Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting to engage reluctant readers! Do you play computer games? If you do, you've probably played Minecraft. When Minecraft creator Markus Persson was young, he wasn't very interested in the games themselves. He was more interested in the programing instructions in the computer's manual. By the time Persson was eight years old, he was writing code for his own computer games. When he was eighteen, Persson landed his dream job as a video game programmer. In 2009, he designed Minecraft in a single weekend. In the game, players use blocks to build whatever they choose. Persson wanted to let players use their imaginations, and the idea paid off. Today, Minecraft is one of the most popular computer games in the world. Although Persson doubts he will ever top this success, he continues to develop games, while fans wait for what's next.

"Do you play computer games? If you do, you've probably played Minecraft. When Minecraft creator Markus Persson was young, he wasn't very interested in the games themselves. He was more interested in the programing instructions in the computer's manual. By the time Persson was eight years old, he was writing code for his own computer games. When he was eighteen, Persson landed his dream job as a video game programmer. In 2009, he designed Minecraft in a single weekend. In the game, players use blocks to build whatever they choose. Persson wanted to let players use their imaginations, and the idea paid off. Today, Minecraft is one of the most popular computer games in the world. Although Persson doubts he will ever top this success, he continues to develop games, while fans wait for what's next."--Page 4 of cover.

Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has always loved programming. Find out how he translated his childhood passion for writing code into a multi-million dollar career as the mind behind Minecraft!

In 2009, a deceptively simple block-based sandbox game first began appearing on computers. Now, eight years later, Minecraft is one of the best-selling games of all time. How did this worldwide phenomenon come to be? Readers will learn about the game's creator, programmer Markus "Notch" Persson, the company he founded to help make it a reality named Mojang; and the team of people who've helped it reach its current popularity. Intriguing details, an in-depth timeline, and full-color photographs will enthrall gaming enthusiasts eager to learn about the people that have broken the computer programming mold to create their favorite pastime.

Do you know all the different ways that video game fans can play Minecraft? Do you know where the inventor of Minecraft got the idea for the game? This book explores the history and culture surrounding the Minecraft games, books, toys, and more. You'll have more fun than a Minecraft player building a fortress as you learn strategies for playing the game and more fascinating facts.

The Minecraft universe is limitless. You can explore as far as you like, build neverending castles, and battle hordes of monsters. But once you have your base, farms, weapons, and armor, what’s next? When you're tired of the same old moves and you're hungry for new gameplay, The Unofficial Encyclopedia of Ultimate Challenges for Minecrafters will keep you busy with advanced maneuvers, thrilling new adventures, and extreme dares. You're not a true champion Minecrafter until you've . . . Collected every mob in your own zoo Played the game King of the Ladder Completed every in-game advancement Defeated the Ender Dragon in hardcore mode Survived Survival Island Bested Ultra Hardcore PVE/PVP competitions And more! With hundreds of screenshots for easy visual reference and definitions of every term that might trip a player up, this exciting book covers the A to Z of exploring the infinite possibilities of Minecraft gameplay.

It's game on, Minecraft fans! This title explores the inception and evolution of Minecraft, highlighting the game's key creators, super players, and the cultural crazes inspired by the game. Special features include side-by-side comparisons of the game over time and a behind-the-screen look into the franchise. Other features include a table of contents, fun facts, a timeline and an index.Full-color photos and action-packed screenshots will transport readers to the heart the Minecraft empire! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

This book introduces readers to Microsoft, the technology company behind the Xbox consoles and hit franchises such as Halo, Minecraft, and Forza. Readers will explore the company's history, its unlikely entrance into the video game industry, and how the company continues to innovate today. Features include infographics, a glossary, references, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Super Mario Bros. Doom. Minecraft. It’s hard to imagine what life would be like today without video games, a creative industry that now towers over Hollywood in terms of both financial and cultural impact. The video game industry caters to everyone, with games in every genre for every conceivable electronic device--from dedicated PC gaming rigs and consoles to handhelds, mobile phones, and tablets. Successful games are produced by mega-corporations, independent studios, and even lone developers working with nothing but free tools. Some may still believe that video games are mere diversions for children, but today’s games offer sophisticated and wondrously immersive experiences that no other media can hope to match. Vintage Games 2.0 tells the story of the ultimate storytelling medium, from early examples such as Spacewar! and Pong to the mind blowing console and PC titles of today. Written in a smart and engaging style, this updated 2nd edition is far more than just a survey of the classics. Informed by hundreds of in-depth personal interviews with designers, publishers, marketers, and artists--not to mention the author’s own lifelong experience as a gamer--Vintage Games 2.0 uncovers the remarkable feats of intellectual genius, but also the inspiring personal struggles of the world’s most brilliant and celebrated game designers--figures like Shigeru Miyamoto, Will Wright, and Roberta Williams. Ideal for both beginners and professionals, Vintage Games 2.0 offers an entertaining and inspiring account of video game’s history and meteoric rise from niche market to global phenomenon. Credit for the cover belongs to Thor Thorvaldson.

How filling life with play-whether soccer or lawn mowing, counting sheep or tossing Angry Birds -- forges a new path for creativity and joy in our impatient age Life is boring: filled with meetings and traffic, errands and emails. Nothing we'd ever call fun. But what if we've gotten fun wrong? In Play Anything, visionary game designer and philosopher Ian Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety; transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities. The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games. Play Anything, reveals that games appeal to us not because they are fun, but because they set limitations. Soccer wouldn't be soccer if it wasn't composed of two teams of eleven players using only their feet, heads, and torsos to get a ball into a goal; Tetris wouldn't be Tetris without falling pieces in characteristic shapes. Such rules seem needless, arbitrary, and difficult. Yet it is the limitations that make games enjoyable, just like it's the hard things in life that give it meaning. Play is what happens when we accept these limitations, narrow our focus, and, consequently, have fun. Which is also how to live a good life. Manipulating a soccer ball into a goal is no different than treating ordinary circumstances- like grocery shopping, lawn mowing, and making PowerPoints-as sources for meaning and joy. We can "play anything" by filling our days with attention and discipline, devotion and love for the world as it really is, beyond our desires and fears. Ranging from Internet culture to moral philosophy, ancient poetry to modern consumerism, Bogost shows us how today's chaotic world can only be tamed-and enjoyed-when we first impose boundaries on ourselves.