Showing results by narrator "Matt HIcks" in All Categories

The Secret Science of Games is an accessible and entertaining guide to the hidden role of science in making games more fun. User experience (UX) research is a vital part of the story of how video games have become a cultural juggernaut, but game developers generally don’t speak publicly about how data shapes game design and game development.

Taking responsibility for your life is one of the hardest things there is. Being on your own, without someone to give you specific instruction, can feel overwhelming, even if you love what you do. It’s easy to feel distracted and lose sight of your goals when you feel like you have all the time in the world.

For many of us, teaching is not a job, it’s a calling. And if you’re listening this, I’m quite confident that you feel the same way. We entered this profession because we give a damn and we want to make a difference. We become ourselves when we step in our classroom. We know how incredibly rewarding affecting hundreds or thousands of young lives can be. And how big of a responsibility that is. One we don’t want to fail.

My place in this world slowly reveals itself to me. Unfortunately, I’m constantly reminded just how magicians truly screwed this place up. The Lord Ruler serves as one of the kingdom’s major problems, though there could be more to it. Tasks: rank up the shop and town, adapt to my ever-increasing strength, and hey, there are foes that are seriously strong out there. So many things happen in my growing tale this time around. Sit. I shall continue…

In small-town Tennessee, 18-year-old Charlie Ross wagers a kiss from Anna Cochran, the prettiest girl in town, and wins. But before their burgeoning romance can take flight, Charlie is drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. Anna promises she'll wait for him, no matter how long it takes. But when Charlie is taken prisoner, and later presumed dead, Anna is left to pick up the pieces to her shattered world. Eight years later, Charlie comes home. But his triumphant return is short-lived when he discovers the love of his life has moved on.

Confronted with uncertainty in the aftermath of war, a legendary master restarts a whole new system. General Glenaron gave up everything to stop the Beetle Queen’s invasion. He lost his wife, his youth, and his attachment to this world in a constant war that suddenly ends. His next cause is clear: Venture to the Cursed Valley and retire as a Warden Mage. Unfortunately, the Cursed Valley is actually cursed, he has no gold, and politics plague him.

If you want to develop your body, you go to the gym. It’s pretty straightforward. But what if you want to elevate your soul? Then, you need to master astral projection. The act of leaving your physical self behind and traveling bravely to the astral plane, searching for who you are and why you’re here. The benefits of mastering conscious astral traveling are invaluable, as it transcends the limits of the physical and rational.

Do you feel you’re not living the life you want? You have big goals and ambitions but you’re unable to achieve them? Are you trapped in an endless cycle of motivation and resignation that exhausts and drains you? You know that deep inside you have huge potential and that you can give a lot to this world, but you just don’t seem to express it in a consistent way. You might think that intense self-discipline and cutting out all bad habits is an overwhelming task. But real success often lies in the day-to-day ability to overcome the smallest of tasks, the most regular of setbacks.

Do you feel like you’ve lost control of your life? You have big dreams but you never seem to be able to just stick to the plan? Taking responsibility for your life and being on your own, without a boss or a coach to give you specific instruction, can easily feel overwhelming. It’s easy to feel distracted and lose sight of your objectives when it feels like you have all the time in the world. Here’s the big secret: Motivation is not enough! It’s never too late to cast away blame and procrastination and take full ownership of the unstoppable power of personal choice.

The Academy of Marked is perhaps the most dangerous place that Elian could be right now. It’s also the one place he wants to be. Elian is full-marked, and one of the marks he bears is that of a Summoner. A Summoner mark is a death sentence in the valley. But he risked his life to get back to the Valley of Auld—risked his life to make it to the Peaks, and gain entry to the Academy of Marked.

Heading from Wyoming to Maine to take on his new position with Lighthouse Security Investigations, Levi was hauling his possessions on a leisurely trip across the country, enjoying the sights he rarely had the time to see in his former career with the FBI. Time to get off the highway and take the backroads.

Drawing upon the three faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, The Eighth Scroll creates a spell-bindingly dynamic and powerful story, packed with intrigue and adventure: When a Roman Catholic scholar involved in the Dead Sea Scrolls Project hides one of the scriptures, because of the heretical message it contains, no one is the wiser until decades later, when a prominent archeologist discovers reference to the scroll in an archeological dig.

Can’t something interesting happen? Sara, an American interpreter was bored out of her mind working at an economic conference in French Guiana. Then she spied him. Blake...former Delta and adventure lover was stuck in a mind-numbing bodyguard mission for an academic at a conference. The only thing holding his attention was the beautiful interpreter he noticed in the balcony and at the hotel. They shared a night of passion and were prepared to say goodbye...until Blake watched her kidnapped from a shop the next morning.

He met her underneath the bones of a dinosaur, but she was not impressed with his smooth moves. When hired by a Senator from New Mexico Lighthouse Security Investigations sends Cobb to protect the daughter, a social worker is being threatened when she discovers some of her clinic’s donations are from dirty money. She might not have fallen for his pickup lines, but as a former SEAL, he can keep her safe. As a Keeper, he can figure out where the threat is coming from. She is not what he expects, and he finds out that while he's the man for the job, she’s the woman for him.

I changed the face of the world, creating a paradise for superhumans. All it took was throwing a fight and spending 40 years in jail. That was a small price to pay as an immortal. But now that I’m out on parole I fully intend on enjoying the world I created.

A powerful Islamic challenge to conventional Judeo-Christian theology, The First and Final Commandment combines this best-selling author's two books, MisGod'ed and God'ed, within one program. Written in clear, fluid, and at times amusing style, The First and Final Commandment incorporates common sense with scholarly analysis to demand reappraisal of the Judeo-Christian religions.

A modern ice age has all but stamped out human civilization and left the Earth nearly uninhabitable. For Ira Hartman and the dysfunctional band of survivors that surround her, all that’s left of the old world are ghosts trapped beneath the still forming ice sheets. Living in retrofitted tunnels beneath Riverside, California, scrounging for food, supplies, and desperately trying not to kill each other, things could be worse; but when an accident causes the generators powering their shelter’s heating system to be destroyed, hope seems to have run out.

A cruise brought his brother and sister-in-law together, but can lightning strike twice? Not when Knox is assigned to the security for a senior citizen cruise. Sigh…well, not all the Keepers can fall in love on a mission. Planning activities for seniors on a cruise would be easy, right? Nah. Libby discovered crew members kept hitting on her, a medical emergency had her stuck on shore, and the only man to catch her attention sailed away. And when Libby’s shore leave put her in the path of organized crime, Knox rushed to get back to the woman he’d fallen for.

Teaching is a passion before being a job. It’s chaotic, sometimes stressful, but when you have that fire inside of you, you know how incredibly rewarding having an impact on thousands of young lives can be. And how big of a responsibility that is. One you don’t want to fail. However, no matter how passionate or dedicated you are, if your classroom gets out of control, learning will be negatively impacted.

I’ve always said boyfriends are like martinis. They’re lots of fun at first, but the longer you indulge, the bigger headache they’ll give you. With career goals to crush and more than a few balls in the air, there’s no place in my life for the messy complications of love. Jax Crosby thinks he can tempt me to lose control, and he’s using his daughter to reel me in. He’d be dangerously easy to fall for, but there are more important things in life than love, aren’t there?