A complete guide to designing full-featured video games with Microsoft's new free development platform for Xbox 360 and Windows. Creating and sharing games is now within everyone's reach! Ideal for anyone who wants to take advantage of all the powerful game-development tools available in Microsoft XNA, this hands-on guide explains the fundamentals of great game design and offers examples that are easy, exciting, and effective. Written by game design experts, Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express Creator's Guide covers all the features of the XNA game-development platform. You will learn how to create 3-D models and control them with code as well as how to custom-program a game engine, add animations, launch projectiles, and add lighting and special effects. By the end of the book, you will be able to create playable games for Xbox or the PC.

Stephen Cawood is a former program manager at Microsoft Corporation. He has written several gaming titles. Patrick McGee is a faculty member and course developer at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He is a game programmer.