{"product_id":"9780062651242_blood-sweat-and-pixels","title":"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNATIONAL BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“The stories in this book make for a fascinating and remarkably complete pantheon of just about every common despair and every joy related to game development.” — Rami Ismail, cofounder of Vlambeer and developer of Nuclear Throne\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeveloping video games—hero's journey or fool's errand? The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more harrowing and complex than the games themselves, often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss. In \u003ci\u003eBlood, Sweat, and Pixels, \u003c\/i\u003eJason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, \u003ci\u003eBlood, Sweat, and Pixels\u003c\/i\u003e reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it's nothing short of miraculous.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaking some of the most popular, bestselling recent games, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it's RPG studio Bioware's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build \u003ci\u003eDragon Age: Inquisition\u003c\/i\u003e; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG \u003ci\u003eStardew Valley \u003c\/i\u003efrom one man's vision into a multi-million-dollar franchise; or Bungie spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create \u003ci\u003eDestiny\u003c\/i\u003e, a brand new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLord of the Rings\u003c\/i\u003e—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDocumenting the round-the-clock crunches, buggy-eyed burnout, and last-minute saves, \u003ci\u003eBlood, Sweat, and Pixels\u003c\/i\u003e is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes of the video game industry who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGo behind the screens for an inside look at how some of the most popular and acclaimed games of our time were made:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAAA Studios Under Pressure:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover how Naughty Dog rebooted \u003ci\u003eUncharted 4\u003c\/i\u003e, how BioWare overcame countless technical nightmares on \u003ci\u003eDragon Age: Inquisition\u003c\/i\u003e, and why Bungie struggled to launch \u003ci\u003eDestiny\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Solo Developer:\u003c\/b\u003e Follow the five-year, single-handed effort of Eric Barone to create \u003ci\u003eStardew Valley\u003c\/i\u003e, the indie farming RPG that became a multi-million-dollar phenomenon.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Kickstarter Revolution:\u003c\/b\u003e Learn how a successful crowdfunding campaign for \u003ci\u003ePillars of Eternity\u003c\/i\u003e saved developer Obsidian Entertainment from the brink of collapse.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePost-Launch Redemption:\u003c\/b\u003e Witness the turbulent launches and subsequent reinventions of games like \u003ci\u003eDiablo III\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Witcher 3\u003c\/i\u003e, proving that for some games, shipping is just the beginning.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Jason Schreier","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46908396929173,"sku":"9780062651242","price":10.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780062651242_3ed9144c-025b-412a-ae41-cb1a5649117f.jpg?v=1776889765","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780062651242_blood-sweat-and-pixels","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}