Game Development Essentials

Jeannie Novak is the lead author and series editor of the widely acclaimed GAME DEVELOPMENT ESSENTIALS series (with over 15 published titles), co-author of PLAY THE GAME: THE PARENT'S GUIDE TO VIDEO GAMES, and co-author of three pioneering books on the interactive entertainment industry--including CREATING INTERNET ENTERTAINMENT. She is also co-founder of Novy Unlimited and CEO of Kaleidospace, LLC (dbaIndiespace), providing curriculum development and consulting services for corporations, educators, and creative professionals in games, music, film, education, and technology.Novak served as director of the Game Art & Design and Media Arts & Animation programs at the Art Institute Online and has taught game courses at UCLA, Art Center College of Design, DeVry University, Westwood College, ITT Technical Institute, and the Academy of Entertainment & Technology at Santa Monica College. She holds a B.A. in mass communication/business administration from UCLA and an M.A. in communication management from the Annenberg School at USC. She also serves on the Online Gameplay Committee for the Academy of Interactive Arts &Sciences and has served on the executive boards of the International Game Developers Association (Los Angeles) and Women in Games International. An accomplished composer and performer, Novak was chosen as one of the 100 most influential people in technology by MicroTimesmagazine and has been profiled by CNN, Billboard Magazine, the Sundance Channel, Daily Variety, and the Los Angeles Times. Kevin D. Saunders, a game designer and producer for 13 years, has worked on projects with Atari, Electronic Arts, Lucas Arts, Nexon, Obsidian Entertainment, Sega, Square Enix, and Westwood Studios. He has been credited on eight shipped video games, with an average composite review score of 81%. Kevin was the lead designer and producer of Shattered Galaxy, which swept the 2001 Independent Games Festival and was recognized by GameSpot as the Most Innovative Game of the year and the Best Multiplayer Strategy Game of the year. Kevin is Creative Director at Alelo, a serious game company that focuses on communication skills training. Kevin has Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees from Cornell University, where his research work included the development of natural language processing systems. Kevin and his family live in Orange County, California.