Stephane Natkin received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers (CNAM), Paris in 1978 and 1980 respectively. He is a founder of the French National School on Games and Interactive Media, which was launched by the French Prime Minister in May 2003. Currently he is a professor in the department of Computer Science at CNAM, where he is Director of the Computer Research Laboratory CEDRIC, and heads a postgraduate game-design program.

" "". . . highly informative and a great foundation for understanding video game genres and development."" -PJ Hruschak, CIN Weekly, August 2006""A straightforward introduction to what video games and interactive media are, and the impact that their increasing popularity has had on modern culture... accessible to non-specialist general readers of all backgrounds, whether they are familiar with games or not... the perfect primer for any serious student, scholar, or parent needing the straight facts about interactive computer games."" -John Burroughs, Midwest Book Review, August 2006"

• Preface 1 On the Nature of Video Games 1A Zoology of Gaming; An Uncultivated Field; A Short History of Video Games; The Process of Video-Game Production 2 The Cheater’s Novel, or How to Write a Video Game; Game Design: Conceiving a Universe; Level Design: The Technique of the Maze; Immersion Methods; Gameplay: A Gigantic Bluff; Conclusion: What Makes Video-Game Design Different 3 Online Games or the Return of the War of the Worlds Massively Multiplayer Games; Proactive, Mobile, Ubiquitous, Games Everywhere 4 Video-Game Technologies; Image Technology; Sound Technology; Artificial Intelligence; Game Engines; Technologies of Network Games; Technology for Proactive and Ubiquitous Games; Research; 5 Game In or Game Out; Needs and Pedagogy of Training for Games; Art and Games