Foreword
I have known and worked with George Li in various capacities for more than 20 years.
We met rst as colleagues at a private college of interactive arts in downtown Vancouver, Canada. I
was a full professor of linguistics at a university in the area, with extensive experience in developing
a cognitive science program at the university. Establishing a curriculum for such a program involved
familiarizing myself with areas well beyond the area of my specic academic position and collaborating
closely with colleagues – particularly in computing science (cognitive), psychology, and philosophy
(particularly concerning socio-epistemological issues such as AI). It was in this spirit that I was happy
to associate myself with a private college, focusing on language study and teaching, together with
preparing students to handle 3D computer applications (e.g., 3ds Max, 3D GameStudio, and Unreal)
and showing them how to generate animation materials for lm, TV, and games.
George Li was in charge of all the technical requirements of the college. I very quickly realized that he
was not merely extremely competent and forthcoming (he had already occupied high-level computing-
related positions, soware engineering for instance, in China prior to emigrating to Canada) but
also computationally competent and brilliantly innovative. He also had a particular interest in the
development of game engines and was already collaborating with his colleague, Charles Yeh, on a
practical reference book, XNA PC & Xbox360 C# Game Programming, with proprietary-produced
text and games to his credit.
As colleagues in the college, George and I found common, mutually strengthening interests. Eventually,
he and I found ourselves in charge of creating a two-year interactive-arts program curriculum for
the college.
My whole career, at universities in the UK and Canada, and as a member of the editorial boards of
a major academic journal and a very inuential series, has closely involved the evaluation of the
intellectual quality of people’s capabilities and work, and in my opinion, George Li’s innate talents
shine out clearly throughout his work and will continue to do so in the future. His ability to express
his knowledge of the subject at hand is outstandingly demonstrated in all his work, performance,
expressions, and character.
is book, like the one co-authored with Yeh, is designed for independent developers and company
training, plus for reference aer post-secondary education. e knowledge presented herein is most
intelligently, clearly, and eectively presented so as to be as eciently applicable and pedagogically
eective as possible on any device or platform, producing high-quality games, accessories, and edits.
