5 comments about What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition.

1. Not sure why the author who does make some good points, couldn't find a way to express those without trying to sound important. The writing style got between his message (which was interesting) and his delivery. I finished it, got some value, but in comparison to other authors, this was a letdown.



2. Great book and delightful read. If you are a teacher or work in education to help direct new initiatives with technology and learning, you should read this.



3. First of all, this book is not written as a general public book, it is written much more in the vein of a college graduate's analysis. Heavy discussion of the effects of video games on the semiotic domain underpin the analysis. That being said, this book is a good analysis of the effects of video games on those that play them.
   
   If you want a general public analysis of the effects of entertainment (and video games) on people, check out Steven Johnson's "Everything Bad is Good For You." This book is a deeper analysis of part of Steven Johnson's book, so it might be best as a follow-up purchase.
   
   My biggest complaint about James Paul Gee's book is more with the copy editor and publisher. There are so many poorly written or incorrectly written sentences that should have been caught and corrected. It really affects the perceptions about the book's research.



4. I'd always sort of believed the "video games are a waste of time" thing just because I'd heard it so much. This book is good but I couldn't understand all the technical stuff but I think I got the just of it. I actually had to write a persuasive essay on the HSPA (High School Profficiancy Assessment) agreeing or disagreeing with the hypothetical decision of some kind of governmental authority (I forget which one, congress maybe?) to ban all noneducational video games. I'd read the first few pages of the book and it helped. Now I regret ever believing that waste of time stuff.



5. Gee's background in linguistics and current interests in education inform this discussion of video games, as he clearly outlines over thirty good learning principles that teachers can glean from the practice of gaming and apply to their classrooms. Gee's book should be commended for its detailed analysis of particular games--too often, theorists discussing games tend to shy away from minute description of their own interactions with games and go straight for lessons learned or abstract ideas garnered from gameplay. Gee also has a talent for talking openly and humorously about his development from non-gaming baby boomer to avid but still sometimes inept gamer.
   
   If you're already convinced that video games are cultural objects worthy of study, Gee will only confirm your opinion. However, if you look at the book's title and can't contain a derisive snort, give Gee a chance. According to Gee, good video games (and yes, not all video games are good) model active, participatory, and embodied learning, a kind of learning often scarce in traditional school curricula. Good games demonstrate the effectiveness of pattern recognition over rule-based or rote learning, and they encourage players to reflect at a meta level not only about their own identity but also their practices, often via the formation of affinity groups both within and outside of the game world. At their best, gamers become producers, creatively "modding" their own gaming experiences and sharing information with others who take play seriously.

4 comments about Scales of the Serpent (Diablo: The Sin War, Book 2).

1. This book was awesome, I waited so long to find out what happened to my dear friend Uldyssian....now I have to wait again for the third book xD



2. I found out that the sin war series could have been finished in two books. The 2nd book is nothing more than an extention of the first. The plot just continues, there are no new surprises along the way. Essentially the heroes do more of their stuff in the 2nd one like destroying temples etc.
   I would say this book is a lot weaker than the first one. Lets hope the pace picks up in the 3rd book though.
   Frankly I really liked Knaak's other Diablo books especially Moon of the Spider and the Kingdom of Shadow. The sin war series seems less than a equal to the previous titles.
   Get it if you like me love Diablo.



3. This book really sets some pace into the story line, although dont bother reading if you have not read the first.
   
   I could rabbit on all day but if you enjoyed the first book you must read this as the character development continues and the war begins! And when you finish this book you will be scratching at the wood-work to find out WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!
   
   
   Jack.



4. I enjoyed reading it, it's very good written and not any worse than some other fantasy books.

3 comments about Battlefield: Bad Company: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. After purchasing and loving the Shadowrun Prima guide, I was expecting the same great guide for Battlefield: Bad Company. However, I was very disappointed.
   
   The pages are not nice and glossy paperstock. They are thinner and feel more like a newspaper feels.
   
   There is way too much focus on single player. Over 100 pages are dedicated to the single player campaign. Only 10 pages about Multiplayer. There are top-down diagrams for single player maps, but none for multiplayer maps.
   
   After the in-depth treatment Prima gave to Shadowrun, I thought they would do the same for BF:BC. They did not.



2. 
   I agree with other review. Feels really cheap and quickly put together. The pictures are really small and the paper is cheap. I wanted to pick this up to get a good review of the multiplayer maps but there aren't any layouts like in the RB6 or the COD4 guide. They actually covered each map on just one page. They give you 1 by 1 inch pictures of a house or base and what can you do with it. There is not a reference point to match it to on a map. For two of the maps they had so little to say they fit both on one page.
   
   I looked at this in the store and decided to skip it.



3. This book was a disappointment and is very incomplete.
   
   Multiplayer problems:
   As stated earlier, no top views of the maps and a very limited look into the multiplayer area. Most of the info is from the videos included in the "Gold Edition" of the game.
   
   Stats:
   The weapon descriptions are the general rant with little info in how they perform in the game. The numbers do not include the handling stats and they do not have a table for easy comparison to help you choose what weapon is best. The specialist weapons have little info on how to use them correctly, especially the Snipers goggles witch I am still having problems with.
   
   Single player:
   The majority of this book is centered on the single player campaign. This is set up with short paragraphs scattered on a page to follow along the way the writers played the game. This largest disappointment with this is if you try to read and go you will miss some vital info. One example is I started a tough battle and then read I should have picked up the mortar designator two objectives previously which was not mentioned in the explanation that was two pages previously.
   
   This guide is similar to the layout of the Kameo guide. Which also blew? The problem with Prima guides is it seems to be a crap shoot. Half of the time the guides are well laid out and helpful. The other times they aren't. This is the only guide out there and it does have some info to help complete the game and find the collectables and such in the single player. It also included the point values for actions in the multiplayer.

2 comments about XNA 2.0 Game Programming Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach (Books for Professionals by Professionals).

1. I have followed Riemer's site pretty much as soon as he started publishing articles on XNA and loved all his on line tutorials as they gave a good base for those of us starting out and also enough for us to be getting on with once we got past those first early stages.
   
   I am pleased to say that the book is no different in this achievement, each Recipe has enough detail and information for you to pickup the techniques.
   
   I am also astounded as to how much is in here, from the basic data storage in XNA, on to cameras, game components, dealing with models and then onto the usage of vertices's, HLSL, the list goes on!
   
   Great site, great book.



2. In this moment this is the best book in XNA. Thank you Mr. Riemer for your webside and this book.

No comments about Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness Official Strategy Guide.

No comments about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

5 comments about Programming Game AI by Example.

1. This is a truely great book on AI programming. It does what the title says, as it teaches many concepts and then provides actual code, which is great.
   
   This book explains AI so well!
   
   I Saw another user comment "this book is so simple, my 10 year old son is writing state machines!" or something like that, i'm under 13 and i was able to read the state machine chapter, and then actually write my own =)
   
   I'd reccomend this book 100% to anyone beginning in AI programming.



2. This book never claims to be a definitive guide to AI, but it does promise to give you the techniques used in game AI today.
   
   It delivers on its promise with the best bottom-up approach to learning I have not seen in a long time. If you are new to game AI, as I was, you need to get this book, and his other game AI installment, "AI Techniques for Game Programming." They are completely complimentary and barely overlap.
   
   This is the first book to get, however. You can get to being productive in AI right away. [...]



3. First off this book is informative about common AI game techniques. However it lets itself down hugely with the code sections and at times the rather clunky way of explaining some algorithms. The code should of been pseudo code and most of the math functions that are used with the code are never ever explained despite a laughable introduction at the start which covers about 10% of what you actually need to know.
   
   I've rewritten most of the applications in java and found them to be far more straight forward than explained and laid out in the book. Which is a pity because his style is light and the information necessary.



4. This book is really good for learning AI as reviewed in other guys' comment. However, this book does not deal with neural networks. When I first ordered this book, I expected some more neural nets recipes than his other book 'cause this book was published later than that one. But this book does not handle that although both of two books includes "AI" in their title. Therefore, I recommend to order his another book to read neural networks part.



5. Good book for anyone whom wants to learn AI, no mathematical or phisical background is needed.

5 comments about RuneScape: The Official Handbook.

1. Even though I knew most of the stuff in it,this guide was very useful,like having all the maps at hand,and having all the lvl guides.A great book and they need to have a member version.lol
   thanks,
   Ross Miekley



2. i learned about this game from my nephews and thought i would give it a try. what a game! this book helps with the basics which i needed. for some reason i am too stubborn to read the manual on the website. this book was helpful to get me started.



3. A very good introductory guide to the game for new players. As well it contains a lot of tips to those who are still acquiring new skills, and haven't completed all the quests.
   
   While experienced players may not find much in this guide that they do not know, it is an attractive book which fans of the game would appreciate. Being able to hold and look at the maps on paper alone will prove an attractive enough feature for some players.
   
   There are still parts of this guide which may prove entertaining reading, and the locations and map might still prove use at times, even to the most accomplished players.
   
   I gave the guide as a gift to my nieces and nephews; and for them I think the clearly laid-out sections on Online Safety Guide, the Rules of RuneScape and Basic tips for beginners are written in language they can understand. Given the importance of Online Safety and the necessity of acting as responsible player as part of a much wider community those sections are crucial to anyone fresh off Tutorial Island.
   
   As a gift it makes and excellent way to pass on the love of the game which avid RuneScape players may wish to give to new players.
   
   Regards, Fey Warrior



4. I knew everything in it, but the maps and stuff helped, also it helps with the skills and all that stuff. So, if I were a like, "i love" runescape (which im not) i would totally get this. Still if you really have trouble doing some stuff you get it.



5. Allow me to say, if you have already purchased this book then I'm sorry. The book poorly attempts to explain RuneScape and tries to teach players how to play, but the author failed to realize one thing: The game updates every week.
   
   The rules and monsters mentioned in the book are obsolete; the pictures are no longer relevant since runescape is constantly updating the graphics; the rules are ever changing; and the book is for 9-12 year olds when the rules clearly state that the game is for 13+? The author should go back to tutorial island and learn that you should never make a guide book about a constantly changing game.
   
   I'd only recommend this book if it's on the shelf of your supermarket checkout line and you need something to read; of course don't actually buy the book.

5 comments about 3D Game Textures: Create Professional Game Art Using Photoshop.

1. Unlike the rewiever who gave this book 1 star, I am giving 5. Because unlike him, I find this full-color book very well written and very useful. It goes beyond basic texture creation tutorials. The first half of the book explains theory behind good textures and texture creation as well as ways to take pictures for your own textures. It gives lot of examples to demonstrate various points. The second half of the book is the tutorial part. The tutorials are detailed and easy to follow. The only negative thing I find about this book is, that the tutorials give you exact values for everything without explaining why these values were actually chosen. However, it is up to the user to make his/her own tweeking and see, how changing these values effect the final result. Also, I would like to see how these textures are applied to a specific UV layout, which the book does not discuss. But then again, the book is about creating textures, not applying them to your model, so I do not hold it against it. After all, the textures that are created in the tutorials are nicely done and you certainly can find a good use for any of them. So, five stars it is.



2. This book is useful as a jumping-off point for using Photoshop to create textures, and covers most of the basic topics that someone new to both Photoshop and texturing would need to know. However, you'll need to search for additional resources to complete the journey that this book starts you on, since it's a pretty basic overview with a few confidence-building exercises that give you a taste of the possibilities.



3. I already know texturing and wanted to take my texturing to the next level. I compared textures before and after, and I noticed a difference. Its easier to make hand painted textures for me now.
   There are step by step examples of how to make bricks, windows, doors, etc.
   It even discusses how to take pictures of textures yourself, and how to make your 3d scenes seem more real by placing objects, breaking up plain parts, etc.
   The only thing missing is how to create history on textures and as far as I can tell, there are no books.
   I recommend going to cgsociety and check out the forums. Stephen Morrell has a good pdf on texturing somewhere.



4. There's a lot to like about a book like this for the beginning texture artist, such as myself. It gives you the fundamentals of how to recreate a texture from the ground up without actually having to paint hardly anything! Just use what Photoshop has to offer and you can follow this book all the way through.
   That would be the downside though, must have Photoshop! If you don't then I wouldn't see you getting much out of this book except the techniques, which may or may not be done in another paint program.
   This is just a beginner's book because it doesn't cover anything about skin or human painting and texturing, which is what I'm now looking for in another book. This just covers inanimate objects, but it just blows my mind how easy it now is using his techniques. I'm no longer intimidated by a blank white screen with no textures, and am now cranking stuff out a lot better looking (not professional yet, but getting there).
   Deffinantly worth getting for beginners or people apprehensive towards texturing.



5. the final textures are excellent. the only problem is sometimes the insructions are a little vague and the software in the book is outdated

No comments about Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility Official Strategy Guide.