Jump Starts: Gaming for Windows 8 and Windows Store Apps

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Microsoft Virtual Academy has some cool Jump Starts coming up (8/21 and 8/22)

August 21: Gaming Engines for Windows 8 Jump Start

Learn all about developing games for Windows 8! Register here: https://aka.ms/Gaming

This Jump Start takes you through every aspect of developing games for Windows 8, from figuring out your audience to getting them to pay for your product. It includes demos and lots of tips on using gaming tools such as Construct2 by Scirra, GameMaker by YoYo Games, and Unity. Learn it all from three Microsoft Technical Evangelists with a passion for the technology: Jeremy Foster, Michael Palermo, and Adam Tuliper.

Course Outline

    - Planning your game: define your audience, market and technologies
    - Game assets: images, models, and audio
    - Construct2 by Scirra: a game engine creating elegant UI
    - GameMaker by YoYo Games: game-making power at your fingertips
    - Unity: 3D games on multiple platforms
    - Monetization and Store submission: the payoff

August 22: Windows Store Apps with HTML5 Refresh Jump Start

Register here: https://aka.ms/HTML5Refr

For those of you who have already taken the Developing Windows Store Apps with HTML5 Jump Start or the Advanced Windows Store App Development Using HTML5 and JavaScript Jump Start, you know how to develop web apps for Windows 8. Now it’s time to take your apps to the next level. We’ve listened to your requests and made the Windows experience even better in Windows 8.1. Find out how to make richer and more integrated apps by taking these refreshes corresponding to the original Jump Starts.

Course Outline

Developing Windows Store Apps with HTML5 Refresh: Morning Session
    - Controls (HTML with JavaScript), such as the AppBar command
    - Files, including a update to the file picker, to support new app display modes
    - Networking, including the new HTTP client API
    - Security, including fingerprint authentication
    - UX/UI improvements, including new windowing modes

Advanced Windows Store App Development Using HTML5 and JavaScript Refresh: Afternoon Session
    - Asynchronous programming
    - Multimedia, including a video processing feature
    - Devices, including Human Interface Device (HID) support