Game Development

This page provides a set of links that will help you find resources, software and guidance in developing games or courses about games.

Game development incorporates many disparate disciplines including game design, software engineering, computer science, graphics design and production, audio design and production as well as project management. Gaming development provides a rich environment for students to work in teams with the requirement to meld together multidisciplinary contributions to produce a unified output. Game development brings together the work of designers, artists, developers, testers, project managers and marketers into a single unified product – the game.

Resources

XBOX 360 Home Page - Get official news on your favorite Xbox 360 games, sign up for My Xbox and view game trailers.

Microsoft Faculty Connection - resource for technology news, customizable curriculum, free software downloads, and members-only community forums.

Direct X Developer Center – this site provides the latest samples, articles, reference material and news related to Direct X technologies.

XNA Developer Center – This site provides the latest samples, articles, reference materials and news related to XNA technologies.

XNA Creator Club – this site is for developers who want to develop games using XNA for the Xbox 360 or Microsoft Windows. There are training materials, articles, various types of resources and forums.

Classroom Resources

Microsoft Research Computer Gaming Resource Toolkit - The Computer Gaming Resource Toolkit contains the Microsoft DirectX SDK and the Tablet PC SDK for gaming, as well as tools, papers, curriculum, talks from industry and academic community leaders, and PC game examples.

Academic Resource Center: Gaming and Graphics – this cross segment of the Academic Resource Center (ARC) contains gaming and graphics related content

Software

Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition – use this free software in conjunction with the Microsoft Game Studio Express to develop XNA games.

XNA Game Studio Express – use this free software in conjunction with Microsoft Visual C # 2005 Express Edition to create XNA games for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360.

Books

Professional XNA Game Programming: For Xbox 360 and Windows – professional game developer and Microsoft DirectX MVP Benjamin Nitschke shows you how to take advantage of the XNA Game Studio Express tools and libraries in order to build cutting-edge games.

Microsoft XNA Game Studio Creators Guide – Create complete 3D games using Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express and this hands-on guide. Tutorials and Samples

Setting up XNA Game Studio Express - These guides will help you get started with XNA Game Studio Express, from installation to creating your first game

XNA Tutorials – tutorials on how to accomplish various task using XNA XNA Samples – samples of how to accomplish various task using XNA. XNA Starter Kits – the XNA starter kits provide great full featured examples games and provide source code so you can extend and modify them