What is Microsoft XNA?

Microsoft XNA is a radical new piece of software that allows you to develop your own video games for no cost. Now, this might not sound new and it isn't really new except in the aspect that you can develop a game for the Xbox 360! This is the part that is radical and new. Now you can really make games and play them on your Xbox. Or even market them!

What do you need?

First off you need a computer running Windows XP with Service Pack 2. They will be coming out with a version that runs on Vista but this is currently not available.

You also need to install on your computer Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition. This is free and easy to get. I will give you the link.

Here are a couple of other requirements that are not mandatory except as specified:

Hardware requirements are identical to those for Visual Studio 2005 plus a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 1.1 (Shader Model 2.0 is recommended and required for some Starter Kits).

The .NET Framework version 1.1 is required if you intend to use the XACT tools for Audio Authoring.

Before you start

Before you start you need to have an active subscription with the Microsoft XNA Creators Club. It's totally free and you get lots of good resources to making games. Sign up here: Microsoft XNA creators club - Watch the video

Resources

• The Official Home Page for XNA
• The Microsoft XNA Development Center
• The XNA forums at Microsoft
• The Read Me file for XNA - You need to read this if you are considering installing and running XNA
• XNA Development Group - An independent website with info and tutorials on XNA

Microsoft® XNA Game Studio Creators Guide

Bring your gaming visions to life with Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express

Create complete 3D games using Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express and this hands-on guide. Written by experienced game developers, Microsoft XNA Game Studio Creator's Guide details the fundamentals of great game programming and offers detailed examples.

Inside, you'll learn to program a game engine, write shader code, create and animate 3D models, and add fluid motion and special effects. You'll also find out how to launch ballistics, add realistic scenery and terrain, and integrate lighting and textures. Step-by-step tutorials on underlying C# code and explanations of vector and matrix techniques are included.