This book stands out with its real-world perspective on the video game business. Its authors share dozens of case studies and anecdotes from the field, including some behind-the-scenes details on some well-known recent titles. Besides notable successes, there are plenty of stories of what can go wrong. (One of the most entertaining sections here presents interviews with game industry experts, who universally argue against formal software process while describing the many problems of writing games.) This text succeeds in showing that long hours, missed deadlines and mediocre software may be the result of sloppy (or non-existent) design and management techniques and a "hacker" mentality on the part of programmers.

Besides a diagnosis of what doesn't work, the authors offer several potential cures. They show that proper design, planning and project management (used in mainstream business computing) can improve gaming software. The authors predict that in the future, "software factories" will use third party engines, re-usable objects and other tools, along with team organisation and management, to create better games.

After showing off the steps needed for designing and developing game software successfully, the authors also provide a full-fledged example(using DirectX and C++) to help get you started. Anyone who wants a glimpse into the often disordered world of game development--and advice that can help bring some order to the chaos--should read this intelligent and provocatively argued book, which challenges conventional thinking on the best way to develop entertainment software. --Richard Dragan, Amazon.com

Synopsis
A guide to computer game design, architecture, and management explores the application of design principles, shares the experiences of game programmers, and offers an overview of game development software.

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