Despite the proliferation of video games in the twenty-first century the theory of game design is largely underdeveloped leaving designers on their own to understand what games really are. Helping you produce better games Game Design Theory: A New Philosophy for Understanding Games presents a bold new path for analyzing & designing games. The author offers a radical yet reasoned way of thinking about games & provides a holistic solution to understanding the difference between games & other types of interactive systems. He clearly details the definitions concepts & methods that form the fundamentals of this philosophy. He also uses the philosophy to analyze the history of games & modern trends as well as to design games. Providing a robust useful philosophy for game design this book gives you real answers about what games are & how they work. Through this paradigm you will be better equipped to create fun games. ...

From its early beginnings in Hambledon to the international matches played around the world the game of cricket is beloved by many. Guy Clifford & Roly Rotherham have distilled many years of involvement in cricket into this book that will enhance both the understanding & enjoyment of the game. Divided into four sections with useful diagrams it covers playing the game umpiring groundsmanship & scoring. A great addition to every players kit bag & every fans back pocket! ...

First published in 1925 this little book has inspired thousands of people around the world to find a sense of purpose & belonging. It remains as relevant today as when it was written & reveals that life is not a battle but a game
- a game of giving & receiving. Whatever we send out into the world will eventually be returned to us which means that if we give love we will be loved; but if we hate we will in turn feel hated. Through what we give & receive we shape our reality. Discover how your mind & its imaging faculty play a leading role in the game of life. Whatever you imagine or focus upon will sooner or later be experienced as part of your world. This little book will show you how you can change your life leave your regrets behind & create your own dazzling future.
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GARY ABLETT was always a fighter. As a football-mad kid growing up on Merseyside he dreamed of pulling on the famous red shirt of Liverpool Football Club. His determination to succeed made his dream came true
- but the real battle had only just begun. Ablett faced a struggle to find his voice in a powerful dressing room & keep his place in a star-studded team full of Anfield legends. Despite winning a league title in 1988 & the FA Cup on an emotional day in 1989 he fell out of favour when Graeme Souness arrived at the club & he made the controversial move across Stanley Park. Nobody gave Ablett & his Everton team-mates a hope when they lined up against Alex Fergusons title-winning Manchester United side in the FA Cup Final in May 1995. But the Blues famously overturned the odds & Ablett made history as the only player to have won the famous trophy with both Merseyside teams. After a succession of injuries effectively ended his career he landed an Academy coaching role with Everton before he crossed the Park again to become a member of Rafael Benitezs backroom team. Ablett later tried his hand at management but little did he know the biggest game of his life still lay ahead of him. When he was confined to his bed for a week while coaching with Roy Keanes Ipswich he thought he was just suffering from a bad virus. The truth was much worse. Ablett was suffering with an aggressive form of cancer. He was devastated but just as he had always done he fought back
- although this time it wasnt just the result of a football match that was at stake. It was life itself.

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It is 1628 & Alexander Seaton's happily settled life as a university teacher in Aberdeen is shattered by the arrival in town of a stranger who looks like his twin & who carries a plea for help from Alexander's dead mother's family in Irel&. The family has been placed under a poet's curse threatening death to various members. Elements of the curse have already begun to play out. Reluctantly answering the call Alexander leaves his home & his beloved Sarah & travels to Ulster to find himself among a family torn apart by secrets & long-buried resentments. In the course of seeking out the author of the curse Alexander becomes deeply entangled in a conflict that involves fugitive priests displaced poets rebellious plotters & agents of the king. Confronted by murder within his family he finds the lines between superstition & faith duty & loyalty are becoming increasingly blurred while his Scottish homeland grows ever more remote. ...

HBO's hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R R Martin's internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE & FIRE the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A GAME OF THRONES is the first volume in the series. Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. & the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. As Warden of the north Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the H&. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will not what he must.. .and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty. The old gods have no power in the south Stark's family is split & there is treachery at court. Worse the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne. ...

HBO's hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R R Martin's internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE & FIRE the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A STORM OF SWORDS: STEEL & SNOW is the FIRST part of the third volume in the series. Winter approaches Westeros like an angry beast. The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt & blood feud. In the northern wastes a horde of hungry savage people steeped in the dark magic of the wilderness is poised to invade the Kingdom of the North where Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown. & Robb's defences are ranged against the South the land of the cunning & cruel Lannisters who have his younger sisters in their power. Throughout Westeros the war for the Iron Throne rages more fiercely than ever but if the Wall is breached no king will live to claim it. ...

Voyager Classics
- timeless masterworks of science fiction & fantasy. A beautiful clothbound edition of the internationally acclaimed
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HBO's lavish adaptation of George R.R. Martin's series of fantasy novels features a stellar cast including Aidan Gillen Peter Dinklage & Leba Headey & chronicles the violent struggles between the kingdom's noble families as they attempt to control the Iron Throne. Hailed by critics & dubbed Sopranos meets The Lord of the Rings Game of Thrones has cast its spell over audiences thanks to its memorable characters surprise deaths & violent action
- & this exhaustive guide will document the background dramas that have helped make Game of Thrones such as hugh success. You'll also find biographies of the main actors episode guides an overview of how it has already become part of pop culture & an in-depth look into the compelling world that George R.R. Martin created & much much more.
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An in-depth look at the philosophical issues behind HBOs Game of Thrones television series & the books that inspired it George R.R. Martins New York Times bestselling epic fantasy book series A Song of Ice & Fire & the HBO television show adapted from it have earned critical acclaim & inspired fanatic devotion. This book delves into the many philosophical questions that arise in this complex character-driven series including: Is it right for a good" king to usurp the throne of a "bad" one & murder his family? How far should you go to protect your family & its secrets? In a fantasy universe with medieval mores & ethics can female characters reflect modern feminist ideals? Timed for the premiere of the second season of the HBO Game of Thrones series Gives new perspectives on the characters storylines & themes of Game of Thrones Draws on great philosophers from ancient Greece to modern America to explore intriguing topics such as the strange creatures of Westeros the incestuous relationship of Jaime & Cersei Lannister & what the kings of Westeros can show us about virtue & honor (or the lack thereof) as they play their game of thrones Essential reading for fans Game of Thrones & Philosophy will enrich your experience of your favorite medieval fantasy series." ...