Video Books

Flying the Camera is exactly what it claims to be: a COMPLETE guide to freefall photography and skydiving video. I recieved the book as a gift, along with my first camera helmet. Weldon's book helped me set up my helmet, site it in, and start filming! The book is great, with lots of easy to read diagrams and lots of pictures and helpful hints. I highly recommend reading it before you start freefall photography.

A reviewer, an Up-and-coming skydiver: I had about 30 camera jumps when I purchased Flying The Camera. I read the book cover to cover and found it to be helpful in every way. I particularly liked the chapter called "mixing and editing your video" which helped me set up a pretty good tandem-video production at my dropzone. I recommend this book to all camera jumpers.

I had about 50 camera jumps when I purchased Flying the Camera. I read the book cover to cover, and found it to be helpful in every way. I particularly liked to chapter called "mixing and editting your video." This has helped me set up a pretty food tandem-video production at my dropzone. I recommend the book to all camera jumpers.

I picked up a copy of Patrick Weldon's Flying The Camera at the world freefall convention 97. Mainly because it was raining and I was bored. I was quickly surprised at what a truly great book it is! I have about 1500+ camera jumps, lots of competition stuff, and was surprised at how much I learned from the book. Flying the Camera is a very well written, very well put together book, and I highly suggest every skydiver read it before trying to "fly the camera." Regardless of skill level or number of jumps, this is truly a great book.

This book is one of those few that is so hard to put down. It was a fasinating look at the Bond movies,and the faces behind them. I had no idea that the budgets of the movies were so low.(as compared to other action films) This book took me in,and I would recommend it to any fan of film,especially James Bond films!

Director John Glen tells of his experience with the James Bond film series strait up. At the helm of five of the films as director Glen pulls no punches and offers great insight into the creative efforts of the whole Bond film team. This is a great book and even more so if you are a James Bond fan. I really like this book. There is really no gloss here. This is really about what went into making these films while Albert R. Broccoli was still alive and producing them. I highly recommend this book.

John Glen directed the five 007 films which basically span the entire decade of the 1980s: For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, and License to Kill. He was also involved with previous 007 films such as Moonraker, The Spy Who Loved Me, and numerous other British films going back to the 60s. This book is a collection of behind the scenes stories from the making of Glen's films, but with special emphasis on the Bond films. Most Bond fans know the plot details inside and out, so what makes this book interesting is the story and script development, shooting location stories, and cast and crew details. The only downside to the book is I wish there was MORE of everything...more stories, more photos, etc. This is a highly entertaining book if you are a 007 fan, particularly from the Roger Moore - Timothy Dalton era.

This is a valuable book for the inside track on the Bond films. Director John Glen did a good job. His services will be greatly missed unless they get him back. After reading this book perhaps the producers should get John Glen back.

As a longtime James Bond fan, I picked up this book in New York recently. The author David Giammarco is a journalist who has done an extraordinary job documenting the 007 films, starting from Ian Fleming's literary conception to how the film legacy took flight. The author - whose keen knowledge is clearly evident - takes the readers up close and personal with all the Bond actors, filmmakers, and production talent with his in-depth interviews which detail so many great stories and little-known anecdotes throughout the entire film history. Quite an exhaustive and comprehensive effort! Fun to read and many great pictures. Among the positive recommendations on the back cover are from Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan, so I knew this would be worth reading. And they were 100% right! A brilliant film companion book!

Amazing! I've been a fan of the Bond films for over 20 years, and this is the first book that has brought together everyone's first-hand accounts. Almost every Bond book I've been disappointed with because they were written by arm-chair quarterbacks, but David Giammarco is a journalist who has been a part of the 007 world, spent time with most of the Bond particpants, and can truly write what it is like to be on set and behind the scenes. It is very well-written, with many interesting facts and stories that even I'VE never heard before! His interviews with Roger Moore were quite amusing, and reading Sean Connery tell his version of Bond-mania was very fascinating. Getting to hear Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby's side of the story was also quite interesting. It was also great to see how well Mr. Giammarco showcased Pierce Brosnan's contributions to the series. Mr. Brosnan has been vastly underrrated in the media, but this book gives us far more insight into the man and pays him his due rewards (after all, we all know Pierce is the best Bond since Connery!!!) The author and Pierce seems to have a really good relationship, and perhaps that why the normally reticent Mr. Brosnan opens up as much as he does.
Plus, you can't beat hearing all the many great stories from the "classic" Bond directors like Guy Hamilton and Peter Hunt, Ken Adam (his account of Connery almost being eaten by a shark during the shooting of Thunderball was quite funny)as well as the many Bond Girls, Villains, cast and crew. I liked what Desmond Lewelyn told the author and I learned a whole new side about lovable old Q.
Also, the contributions to the book from Hugh Hefner, Kevin Costner, Harison Ford, and that infamous CIA spook E. Howard Hunt were quite fascinating and take this book to a whole new dimension than those other Bond books.

It's clear Mr.Giammarco knows the Bond legacy inside and out and his access to everyone is an invaluable resource for us Bond aficionados. I've been waiting a long time for a book like this - a really fun read. I highly recommend it. No Bond fan will be disappointed!!!

David Giammarco says he's a Bond fan. Lot's of people say they are something, but David Giammarco is what he says. This guy loves Bond and he lets it all hang out in this book.

For Your Eyes Only:Behind The Scenes of the James Bond Films is exactly what it sayd it is. It's full of behind the scenes information for all 20 movies from Dr.No to Die Another Day. There are interviews with people who worked on the films. David talks to directors, producers, writers, actors, and anybody and everybody who worked on the films.

There is an overview of each film and then the interviews. The interviews are your basic Q&A format. David interviews anybody and everybody that had to do anything with the films.

I love the interviews with the guys who played Bond. They all talk about the love they had for the films and the fun they had making them. They give you their perspectives on the movies and the things done in the movies.

The interviews with the Bond girls are fantastic. Some of the most beautiful woman to ever live have been Bond girls. From Ursulla Andress to Halle Berry you have interviews with most of them. They are all awesome ladies who enjoyed the pictures and love the place they have in pop culture because of it.

If your a Bond fan you have to pick this one. I doubt you'll have a question that this book can't answer. I've been a Bond fan for over 15 years and this is the most informative Bond book I've ever seen. You won't regret buying this one.

If your a fan of the James Bond films and you want to know everything about the films than this is the book you have to buy. This book gives a great behind the scene look at the films and at the actors who portrayed the suave secret agent. Each actor is interviewed by the author, and share there point of view on Bond. Also each movie is featured and discussed. I think this book is very fun and a great read. I really enjoyed the authors style of writing and hope he writes a book like this about the Bond novels in the future.

Francis Ford Coppola was born in a great year for the movies!
In 1939 the director was born to Carmen Coppola and his wife
Italia. His parents were creative-Carmen was a musician in the
Detroit Symphony and later in the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. Carmen would later win a musical
Oscar for the Godfather films.
Francis was a younger son to his older brother who was everything Francis wasn't: handsome and well liked at school.
His sister Talia Shire would later be a movie star in his own
films most notably the Godfather classics.
Coppola graduated from Hofstra and received a master's degree
in film from the UCLA film school. His early apprenticship in
film was under the tutelage of famed B director Roger Corman.
Coppolla emerged from nudie films and small pictures to direct
"Finigan's Rainbow" and began to emerge as a talented maverick
whose creative/artistic wings were flying in the early 1970s.
Despite arduous business and creative troubles he won fame and fortune and several Oscars for the Godfather films. His most
controversial film was "Apocalypse Now" his take on the Vietnam
conflict based on Joseph Conrad's novella "The Heart of Darkness."
Coppola's career has more ups and downs than a roller coaster
as he founded Zoetrope Films in San Francisco and went to the
mat in countless donybrook battles with studio executives.
Coppola reminds me of Orson Welles in that he achieved fame early and then had a difficult career in tinsel town. He is a
man of massive ego; intelligence; daring and creative attention
to the details/minutia of film. He was unfaithful to his wife
Ellie; grieved over a son yet emerges from this biography as a
flawed but good man. He is gregarious and honest and a good
friend. His friendship assisted George Lucas in launching his
storied career! I like Coppola's rich textured films. His screenwriting from Patton to his latest project is outstanding.
This meticulous account of Coppola's career in the Hollywood jungle will not appeal to everyone. Countless pages are devoted to business deals, legal disputes and the difficulties encountered by Coppola in making his films.
For me who loves the Godfather and FFC this is a fine book.
Anyone who seeks to explore this brilliant man's career would do
well to begin with Schumacher's fine biograpy.

I thought this biography was detailed mostly around this film. On page 262, first paragraph, I think Mr. Coppola would agree to mention the fact that "The Chief Phillips" made a life last attempt to end Willard after getting speared on the boat by Kurtz's mongrules. Overall, the book was a manificant biography of a Itailian-American film maker of our time.

...and I hope he stays that way. Francis Ford Coppola is one of the inspirations of my life. His energy and enthusiasm for what he does outshines even the projects many might deride. One thing you have to say is at LEAST he puts his all into what he does, and I'd imagine no one would doubt this. PS: WHEN is the UNCUT version of "One From the Heart" going to be issued on DVD?

I work for Francis Coppola today and know him pretty well. Michael Schumacher's book really captures the spirit and energy of this facinating and complex man. I have read most of the other Coppola books and none combines an understanding for both the human and artistic side of Francis.

This book, like no other I have read, reflects the passion, energy and chaos of the Coppola world. I can tell you from the inside there is no more exciting experience than being part of the Coppola energy. Francis loves to tackle the "impossible" and never gives up. I particularly like this book because it is clear that the author, like myself, has great respect for this whirlwind of a man.

Just got my copy today, and wow, what a gem. The pictures, the behind-the-scenes stories and the script are all wonderful. Goes into details about each of the cast members and has tons of pictures, many of them i've never seen before! Included at the end is a "press book" originally given out at the theaters when the film was first released. Learn the fascinating facts behind the "lost" scenes in which the Frankenstein monster was supposed to SPEAK! Screenwriter Curt Siodmak was a true legend and his contribution to the Wolf Man and Universal's legacy is un-matched. Did you know Curt wrote the famous poem for the Wolf Man "...even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the Wolf Bane blooms, and the Autumn moon is bright". Anyone who loves classic horror will love this book. Filled with fascinating facts, photos and much more...a real treat!

It's fantastic that we finally here the dialog of the monster that was cut out of the picture. Bela Lugosi played the monster in the film. Why was it cut out? The explanation makes no sense since Bela voiced the monster in the final scenes of the previous film. It worked then so why not with this film? The hacking of this script ruined this film. It would have been a much better movie if they left the dialog in. It explains so much.
This a great book for those who are fans of the movie and the Universal monsters. In fact, it's a must!

FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN is best remembered today not only because it is the first of its genre (the crossover, still utilized today with films such as Alien Vs. Predator and Freddy Vs. Jason), but also because of a peculiar and maddening bit of editing: As originally shot, the Frankenstein Monster (as played by Bela Lugosi) was to be portrayed here as a weak, blind creature speaking eloquent dialogue (in Ygor's voice), the result of a clever plot twist from the previous feature, THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN.

Within this book is the true reason why Lugosi's lines were deleted, as well as some interesting behind-the-scenes information, extremely rare stills (particularly of the deleted scenes), cast bios, the pressbook, and Curt Siodmak's original shooting script, which includes the Monster's long-sought dialogue in its entirety!

A source of lasting enjoyment for all Classic Universal Monster fans, especially those seeking a "completed" version of FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. Highly recommended!

Another in the great series of Universal Filmscripts. The pictures alone are worth the price of the book. The background also tells about Lugosi's dialogue being cut out and what some of it was. It also explains the ending and the escape of Massey, Knowles, and Ouspenskaya (which is not shown in the film). It is a shame that production of these filmscripts didn't cover ALL of the Universal Horror Movies because of the detailed background of each.

I really enjoyed the book Frodo Franchise. I must have because I got two of them. Actually, I was curious about how a movie got made, especially one that I loved as much as Lord of the Rings. But I don't know why I got two.

DVDs can be stamped out in seconds, while VHS tapes are slower to produce because they have to be recorded in real time. Time is money, and so the movie industry's movers and shakers acted decisively to all but eliminate the VHS format - by charging video rental stores exorbitantly high fees for the rights to offer VHS rentals and much lower fees for the rights to offer DVD rentals. Author Kristin Thompson (Honorary Fellow in the Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison) traces how this and numerous other profit-driven directives have permanently changed the modern film industry in The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood. Central to The Frodo Franchise is the story of Peter Jackson's celebrated three-film adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings", and the lasting impact it has had on cinematic and entertainment culture. "The Lord of the Rings" was utterly groundbreaking in that it was, from Jackson's initial vision, a commitment to three full-length movies to be released over a short period. Yet the success of the film itself is virtually eclipsed by the immense profits of the franchise label - toys, video games, movie-related books, collectibles, and countless other Lord of the Rings licensed merchandise. The Frodo Franchise examines this franchise phenomenon and its repercussions on modern cinema (where the real money to be made lies in a film that will spawn profitable sequels and merchandise, rather than one-shot stories), with especial attention paid to the construction of "The Lord of the Rings" trailblazer trilogy. Accessible to lay readers and cinema scholars alike, and illustrated with numerous black-and-white photographs as well as an inset section of color plates, The Frodo Franchise is an utterly fascinating, completely unbiased behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" movies and their effect on both the body of Tolkien's famous mythology and cinema as a whole. Highly recommended.

The Frodo Franchise is a MUST-HAVE for anyone who is passionate about: The Lord of the Rings movies, Peter Jackson and how he and his fellow creative geniuses revolutionized the movie industry, New Zealand, the LOTR fan world, etc. It is an engaging, carefully researched and very detailed work about all aspects of the PJ/LOTR phenomenon. It includes great photos, important interviews, fascinating information about the way films are marketed and how LOTR took that to a new level, etc. The title tricked me--for some reason I thought it would be a negative book; however, it is clear Thompson is a Tolkien fan who was at first skeptical about the films but then grew to love them. This book is an in-depth look at all things LOTR and, much to this reviewer's delight, it is clear the LOTR phenomenon is not going away anytime soon. Thank you, Kristin Thompson, for this wonderful and important book!

This book is an intimate look at the creation, filming, and deployment of The Lord of the Rings movies. It discusses all the key participants, the role of New Zeland, how fans influenced the movies over the Internet, and how the film industry is fundamentally changing because of this project. It is well documented and close to the events because the author had access to everyone involved, producers, director, actors, techis, the works. The book is also a great action-packed read. Maybe the best film book we have seen this year!!

This book is a great read for any fan of the series.

I purchased this book for my boyfriend for christmas and I've kind of stolen it back (we live together so it's not a big deal lol). This is my favorite anime of all times. I love the story, I love the characters, and I especially love Sousuke and Kaname together. Even my boyfriend who "doesn't like anime" loves this series and wants to cosplay from it! *omgshock* I reccomend EVERYTHING that has to do with this series!

Full Metal Panic is an awesome show. I'm a girl and I think that the show is for both guys and girls personally. This book has stuff that goes on in the anime within it. A perfect item for your FMP collection.

I just got the book today, so I haven't looked at it in great detail... but the overall impression is great. Too bad that only about the first 1/3 of this book is in color...

During a recent flight, included with my carry on luggage was a copy of "Fun With GPS", a relatively new publication from ESRI press by Don Cooke. The author is the founder of GDT, recently acquired by Tele Atlas, and has an extensive resume, including having played a key role in the creation of TIGER.
Jumping right in, the book provides the reader with an introduction to GPS along with a useful primer on mapping and the proper use of a GPS. The "meat" of the book is really from Chapters 3 onward. This is where Cooke provides numerous informative, educational, and interesting examples of real-life uses and applications of GPS. Even better, each example explains (in detail) a fun use, detailed instructions, photos/images, useful web links, and interesting commentary.

Particularly useful (and educational) small sections devoted to mapping, GIS, accuracy, and GPS concepts & terminology are included. After all, simply capturing and storing GPS coordinates is hardly of use, particularly to the layman. It's the understanding of the data, along with integration of maps and/or GIS that really makes GPS fun! A particularly interesting and "bang on" quote from the book that really struck a cord with me... "GIS really does put the fun into GPS". My take... indeed it does!

So who should buy or read Fun With GPS? If you happen to be one of millions of users of a GPS or a GPS-enabled mobile device then you'll no doubt find this book to be a valuable addition to your library. Can the book provide specific examples that apply to your lifestyle? Likely so since numerous specific examples and applications of GPS uses have been provided. These include:
Geocaching
Degree confluence chasing
GIS/mapping
Ice skating
Hockey
Skiing
Racing (auto)
Hiking
Sailing
Polo
Camping
Golf
Rowing
Sky diving

If you happen to have a hobby included above then Don has provided a detailed example application of how you will find GPS to be useful and fun.

Finally, the heart of the book comes in chapters 2 and 8. Chapter 2 offers an awesome primer on mapping. Cooke uses the free ArcExplorer GIS data viewer from ESRI and the complimentary (and free) DNR Garmin program from the Minnesota DNR as the focus of a tutorial on using your GPS data with a GIS without spending a dime. Both programs are totally free and detailed instructions for use have been provided to get you up and running and help get your GPS data off the device and used within a real application.

Chapter 8 is devoted to the use of GPS in schools and in the community. Interesting sample uses focus on the use of GPS by a museum to track visitors, mapping of a restored cemetery by grade school students, and even how to write your name with a GPS track log. Students attempting any of these sample projects will no doubt get a great introductory education to mapping and geospatial concepts, but will still have some addictive fun with their GPS as well... they may also even solve a community problem or address a local conservation issue.

Fun with GPS is truly a fun read. I admit, I have a dusty, 2 year old Garmin somewhere on my desk, however, it wasn't until I read this book that I had much interest in turning it on! I plan on locating a geocache in the near future and I also plan on capturing a degree confluence or two!

[...]

Do you remember when a GPS device was expensive and heavy and only to be used for serious work? The inexorable progress of Moore's Law has laid that low. So along comes ESRI Press with this lighthearted book by Cooke. Outreach to the young masses. He talks about fun and cool things you can do with a GPS transponder. All the things we never had.

You might wish to thumb through his suggestions. See if any catch your fancy. Or, if you like these ideas, try also looking up the magazine "Make" published by O'Reilly. It has the same freewheeling spirit seen here.

Think 'GPS' and what comes to mind? Usually in-car navigation systems - but there's much more to GPS and ordinary users may find these devices can be attached to about anything to be use for interesting results. Maps and photos come with each outlined project for hobbyists, athletes, drivers, teachers and more. Use GPS devices to track and map activities, or in a treasure hunt, or to GPS a model airplane's abilities: there's a lot a GPS device can accomplish, and Fun With GPS covers it all.

This is a spectacular book that treats GPS with a light (and fun) touch without any sacrifice of technical substance. Though aimed at beginners, GPS savants will find it equally useful, both for elegant insights as well as ideas on how to teach others about GPS. I teach land navigation and regularly consult this book for inspiration regarding new ways to keep the material fresh in my classes.

In his consistently insightful, informative, and often humorous book, Gadgets, Games, and Gizmos for Learning, Karl M. Kapp has crafted a significant conduit of information that may bridge chasms created by misperception, distrust, and disrespect that often exist between the Boomer and the Gamer generations. The author points out that if large numbers of individuals in the gamer generation do not engage in the symbiotic relationship that occurs when the knowledge base is transferred form one generation to the next, we will irrevocably lose one of our most valuable assets.

Inevitably, as increasing numbers of highly skilled Boomers leave the work force, Gamers will be needed to fill the ensuing knowledge gap. Dr. Kapp clearly and systematically presents practical and appropriate, adaptations that schools and organizations must implement to entice Gamers to close the knowledge gap by obtaining the advanced educational credentials needed to fill jobs currently held by well-trained, highly-skilled Boomers. This book is especially valuable for everyone one who has, or will have, contact with gamers, including the gamers themselves.

For example, by reading this book:

Employers will learn that given an adaptive work environment, which accommodates non-traditional working and learning styles, Gamers' may actually be more efficient and productive than their Boomer counterparts.

Primary, secondary, and tertiary educators will learn why a growing number of prominent educators, such as Dr. Kapp, are recognizing that video game play actually improves cognition.

Contrary to what many parents believe, playing video games can promote intellectual stimulation, encourage social interaction, and does not have a positive correlation with violence.

Gamers, most importantly, learn how they can eventually become fiscally self-sufficient by understanding that their video game skills combined with the required educational credentials, may yield high-paying, marketable job skills.

Although this work is factual and well referenced, it is much easier to read and far less erudite then some other books on similar topics. For example, I enjoyed What Video Games Have to Teach Us About... by James Paul Gee, the first time I read it. However, I realized how much I had originally misinterpreted when I reread it. Karl M. Kapp's Gadgets, Games, and Gizmos for Learning would be a valuable resource for anyone seeking an accessible, well-documented reference tool, or simply a fascinating book to read.

Rebekah Fulford
Emmaus, PA

This book is a must-have for instructional designers and other purveyors of e-Learning and Training solutions; for those who see the need and are ready to move beyond the standard teaching tools that we've been using today in preparation for the New Learners ("Gamers" and "Digital Natives").

We've been passing this book around our office. It's inspired some great conversations, both internally and with clients, about the changing nature of the workforce and the ways the training industry will need to adapt. We've gotten some great ideas for our products and programs and are itchy to implement them.

In Chapter 2, Kapp gets practical, providing endless examples of different types of learning games. This would be a great place to start a project-design/brainstorming session.

It's an easy-to-read book, packed with useful information -- even if you "cheat the book" a bit and skim. Kapp includes a ton of real-life examples and case studies, including observations and lessons learned while watching his own children play games.

Highly recommended by this Instructional Designer!

So there are a lot of book about games out now but I think I would class Dr. Kapp's work in with the likes of John Beck and Mitchell Wade's "Got Game" in that it focuses on ways that we could use game, gadgets and gizmos to accomplish some important business goals.

This book provides a thread common to all the "G's" mentioned in the title...that these devices/experiences represent not generational disconnects but channels and conduits that can allow us to address the huge brain suck that is coming soon as the baby-boomer generation heads to retirement.

I think this book nicely walks the thin line between academic coverage and pragmatic usefulness and comes away with a good bit of both. I found the book to be engaging, accessible and in a crucial test...useful.

This is not only an informative read, but a fun read (and I never thought I'd say something like that about a 'work' book). Kapp has a playful way of pointing out how gamers' and the gaming generation's pasttimes are not only viable as learning methodology, but superior, in many ways, to previously used practices. Working in the Healthcare IT field (specifically, in EMR Training), the chapter titled "Cheaters Never Win...or Do They?" really put things into perspective. If you redefine the term 'cheat' to include workflows out of the norm (shortcuts, etc.), work becomes more efficient and streamlined and the learner walks away not only learning, but feeling like they might have got one over on 'the system'...everyone wins!

All in all, it's a great way for a gamer/geek (like myself) to finally prove my parents, my wife, and everyone else wrong - I WASN'T WASTING MY TIME ALL THESE YEARS PLAYING THOSE STUPID GAMES!

Although I personally disagree with some parts of what this book teaches, it this game design book is one of the most comprehensive I've seen. Well-recommended.

This might be a good book for teachers looking for material in their classes gamedesign or gamedevelopment. It may also be a good book for selfstudy, if you have the discipline to do the exercises. You need to have played a lot of the classic videogames though, otherwise you might not be able to do the exercises, which are mostly about thinking about gamedesigns and making little designs or design alterations on existing games.

Few people realize just how big a business digital gaming has become. Think of it this way: It's bigger than the domestic box office of the film industry. The amount of time spent playing games by young people now exceeds everything but television in time spent on entertainment. The main factor driving the development of the new extremely powerful computers is gaming, slower machines are capable of handling almost all office tasks.

The authors of this book have a great deal of experience in both designing games and teaching how to design games. This has given them an understanding of how beginning designers grasp the structured elements of games, common traps they fall into, and certain developmental exercises that help the student learn to make better games.

Note that this is not a programming manual, nor is it a graphics design manual. It is on game design. What are the characteristics that make a game, how can you prototype and play test the game without a horrendous programming expense, and finally some input on the game industry and how to decide on how you might like to be employeed in that industry.

I consider this an excellent book on game design. As an amatuer board game and basic computer game designer, I found a lot of the material extremely useful in the *process* of coming up with a game from start to finish.

The chapter on prototyping did a great job in showing how to go ahead and create a prototype from a game idea, while keeping it simple and concentrating on the "core gameplay mechanism."

The chapter on "Playtesting" and "Functionality, Completeness, and Balance" builds on the prototype chapter by emphasizing the iterative nature of design where one go aheads and evaluates, tries new things, identify problems and keep evolving.

The next chapter following is maybe the most important chapter that discusses whether you game is fun, goes in to some theory of what makes a game fun, and relates various techniques of improving player's choices so as to make the game fun.

This is a great book that gives you the necessary tools to go ahead and be able to at the very least create a viable prototype of a game that is possibly fun and playable.