The final section of this chapter will introduce you to the use of particles in your game. Once you've gone through this, it should be child's play to use the extra functionality for them that we won't go over, since particles are very easy to set up and use, and they're also a very good component to get into the habit of using.

Before we begin coding particles, let's define what a particle is. A particle is a graphical resource defined by the particle type from which they are created, and they are displayed by using a particle system. They can create small or large effects without being CPU-intensive, allowing us to create cool effects without employing objects or sprites that could slow down the game. Particles create an organization for displaying your effects, and make it very easy. Particle types are "defined", so to speak, and are then displayed via a particle system directly, or through an emitter, which gives you some more functionality that you don't always need. We won...