MTA 98-374 Exam Cram is the most complete and effective late-stage study guide for Microsoft's brand-new MTA 98-374 Gaming Development Fundamentals certification exam. Fully aligned with the exam's objectives, it thoroughly reviews all the essentials of game development with XNA and other Microsoft technologies, including game design, hardware, graphics, and animation. Reflecting the attractive new Exam Cram design, it provides new Cram Savers, Cram Quizzes, and all these proven features:

• Chapters mapping directly to the official exam objectives
• An extensive set of practice questions, including two full practice exams in the book, and another on CD
• Notes, tips, sidebars, cautions, test-taking strategies, and tips to make studying more effective and time-efficient
• Exclusive Cram Sheet tear-out card with last-minute study tips, acronyms, and memory joggers available nowhere else

 Topics covered include:

•  Game design: game types, genres, player motivation, and more
• Core techniques: user interface design, components, capturing user data, and XNA
• Hardware: input/output devices, networking, game performance management, and platform differences
• Graphics: Rendering engines, planning for game state, and drawing objects
• Animation: animating basic characters, transforming objects, and working with collisions

 This book brings together all the knowledge game developers need to walk into the exam room with confidence - and pass their MTA 98-374 exams with flying colors.