"A Minimum Threshold of Coolness" is an account of an interdimensional school reunion. In "Video Woman", an alcoholic George Michael -fanatic seeks and receives an unlikely release from her decades long plight. In "Mission to Dreamland", an Iraq war veteran struggles with moral crises and pizza-delivery. "Bruisers" is a collection of three succinct hard hitters in short story form.

Grasp the concepts of creating games with GameMaker and the various features of the engine to create your first game. The book promotes critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity, making the process both engaging and effective.At 25 years old in 2024, GameMaker is still a hugely popular tool. It is considered one of the finest approaches for 2D game creation. The engine is behind dozens of hit titles including Hotline Miami, Undertale, Katana Zero, and Nuclear ...

Primitive software chatbots emerged in the 1960s, evolving swiftly through the decades and becoming able to provide engaging human-to-computer interactions sometime in the 1990s. Today, conversational technology is ubiquitous in many homes. Paired with web-searching abilities and neural networking, modern chatbots are capable of many tasks and are a major driving force behind machine learning and the quest for strong artificial intelligence, also known as artificial general intelligence (A...

Grasp the fundamentals of digital audio work in the context of video games, including the basics of middleware such as Fmod and Wwise. We will review software such as Apple's Logic and Garageband, Paul Davis's Ardour, and many other popular digital audio workstations.We will start with an introduction to the basic terminology of digital audio work while also getting acquainted with current generation audio hardware. We will then discuss the basics of the venerable Musical Instrumen...

Explore the basics of the three most popular programming languages: C#, Java, and Python and see what it's like to function in today's world from the perspective of a programmer. This book's uses is highly practical approach with numerous code listings aimed at bringing generations together through the intricacies of technology.You'll learn how understanding the basics of coding benefits non-programmers working with software developers. Those in the gaming/media industry will also ...

Cryptography and encryption aren't just for geeks and spies—they’re also part of our daily lives. This book enlightens you with the basics of digital cryptography and covers the must-do practices organizations need to implement when it comes to fending off data theft and eavesdroppers. You will uncover the concepts of digital encryption and examine key digital encryption algorithms and their various applications. Gauging cryptography from an enterprise perspective, you will get an in-depth...

Get a head start in your game development career with this all-genre guide for absolute beginners. Whether you're into action games, role-playing games, or interactive fiction, we've got you covered. Mostly Codeless Game Developmentempowers new developers with little or no previous programming experience and explores all major areas of game development in a succinct, entertaining fashion.Have you dreamed of making your own video game? Do you find the prospect daun...

Get your feet wet in developing visual novels and take a guided tour through easy to follow tutorials using three of the most popular tools (Ren'Py, TyranoBuilder, and Twine). This book uses a two-pronged approach into the fine art of text-based games, showing you what makes for compelling writing as well as the programming logic and techniques needed to bring your visual novels to life.In this book, you will uncover the rich history of interactive fiction from the bare-bones 1970s...

Be smarter than your computerIf you don't understand computers, you can quickly be left behind in today's fast-paced, machine-dependent society.Computer Science Made Simple offers a straightforward resource for technology novices and advanced techies alike. It clarifies all you need to know, from the basic components of today’s computers to using advanced applications. The perfect primer, it explains how it all comes together to make computers work. Topics covered ...

Deserted by her people at a kennel one dog longs to go home. Will someone choose her and take her to their home? Or is she meant to be alone with no human to call her own. This story is based on the life of a real dog but told by her.

Playstation 4 or Xbox One -- Which of the exciting new video game consoles should YOU buy?For the first time ever, entertainment giants Sony and Microsoft are squaring off in a straight-up battle for video game supremacy, as both companies roll out their long awaited systems simultaneously. Hang on to your to your controllers... this is gonna be awesome!The United Gamers Federation has compiled everything you need to know to make an informed buying decision for the release ...

A step-by-step, practical tutorial with a no-nonsense approach. The book starts by showing readers how to create a playable game that is fully-functioning, then moves on to demonstrate how to fine-tune the game with eye-catching graphics techniques, audio-effects and more.This book is for indie and existing game developers and those who want to get started with game development using Stencyl. Some understanding of Objective-C, C++, and game development basics is recommended. People with so...