I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Packt Publishing team for their outstanding work in helping to bring this book—my first ever published book—to fruition. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with them throughout the entire process and appreciate their candid encouragement and feedback, which ultimately raised the standard of my work. Along similar lines, I would like to thank the reviewers, Innes Borkwood, Daniel Bendell, and Jean-Marc "jihem" QUÉRÉ, whose poignant criticisms and observations have also served to raise the standard of the final product.

I also wish to acknowledge the tireless efforts of the Stencyl development team—principally, Jonathan Chung, founder of Stencyl Inc, as well as all of the hardworking members of the community who have contributed to the development of the Stencyl game engine and toolset. Thanks to their efforts, Stencyl has enabled a plethora of designers, artists, and hobbyists to realize their game ideas, which may not otherwise have been possible, and has evolved from its hopeful beginnings into the remarkable, cross-platform game development system that it is today.

I reserve my final acknowledgements for my beautiful wife, Jennifer, and my son, Darius, whose awesome baby cuddles made it all worthwhile. Without their patience, love, and support, none of this would have been possible. Thank you.