Game Development: Reference Resources
What makes a book a reference book?
Reference books are usually encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, manuals and other books that you would refer to when wanting to know a definition of a word or concept, a general overview of a topic, specific information about a certain period of time or event in history.
Boston Public Library (BPL) Access
If you live, work, or go to school in Massachusetts, you can have access to all of the remotely accessable electronic databases at the Boston Public Library. These added resources are available via an ecard that you can obtain by registering at the Boston Public Library (preceding link to ecard information - link to registration form at bottom of that page) or following the instructions that we have at our "Online Reference Databases" page for getting an ecard from the BPL.
The BPL has many resources, full text reference ebooks, videos, audio information, and magazine, journal and newspaper articles. These e-resources can supplement ours here at BCC...and they are free to use!
Selected BPL E-Books
The e-books noted below are from the BPL's Gale Virtual Reference Library database.
Computer and Video Game Design by ISBN: 0816072973Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Game Programming All in One by ISBN: 1592003834Publication Date: 2004-06-17
Software Engineering for Game Developers by ISBN: 1592001556Publication Date: 2004-11-08
Selected Reference E-Books
The e-books selected here have information on game development, related topics and other subjects related to the title of the e-book. Once you click on the link to an e-book here, you will be able to search the entire reference using the keyword(s) of your choice.
Computer Graphics Companion by Call Number: ebookPublication Date: 2003Offers a comprehensive collection of articles written by selected specialists and spanning a wide range of topics and applications in computer graphics. Enhanced with a section of color illustrations, the book gives a general introduction to computer graphics, software, hardware, design, color and image processing and then focuses on key application areas.
Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Technology by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781849723404Publication Date: 2008-09-05Comprised of essays arranged alphabetically, most on individual objects, artifacts, techniques, and products, this is a reference work for all those involved in teaching or researching the history of twentieth-century technology, as well as the serious general reader. The core of each of the main entries is a technical description, within a historical narrative, of about 1,000 words plus illustrations and further reading.
Encyclopedia of Computer Science by Call Number: ebookPublication Date: 2003This influential work provides an historical timeline highlighting the key breakthroughs in computer science and technology, as well as clear and concise explanations of technology and its practical applications. Its unique blend of historical perspective, current knowledge and predicted future trends has earned it its richly deserved reputation as an unrivaled reference classic.
Encyclopedia of Media Violence by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781483340111Publication Date: 2013-01-01Seeks to help readers broadly understand the topic of violence and media. This encyclopedia approaches the topic as it relates specifically within each medium as well as more broadly within the fields of psychology, sociology, and communication.Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law by
Call Number: ebookISBN: 0787677019Publication Date: 2003-11-01This reference work provides, among many other topics, information on the legal aspects of regulating of video games.
High Definition: A-Z Guide to Personal TechnologyCall Number: ebookPublication Date: 2006Introduces and examines the key issues, methods, models and debates that define the field of marketing today.
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780028661179Publication Date: 2007-11-01Covers scholarship and fields that have emerged and matured since the publication of the original international edition. Highlights the expanding influence of economics in social science research and features new articles and biographies contributed by scholars from around the world on a wide array of global topics in the social sciences.
Selected Reference Books
Concise Encyclopedia of Computer Science by Call Number: REF QA 76.15 C654 2004ISBN: 0470090952Publication Date: 2004
Universal Command Guide by Call Number: REF QA 76.76 O63 U5 2002ISBN: 0764548336Publication Date: 2002-04-29The ultimate operating system reference: Over 8,000 commands and 57,000 command options from every major operating system--Windows. UNIX. Linux. NetWare. Macintosh. DOS.
As more and more reference materials become available online, libraries, including the BCC libraries, are gradually reducing their print reference books in favor of those available online. Not only are e-books available to more students, they are also available 24/7 and wherever there is an internet connection!
2014 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry
Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry: Sales, Demographic and Usage Data, by Entertainment Software Association (ESA), c2024.
Image: ©2009 Bryan Fontaine Designs
