Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

Author: Jason Schreier
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062651242
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 312

Book Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER “The stories in this book make for a fascinating and remarkably complete pantheon of just about every common despair and every joy related to game development.” — Rami Ismail, cofounder of Vlambeer and developer of Nuclear Throne Developing video games—hero's journey or fool's errand? The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more harrowing and complex than the games themselves, often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss. In Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it's nothing short of miraculous. Taking some of the most popular, bestselling recent games, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it's RPG studio Bioware's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Age: Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man's vision into a multi-million-dollar franchise; or Bungie spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny, a brand new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart. Documenting the round-the-clock crunches, buggy-eyed burnout, and last-minute saves, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Author: Virginia Lee Burton
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0547350570
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 51

Book Description
A modern classic that no child should miss. Since it was first published in 1939, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel has delighted generations of children. Mike and his trusty steam shovel, Mary Anne, dig deep canals for boats to travel through, cut mountain passes for trains, and hollow out cellars for city skyscrapers -- the very symbol of industrial America. But with progress come new machines, and soon the inseparable duo are out of work. Mike believes that Mary Anne can dig as much in a day as one hundred men can dig in a week, and the two have one last chance to prove it and save Mary Anne from the scrap heap. What happens next in the small town of Popperville is a testament to their friendship, and to old-fashioned hard work and ingenuity.

Breath of Fire

Author: Capcom
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
ISBN: 9781927925201
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The classic Breath of Fire series stands out as Capcom's most acclaimed foray into the fantasy RPG genre. Now, gamers can revisit the many worlds and characters of this beloved franchise through it's wonderful characters and visuals. Breath of Fire: Official Complete Works collects the artwork of all five games in the the series, including character designs, rough sketches, game covers, pinups, character profiles, creator commentary, and more!

Dragon's Crown: Official Artworks

Author: Vanillaware
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
ISBN: 9781772941111
Category : Dragon's Crown (Video game)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Swords, dungeons, sorcery, and dragons... Dragon's Crown is the ultimate side-scrolling action role-playing game! DRAGON'S CROWN: OFFICIAL ARTWORKS spotlights the fantastic artwork from the fan-favorite fantasy epic. Included is character & enemy artwork, story cutscenes, location illustrations, and tribute pieces from some of Japan's top video game concept artists.

The Art of Shantae

Author: WayForward
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
ISBN: 9781772940978
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
Shantae! She's the half-genie, belly-dancing, hair-whipping hero of her very own platforming video game franchise from WayForward Technologies! The Art of Shantae collects the fantastic artwork behind all five games in the Shantae series. Included are key artwork, rough concepts, style explorations, creature and environment designs, and much more! Follow the creative development of Risky Boots, Rottytops, Sky, Bolo, and the titular heroine herself, in this fantastic hardcover celebration of Shantae!

Postal

Author: Brock Wilbur
Publisher: Boss Fight Books
ISBN: 1940535220
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 110

Book Description
In 1997, game studio Running With Scissors released its debut title, Postal, an isometric shooter aimed at shocking an imagined pearl-clutching public. The game was crass, gory, and dumb—all of which might have been forgivable if the game had been any fun to play. Postal gained enough notoriety from riding the wave of public outrage to warrant a sequel. And DLC. And a remake. And, perhaps most surprising of all, a Golden-Raspberry-winning feature film adaptation directed by the infamous Uwe Boll. In this thoughtful and hilarious tag-team performance, Brock Wilbur & Nathan Rabin probe the fascinatingly troubled game and film for what each can tell us about shock culture & mass shootings, interviewing the RWS team and even Boll himself for answers. Like it or not, Postal is the franchise that won't die—no matter how many molotov cocktails you throw at it.

Shining Force Feather

Author: Sega
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
ISBN: 9781926778464
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Shining Force Feather is the first Nintendo DS entry in the popular Shining RPG series. This official Design Works art book includes character profiles, rough designs, storyboards, interviews, and plenty of creator commentary. Includes interviews with character designers Noizi Ito and pako.

Game Art

Author: Matt Sainsbury
Publisher: No Starch Press
ISBN: 1593276656
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 278

Book Description
Game Art is a collection of breathtaking concept art and behind-the-scenes interviews from videogame developers, including major players like Square Enix, Bioware, and Ubisoft as well as independent but influential studios like Tale of Tales and Compulsion Games. Immerse yourself in fantastic artwork and explore the creative thinking behind over 40 console, mobile, and PC games. A lone independent developer on a tiny budget can create an experience as powerful and compelling as a triple-A blockbuster built by a team of 1,000. But like all works of art, every game begins with a spark of inspiration and a passion to create. Let Game Art take you on a visual journey through these beautiful worlds, as told by the minds that brought them to life.

Game Over

Author: David Sheff
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307800741
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 558

Book Description
More American children recognize Super Mario, the hero of one of Nintendo’s video games, than Mickey Mouse. The Japanese company has come to earn more money than the big three computer giants or all Hollywood movie studios combined. Now Sheff tells of the Nintendo invasion–a tale of innovation and cutthroat tactics.

Person 4 Arena

Author: Atlus
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
ISBN: 9781926778815
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Fight and survive towards the one throne waiting at the end in Persona 4 Arena! The fighting game spinoff to the legendary Persona 4 RPG has already, itself, become an instant classic. Now, this spectacular art book collects the artwork behind the landmark title, including character designs, rough sketches, storyboards, and pin-ups. All this, plus character profiles, story summaries, creator interviews, and more!