Mechanismo

A buddy cop tale like no other! Man and mechanismo, on the mean streets of Mega-City One. The next chapter in the legendary Judge Dredd epic, penned by incomparable Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner With Mega-City one eating Judges faster than they can be replaced, the Justice Department prepares once more to trial a radical solution for their manpower shortage: The Mark-8 RV Mechanismo unit, robotic judges programmed to deal with everything the city can throw at them, with freshly programmed AIs designed to empathise with the citizens they’ll encounter. Judge Dredd himself has never hid his feelings on granting judicial powers to machines, but the responsive, resilient and ultimately expendable machines may be the answer to the justice department’s problems. Dredd is ordered to put aside his prejudices and conduct an assessment with one of the latest models, nicknamed HARVEY…

INTRODUCTION BY MISHA GLENNY, author of McMafia A gripping narrative of power, corruption and greed, The Mechanism is the true story of how a simple investigation into money laundering uncovered the biggest corruption scandal in human history. When a small team of investigators discovered that a black market currency dealer was operating out of a Brazilian petrol station, they could never have imagined that their work would destroy the government and lead to the impeachment of two presidents. As the trail leads further and further into the centre of power, the search for the truth and pursuit of justice become ever more crucial. Taut and riveting, with more plot twists than the most compelling political thriller, The Mechanism is an essential work of non-fiction that exposes the rottenness caused when politicians and big businesses believe they are above the law.

Serious Games provides a thorough exploration of the claim that playing games can provide learning that is deep, sustained and transferable to the real world. "Serious games" is defined herein as any form of interactive computer-based game software for one or multiple players to be used on any platform and that has been developed to provide more than entertainment to players. With this volume, the editors address the gap in exisiting scholarship on gaming, providing an academic overview on the mechanisms and effects of serious games. Contributors investigate the psychological mechanisms that take place not only during gaming, but also in game selection, persistent play, and gaming impact. The work in this collection focuses on the desirable outcomes of digital game play. The editors distinguish between three possible effects -- learning, development, and change -- covering a broad range of serious games’ potential impact. Contributions from internationally recognized scholars focus on five objectives: Define the area of serious games Elaborate on the underlying theories that explain suggested psychological mechanisms elicited through serious game play, addressing cognitive, affective and social processes Summarize the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of serious games, Introduce innovative research methods as a response to methodological challenges imposed through interactive media Discuss the possibilities and limitations of selected applications for educational purposes. Anchored primarily in social science research, the reader will be introduced to approaches that focus on the gaming process and the users’ experiences. Additional perspectives will be provided in the concluding chapters, written from non-social science approaches by experts in academic game design and representatives of the gaming industry. The editors acknowledge the necessity for a broader interdisciplinary study of the phenomena and work to overcome the methodological divide in games research to look ahead to a more integrated and interdisciplinary study of digital games. This timely and singular volume will appeal to scholars, researchers, and graduate students working in media entertainment and game studies in the areas of education, media, communication, and psychology.

Mega-City One: the future metropolis bustling with life and every crime imaginable. Keeping order are the Judges, a stern polic force acting as judge, jury and executioner. Toughest of all is Judge Dredd. He is the law and these are his stories.

The wild imaginings of ten science fiction authors are brought to life through color illustrations of artificial worlds, alien earths, planetary cities, and mysterious civilizations