Dan Waters Zune Game Development using XNA 3.0

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Welcome to Zune Game Development Using XNA 3.0, a book that was inspired by two of my lifelong passions: games and music. I was introduced to the wonder of PC games with grou- breaking titles such as Doom and Quake in the mid-1990s, and have been an avid gamer ever since. I was also brought up in a musical family. Over time, I have amassed a collection of g- tars, drums, and other musical equipment that has ultimately failed in bringing my dreams of rock stardom to fruition. I have also attempted to write my own games for different platforms with varying degrees of success. Since 1997, I have made efforts to wrap my head around technologies like DirectX and OpenGL to create a real game. I still have books on my shelf covering DirectX 3.1, game engine design, physics, and calculus. In my initial pursuits, I found it too difficult and ti- consuming to learn such technologies with enough depth to be truly effective. Rather than following my most heartfelt aspiration of making millions as a virtuoso g- tar player, I opted for a computer science and engineering education, and became a software developer. I also tabled the idea of creating a real game due to the time investment, which I perceived as unrealistic.