The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Computer Games - for the bookshelf Major Keary |
Computer Games
The computer-games industry presently generates more money than Hollywood films. Computer games and computer graphics have, more or less, developed together. Probably the earliest graphics capable machine was the Whirlwind, a mainframe built in 1949 at MIT. It was able to show a bouncing ball on its display screen and could also play Jingle Bells. Hardly gaming, but the essential first step. Alan Turing, at about the same time, proposed an imitation game; his concept led to Eliza - but not until 1963. Eliza was the 'digital' character who could answer questions, usually with another question, but did not require the use of graphics.
The first practical use of interactive games-like programs was military; amongst the applications were simulated radar screens used for training operators, and large-scale war games.
Early non-military games did not rely on video display, but used text. The first 'civil' simulation games using video were not for entertainment, but for use by commercial enterprises (for example, The Management Game in 1959). An early entertainment game was Spacewar (1962). The next wave of applications was for educational purposes. Between the early development of computer games and the availability of 'consumer-priced' desktop computers, arcade games came to prominence; in 1982 some $US 6000 million (all in coins) was put into arcade machines that offered Space Invaders and the like. That was more than "the gross take of all professional sports combined" [Encyc. of Computer Science 4/e]. A year later the games market collapsed. It was not until the late 1980s that the upward swing kicked in: the PC clone saved the day.
Since then computer gaming has developed its own culture, the growth of which is described in Dungeons and Dreamers, has the sub-title, The Rise of Computer Game Culture: From Geek to Chic. This is not a book about programming or other technical stuff; there's not a line of code in it. What the authors present is "a slice of today's computer game culture and .... the amazing realms into which it may be heading". It is about people and events.
If you are interested in the development of computer-based games, the people who got it all going, and the culture that has grown up around it, this is the book to read. The narrative is written in a breezy style that makes it a 'good read', but that does not detract from its value to those with a more academic interest.
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Brad King and John Borland: Dungeons and Dreamers ISBN 0-07-222888-1 Published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 273 pp., RRP $44.95 incl. GST. |
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Game Design
From the creative end of the game spectrum is Ultimate Game Design, written by a
former game designer and producer for the Walt Disney Company. This book is not
technical in the sense of in-depth discussions of programming and hardware; its
focus is on the design process, techniques, and tools. The author says his
"purpose in writing this book is to try to provide new developers and seasoned
pros alike with some common ground in their own approaches to game design
theory, but far less has been written about what might be called applied game
design".
An excellent resource for that audience, it is also a useful guide for those who
are thinking of a career in the games development industry. An appendix brings
together information about relevant resources. There is, incidentally, a
companion text, Break Into the Game Industry (ISBN 0-07-222660-9) from the same
publisher.
The author is an outstanding technical communicator; he has written a text that
should make interesting and informative reading for anyone with a general
interest in game design. There are a number of interviews with prominent game
authors, case studies that illustrate particular topics, and useful tips on
design issues.
One of the interesting features of the book is that it points to free software
that can be used to accomplish all the techniques described. An aspiring games
developer can try his or her hand without spending anything on the necessary
tools.
There is an informative discussion on the use of scripting to control behaviours
and for 'triggering' (or event handling). Scripting is not just easier to use
than something like C++, it can be more efficient. The text is supported by
example code, but it does not go on forever.
Whether you want to know how an environment is created (including lighting
effects and textures), how character behaviour is achieved, or even how a
multiplayer online game is put together, this is the book to read.
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Tom Meigs: Ultimate Game Design ISBN 0-07-222899-7 Published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 346 pp., RRP $$59.95 incl. GST. |
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Reprinted from the February 2004 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
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