as-nails adventures drawn from text-based symbols instead of state-of-...

Two companies. Two opposing cultures. One multi-billion-dollar video-game empire.Stay Awhile and Listen: How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire - Book 1 invites readers to discover the origin of Blizzard North, a studio built by gamers, for gamers, and Blizzard Entertainment, a convergence of designers driven to rule their industry.Composed from exhaustive research and hundreds of personal interviews, the Stay Awhile and Listen series divulges the...

In 1980, computers were instruments of science and mathematics, military secrets and academia. Stern administrators lorded over sterile university laboratories and stressed one point to the wide-eyed students privileged enough to set foot within them: Computers were not toys.Defying authority, hackers seized control of monolithic mainframes to create a new breed of computer game: the roguelike, cryptic and tough-as-nails adventures drawn from text-based symbols instead of state-of-...

To politicians and parents, Mortal Kombat was a menace to society. To gamers, it was a way of life. From dedicated hustlers who put thousands of miles on their odometers driving coast to coast to challenge the top players in arcades, to fans who devote their free time to collecting action figures, setting world records, and plumbing the depths of its lore, the Mortal Kombat franchise has topped sales charts for thirty years, and its popularity shows no signs of waning.

Twenty-five years after Doom's landmark release in 1993, lead designer John Romero returned to his most iconic game with the release of SIGIL, a brand-new episode spanning nine levels of intricate maps and grueling battles. In 2023, Romero celebrated Doom's thirtieth anniversary by unleashing SIGIL II, the game's sixth episode--and its most challenging to date.Bestselling author David L. Craddock plunges readers into the darkest pits of Hell to reveal the design proces...

More than three thousand years have passed since the first events recorded in Frank Herbert's DUNE. Only one link survives with those tumultuous times: the grotesque figure of Leto Atreides, son of the prophet Paul Muad'Dib, and now the virtually immortal God Emperor of Dune. He alone understands the future, and he knows with a terrible certainty that the evolution of his race is at an end unless he can breed new qualities into his species. But to achieve his final victory, Leto Atreides m...