The world of game development has been in a state of flux for the past few years. New technology, as well as new development tools and frameworks, has diversified the games industry and opened up the field to those who may not otherwise have been in a position to realize and publish their game concepts.

Stencyl is one such innovation. Developed from the ground up by founder Jonathan Chung, to be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible, yet it still retains the awesome power necessary for professional-level developers. Stencyl makes it possible for anyone with a great idea and the right motivation to develop their own games, from concept to market.

Stencyl Essentials has been written to get you up and running with Stencyl faster than with any other book, as it has been written in terse, yet lucid prose with a no-nonsense style, enabling you to get to grips with Stencyl in a fun, yet fast-paced way. This book is centered around a project, which has been designed to reinforce all of the key learning objectives. You will be guided through the process of building a game prototype, which is based on a successful, published game called Mudslide Cowboy (CyberMyth Games). By the end of this book, you will be competent in the use of all of Stencyl's most important features, and quite prepared to start working on your own game projects.