Gaming Hacks

It doesn't take long for an avid-or wickedly clever-gamer to be chafed by the limitations of videogame software or hardware. But those who make the games-and those who dig deeper-know that there's much more to gaming than conquering the bad guy. Behind the alluring graphics and deceptively simple game play lurks a hidden world. How far can you go? Farther than you might imagine. Whether you want to modify your console controller to work on other consoles, create your own text adventure, or modify your Game Boy, there's plenty of fun you can have for cheap or free, using the creative exploits of the gaming gurus. And gaming guru Simon Carless shares the best of them in his new book Gaming Hacks (O'Reilly, USD 24.95). Several sample hacks, including Make a Profit in Vana'diel, Hack the Dreamcast Virtual Memory Unit, and Put Your Face in DOOM, are available by following the download tab above.

People love playing games, whether it be on their console, their PC, or elsewhere, but it's also fun to go beyond the game and hack about in its innards, says Carless. His new book isn't about a particular game or console, or any particular gaming era. Instead, it explores and celebrates a few of the most interesting nooks and crannies of the gaming world-whether new, old, or positively ancient.

We've collected a hundred hacks for gamers from game developers, expert players, and fans, representing dozens of rabbit holes related to playing, collecting, modifying, and enjoying the world of video games, explains Carless. Some talk about classic games. Other explore modern consoles. Still more cover PC games. There's something here for everyone-from an old idea in a new dress to an unknown concept or wacky idea that you'd never have considered...until now.

Everything from social exploits and tips to be used in MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) to soldering-iron heavy hardware hacks is covered in this guide. I really wanted to delve deeply into the obscure, arcane, and little-known backwaters of gaming, and present a lot of the best hacks, exploits, and esoteric facts in one vaguely canonicaltome! confesses Carless. Drawing from the author's extensive experience and that of other game gurus, the book compiles a host of insanely rare, intriguing, and un-compiled information in one place, as Carless says. There's no other gaming book that's really like this.

Gaming Hacks shows hardcore gamers how to configure the best FPS (first-person shooter) peripherals, hack the Nuon DVD Player/Gaming System, modify their Game Boy, watch movies and listen to music on their Sega Dreamcast, and much, much more. The book also includes detailed software-based looks at MMO titles, FPS games, machinima (real-time movies created using game engines), emulation, save-game hacking, and many other miscellaneous subgenres and topics, including:

- Play classic games just as you remember them

- Become a hero, villain, or tycoon online

- Seek out, buy, and play real arcade games in real arcade cabinets

- Play imported games without hardware restrictions

- Create and play your own games in less than a week

- Hack, mod, and overclock your favorite console

Gamers who want to go far beyond the obvious will discover an indispensable guide in Gaming Hacks. You don't need to be a gaming guru to pick it up, but you'll be one when you put it down.

To purchase the book online, follow the download tab above.