Building XNA 2.0 Games: A Practical Guide for Independent Game Development is written by James Silva, who recently won the prestigious Microsoft Dream Build Play game competition with his award--winning game, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai. Building XNA 2.0 Games: A Practical Guide for Independent Game Development is an in--depth and exclusive look into the entire XNA game development process and includes the creation of a software game masterpiece. James Silva guides you through the process he took to build his award--winning title, from concept to reality. He reveals tips and techniques for creating a polished, high--quality game with very few resources, while bridging the gap between coding and art. This title shows software developers the following: * The creation of a polished game from start to finish * Design philosophies * Next--gen 2D graphics, including shaders * Techniques for fast, fluid game play * XACT Audio and XInput * Eye--catching particle effects for visual stimulation The book is packed full of code, pictures, and valuable insights into XNA game development. What you'll learn * If you are brand new to XNA, you'll see basic concepts of game development through simple exercises. * You'll be able to follow along and see the steps taken to re--create the game that won the Microsoft Dream Build Play competition. * You'll learn and enhance artistic skills and artistic design capabilities. * You'll learn how to build software games that focus on the same artistic design, game play, and game flow/logic that are also found in commercial games. * You'll become more exposed to the exciting world of software games. Who this book is for For anyone who has working knowledge of C# and .NET programming and either loves to build software games or is interested in seeing how to create an award--winning game.