Creating Casual Games for Profit & Fun (Charles River Media Game Development) (Paperback)

by Allen Partridge (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Thousands of game enthusiasts and would-be developers are searching habitually for an opportunity to expand their knowledge of games. Whether they're clicking through Amazon or browsing Barnes and Noble, they are all looking for a path to their dream, a secret door into the games industry. The Casual Games Market is that secret passage. The industry, featuring online downloadable games generally delivered through distributors like Real-One Arcade, Shockwave.com and Oberon Media (via MSN Games and Pogo) has exploded over the past five years into a multi-billion dollar annual marketplace. Independent developers have rapidly discovered the field as one of the last remaining venues to break into the public eye. It is now the single most attractive opportunity available to anyone who wants to become a game developer. Casual Games for Profit and Fun introduces and defines casual games, explains the current state and scope of the industry, and describes the various genres, formats, conventions, and business models that define the industry today. It also teaches the basic casual game development techniques in Flash for the web, PC, and PDA's and cell phones. Throughout the book users will learn how to create a variety of games that they can use for their own fun or sell commercially.

About the Author
Dr. Allen Partridge is Director of the Applied Media and Simulation Games Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Partridge owns Insight Interactive games and has developed a myriad of interactive 3D games. Partridge's games are featured on Reflexive Arcade and in international publications. He has written several articles and a book on Shockwave 3D games and was the technical editor for Paul Catanese's Director's Third Dimension. Partridge is the host of the popular dirGames-l and dir3d-l mailing lists. See attached resume for more information.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Charles River Media; 1 edition (February 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584505192
• ISBN-13: 978-1584505198
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #881,046 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new standard for the casual game maker, February 23, 2007

By	K. Kilfara (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a phenomenal book about a fast growing industry.

I could even see this as a college text. A great introduction to the industry and a solid primer for any game developer.

Filled with everything I needed to know about casual games industry - including how to get my stuff published. Without a doubt, I know I am better prepared to tackle this industry after reading this book.

Everything you could want to know about casual games is in this book. There are even examples of some of the most common types of games (code, walkthrough, and tons of pics to make learning to make the games easy.)

After reading his first book, Real-Time Interactive 3D Games: Creating 3D Games in Macromedia Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio, I was excited to see he had another title out. I normally drudge through computer books trying to get the information I know I need, but Partridge has an informative and engaging style to his writing that I greatly enjoy.

This is a must read for anyone interested in actually succeeding at making video games.

2.0 out of 5 stars Falls Short, July 10, 2009

By	Christian Belmont - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well... I definitely let myself be misled by the reviews and the title. This book does not present anything innovative that cannot be found in other texts or online with better detail and explanation. It seems to me that it is written for the layman who has little experience in playing games, never mind creating them. I cannot blame the book for a mistake I made in assuming it would be a more generic approach, and not merely using Flash as the development platform - but I cannot imagine this book helping anyone: too simple for the knowledgeable gamer / programmer who wants to create, far too sparse for the beginner. Some interesting ideas are presented about the business model, but again this is nothing that cannot be researched online. The text dedicates mere paragraphs to important topics.

Basically, I am at a loss as to why people would give this 5 stars...

Final suggestion for the would be casual games developer: Read the [..]articles and the mailing lists - I find that I can get a real world idea of the state and practices of the casual games industry.

5.0 out of 5 stars Consistently Excellent work from this author, April 5, 2007

By	Lee Smith - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

this is the second book of Partridge's that I've read and then chosen as the text for a class I'll be teaching. He is a consistently excellent author and his books are clear, concise and the sort of text that makes all others superfluous. Partridge neither assumes the reader knows too much, nor too little. He engages readers and developers from all parts of the spectrum and one is never left feeling spoken down to nor 'jargon fatigued.' my students find his books witty and his examples clear and useful. Professor likes the book and Students like the book...isn't that what's called a win-win situation?