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Stay up to date on everything happening with the Game Developers Conference, the Independent Games Festival, the Game Developers Choice Awards, and more through our online blog. To get GDC updates sent straight to your mailbox, subscribe to our GDC Newsletter.

IGF 2014 organizers announce record Main Competition entrants

October 24, 2013

The organizers of the 16th annual Independent Games Festival -- the longest-running and largest showcase for independent developers -- are proud to announce that the event has once again seen record entries for its latest Main Competition.
In total, the GDC 2014 co-located festival attracted 656 Main Competition entries from both established indie developers and first-time entrants, handily beating last year's high score of 589.
Some of the hundreds of promising titles entered in this year's IGF Main Competition include Stoic's turn-based strategy RPG The Banner Saga, Impromptu Games's puzzle platformer InFlux, and David S. Gallant's I Get This Call Every Day.
The entrants also feature titles such as Vlambeer's Nuclear Throne, TAISO by Zacozaco, and Quadrilateral Cowboy by Blendo Games. You can check out the full list of IGF entries here.

GDC Next 10: Storyteller dev on plot devices and game mechanics

October 23, 2013

"We can still redefine what 'video game' means."

In advance of GDC Next, which runs in Los Angeles on November 5-7, GDC director of online community Patrick Miller asked Storyteller creator Daniel Benmergui about how he grew his narrative-puzzle game Storyteller from a two-day experiment into an IGF 2012 Nuovo Award winner.
Benmergui will be speaking as part of the GDC Next 10 session series, which highlights forward-looking work in upcoming games, in a talk called Using Plot Devices to Create Gameplay in Storyteller".

GDC Next partners with USC to give out free passes to USC Game students

October 22, 2013

University of Southern California's USC Games program and GDC Next are collaborating to support the next generation of developers with a pass giveaway to GDC Next in November.
USC will distribute 50 VIP All Access Passes and additional complimentary Expo Passes to eligible students in the USC Games program enrolled in Advanced Game Projects (a full-year class in which students at USC Games work with industry and faculty mentors to create professional-quality games) and MFA students working on their final year thesis projects (the culmination of the three-year MFA program in School of Cinematic Arts' Interactive Media and Games Division).
"We're thrilled to be able to offer an opportunity for USC students to participate in this GDC," said GDC general manager Meggan Scavio, "In creating an event aimed at discussing 'what's next' in game development, it only seemed natural to include the next generation of game developers."
Tracy Fullerton, director of USC's Game Innovation Lab, echoed Scavio's sentiment: "Attending professional conferences such as GDC and GDC Next is an incredible opportunity for our students to learn more about the latest, best practices in the game industry; to meet with their peers and mentors; and is critical for their professional development."
The USC Games program is a joint collaboration between the School of Cinematic Arts' Interactive Media & Games Division and the Viterbi School of Engineering's Department of Computer Science. Incorporating elements of design, artistry and engineering, USC Games offers an utterly unique educational experience for students, and serves as the launching pad for them to play significant roles in the game design field.

Volunteer applications now open to be a GDC 2014 Conference Associate

October 22, 2013

Want to get into Game Developers Conference 2014 for free while helping the show go off without a hitch? Apply to be a volunteer Conference Associate (CA), and you can earn the equivalent of an All-Access Pass by putting in about 20 hours of on-site work.
GDC 2014 runs from Monday, March 17th through Friday, March 21st, 2014. Conference Associates have pre-conference assignments and a required orientation dinner on Sunday, March 16th.
If you are accepted into the program, you are expected to be on-site from the start of your pre-conference assignments through the end of the conference on the evening of Friday, March 21st, during conference hours.
Duties may include guarding doors and scanning badges, monitoring sessions, answering attendees' questions, and more. (You will be given some free time during the show to attend talks or the Expo floor.)
To apply, head over to the GDC 2014 CA application page and read the instructions. The deadline for applications closes at 11:59pm PDT, January 3rd, 2014. Applicants will be notified if they are accepted (or not) by January 9th.
Applications submitted after the positions are filled will be offered the opportunity to be put on the waiting list. Applications will be accepted up until 11:59 pm (Pacific Time, UTC-8) on March 14th for the waiting list.

GDC Next 10: How Dr. Strangelove inspired CounterSpy

October 22, 2013

In advance of GDC Next, taking place in Los Angeles in early November, GDC Director of Online Community Patrick Miller asked Dynamighty co-founder David Nottingham about the creative and artistic influences that inspired PlayStation 3, mobile, tablet and PlayStation Vita title CounterSpy.
Nottingham, himself a LucasArts veteran, will be speaking in a GDC Next 10 talk titled "How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love Making CounterSpy" at next month's show.
Patrick Miller: Why decide to start a new studio and develop an original game at the same time instead of tackling each ridiculously difficult task one at a time?

Changing the world, trends for the next decade headline GDC Next 2013

October 21, 2013

Learn about the future of games in Los Angeles next month during Game Developers Conference Next's Future of Gaming Track, with EA Mythic lead designer Kate Flack on toy industry insights she brought to Ultima Forever (pictured), Ubisoft Blue Byte's Teut Weidemann on why mobile is everything, and more.
GDC Next will take place alongside the App Developers Conference on November 5th-7th, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The new event aims to highlight the future of video game development, with session tracks organized around 'Next Generation Game Platforms', 'Free To Play & New Business Models', and 'Smartphone & Tablet Games', as well as cloud and indie game tracks.
Along with the GDC Next 10 series of talks on forward-looking games, the Future of Gaming Track will explore the future of the industry around key parts of the world and how and on what the games of tomorrow will be made.
Smartphones and tablets are the future, and anyone not moving their business to these devices will get left behind, urges Ubisoft Blue Byte senior online game supervisor Teut Weidemann. In his talk 'Why Everything in Games Today Is Irrelevant,' he will explain why mobile is key for future-minded game dev studios.
Starr Long will draw from his 20 years of industry experience, from project director of Ultima Online to now executive producer of the $2.3 million crowd-funded Shroud of the Avatar, to propose 'Nine Trends For The Next Decade Of Video Games.' In this talk, Long will explore how trends like 3D printing and wearable tech can change the way we make and consume games -- and how said trends will combine with each other to produce even more drastic changes down the line.
EA Mythic lead designer Kate Flack will share "main street retail" insights that helped her in creating and launching freemium mobile title Ultima Forever in 'Analogue Lessons for a Digital Age.' Flack will illustrate how her experience working for Games Workshop, the largest creator of 'toy soldiers' in the world, helped inform her game design decisions, such as focusing on long-term loyal hobbyists and learning the profiles of those hobbyists.
Those wondering 'How Your Game Can Change the World' will want to attend Game It Forward CCO and founder Brandon Bozzi's talk, in which he will examine games that are affecting communities, science, medicine, and fundraising and share tools that developers can use in more mainstream games for positive impact.

Cloud, crowd, and alternative biz models big at GDC Next

October 17, 2013

Last year, Austin's GDC Online floored its final show -- but its focus on cutting-edge sessions for developing Internet-connected games lives on in GDC Next, the 'spiritual successor' show which takes place in Los Angeles from November 5th-7th.
GDC Next will feature sessions from previous GDC Online favorite topics and speakers on F2P lessons from Neverwinter and Diner Dash, cloud gaming and crowdfunding with Star Citizen, microtransactions and subscriptions from Playdom, new user experience and retention from KIXEYE and Workshop Entertainment, and more.
GDC Next will take place alongside the App Developers Conference on November 5th-7th, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The new event aims to highlight the future of video game development, with session tracks organized around 'Next Generation Game Platforms', 'Free To Play & New Business Models', and 'Smartphone & Tablet Games', as well as cloud and indie game tracks.

GDC Next 10: Capy's Vella tells us about Super TIME Force and game jams

October 16, 2013

Capy Games president and co-founder Nathan Vella knows he's in charge of a creative powerhouse, and in his GDC Next 10 talk, "From Game Jam to Full Game -- Super TIME Force & Other Shining Examples" he'll be speaking about how regularly participating in weekend game jams is key to fueling said creativity.
In advance of GDC Next, taking place in Los Angeles next month, GDC Director of Online Community Patrick Miller asked the Toronto-based Vella about Capy's jamming habits, the process of nurturing a jam idea into a full-team project, and what to expect in his upcoming talk.

GDC Next's Expo Floor - 'handheld history', exhibitor details revealed

October 16, 2013

Game Developers Conference Next is just a few weeks away from happening in Los Angeles (November 5th-7th), kicking off the inaugural 'future of games' event.
And while you're putting together your session schedule in the Schedule Builder, don't forget to set some time aside to stop by the Expo Floor. Highlights include:

  • The exhibitors: Google, Sony, Microsoft, Samsung, Intel, Qualcomm, Pandora, Technical Illusions, and other major game and app industry players will be there, showing what's next for developers.
  • Vendor talks: GREE, Tencent, Intel, Google, and many others will be offering sponsored sessions at the GDC Next and ADC Expo Floor theater, all accessible to anyone with any GDC Next, ADC, or Expo Pass.
  • ADC Best in Apps: AppCircus and ADC have partnered to put on the Best in Apps contest, and a hand-selected group of finalists will be presenting their work on the Expo Floor.
  • Retro portable gadgets: Remember the Apple Newton? The Videogame History Museum will be presenting a special exhibit called the Museum of Portable Devices, showing the Newton, early Palm products, as well as presenting arcade machines and its classic '80s 'living room' setup
  • Get a job: Several major industry companies, including Sony, Insomniac, GREE, and Nexon, will be networking and recruiting for open positions.
  • Grab a snack: Recharge your body's batteries with a free smoothie from 10-11am and 2-3pm, afternoon coffee from 3:30-4:15pm, and Happy Hour from 5-6pm.

For more information on the GDC Next and ADC Expo Floor, including Intel's presentations, free OUYA giveaways, and more, check out the GDC Next Expo Floor page.

What's Next? How games-as-a-service is changing everything

October 15, 2013

[In advance of November's GDC Next, GDC's Director of Online Community Patrick Miller reached out to many games industry luminaries to see where they think the future of video games is headed. This interview is the latest installment of a multi-part series that will run up until shortly before the 'future of games' conference, which takes place in Los Angeles, CA from November 5-7, co-located with the App Developers Conference.]
As a general partner at Signia Venture Partners, Dan Fiden's job is to figure out the future of the games industry as best he can -- so, naturally, he was a perfect pick to talk about the future of games. Read on to find out why he thinks freemium and games-as-a-service models are only beginning to catalyze changes that will reverberate through the entire industry.

Raph Koster, Ouya's Uhrman, Magic's Skaff Elias to speak at GDC Next 2013

October 14, 2013

'Future of games' conference GDC Next has added more exciting talks to its inaugural lineup: Raph Koster on the expanding definition and audience of games, Ouya's Julie Uhrman on 'Why Now Is the Best Time Ever to Be a Game Developer,' and Three Donkeys's Skaff Elias (a key figure in the creation of Magic: The Gathering) on tweaking luck and skill in game design.
GDC Next is the spiritual successor to GDC Online, and will take place alongside the App Developers Conference on November 5th-7th, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
This new event aims to highlight the future of video game development, with session tracks organized around 'Next Generation Game Platforms', 'Free To Play & New Business Models', and 'Smartphone & Tablet Games', as well as cloud and indie game tracks.
For veteran designer Raph Koster (Ultima Online), the future of games is already here -- and they're far exceeding the medium's traditional boundaries and expectations. Amidst gamified restaurants, immersive narrative experiences, political statements, and more, there are conflicts between audience subcultures and within the development community. Players get mad when a title isn't what they expected. Developers grow angry as they watch the encroachment of business practices they dislike.
In a titled talk 'Playing with "Game",' Koster will offer a craft-centric approach to these fundamental game dev questions: What do we make, who do we make it for, and how can we best make what we want? He will present a framework for thinking about varied types of interactive experiences, and the four types of problems that make for compelling play, along with practical design checklists and techniques for different kinds of game experiences.

Final GDC Next 10 talks announced: SWERY's D4, Storyteller

October 10, 2013

'Future of games' conference GDC Next organizers have announced the last two talks included in the 'GDC Next 10' special session series of innovative, yet-to-debut games: Daniel Benmergui's comic-strip-like puzzler Storyteller, and Hidetaka "SWERY" Suehiro's Kinect-powered, episodic noir mystery D4.
As part of the November LA-based 'future of games' conference's cutting-edge content, representatives of each game will be invited to give a world-exclusive talk about the concept, inspiration, and design behind the title.
Each GDC Next 10 game has been picked by GDC organizers as a game to watch for the future; one that is doing something decidedly different in today''s increasingly crowded game market.
This week's first addition to the Next 10 is Hidetaka "SWERY" Suehiro's Xbox One Kinect-powered, episodic noir mystery D4 [trailer] from Access Games. Suehiro is best known for his work on Deadly Premonition, and Polygon's Griffin McElroy described his 20-minute demo as "the strangest 20 minutes of video game I've ever seen in my entire life."
Suehiro will share the challenges of designing for Xbox One's Kinect and of focusing on sensory experiences and empathy in his talk, 'D4: Dawn of the Dreaming Director's Drama.' He promises to share his unique approaches "as professionally as possible," while also presenting simple but often-overlooked approaches to game design.

Sponsored talks by Tencent, Google, GREE on GDC Next expo floor

October 9, 2013

Learning at GDC Next won't stop at the session tracks; Tencent, Google, GREE, and Samsung are just a few of the vendors offering instructional talks on the shared GDC Next/ADC Expo Floor Theater (booth #102), open to anyone with an Expo Pass as well as all GDC Next, ADC, and VIP All Access pass holders on November 5-6.
Confirmed sessions include:
Google's AdMob and Google Analytics teams will offer insights into tracking consumer analytics and your apps' performance in a talk called "Monetize, Measure, and Promote with AdMob and Google Analytics".
Tencent will explain some of the marketing design and technical requirements devs ought to be aware of when pitching apps to Chinese operators in "A Developer's Guide to Pitching Games for the Chinese Market".
Samsung will walk devs through their new developer program, explaining how to get your apps noticed on Samsung devices and get access to their special tools, in "Samsung + Developers".
Mobile app publishing platform Fuse Powered will demonstrate how to use their tools to analyze and iterate on a live free-to-play game in "Freemium Iteration Loop; Analyze, Test & Adapt in Real-Time to Maximize Revenue".
GREE will host a one-hour Q&A session with Jim Ying, VP of publishing and partnerships, where he will offer advice and feedback in a talk called "Publisher Speed Dating with GREE".
App marketers Fiksu will explain how to optimize your user acquisition spend by targeting the right metrics in "Launching a Mobile Game: Insights on Key User Acquisition Metrics".
Mobile VoIP provider Rebtel will discuss the importance of enabling app-to-app communication, using their app-to-app calling SDK as an example, in "Giving Your Game a Voice - Why App Communication Matters".

What's Next? Intel's Pallister on the future of processing power

October 8, 2013

[In advance of November's GDC Next, GDC's Director of Online Community Patrick Miller reached out to many games industry luminaries to see where they think the future of video games is headed. This interview is the latest installment of a multi-part series that will run up until shortly before the 'future of games' conference, which takes place in Los Angeles, CA from November 5-7, co-located with the App Developers Conference.]
As the director of content strategy for Intel's visual computing group, part of Kim Pallister's job is forecasting tech progress and emerging trends games and graphics -- in other words, predicting the future. Read on to find out where he thinks hardware will go in the next ten years (and where he thinks it isn't hardware that's holding us back).

Find out more about Square Enix's Collective publishing platform at GDC Next!

October 8, 2013

Today, Square Enix announced Collective, a new curated game pitching-and-publishing platform developed in partnership with IndieGoGo that enables independent game devs to connect with Square Enix and the broader community for feedback, crowdfunding, even access to older Eidos IP. If you want to know more about Collective, you can hear more about it yourself at a special GDC Next session called "The Story Behind Square Enix Collective".
In this session, Square Enix head of community Phil Elliott will offer more details about the Collective publishing platform, including details on launch plans, submission parameters, platforms, and information on which Square Enix IP will be available for pitches. The session will also include a question-and-answer period, and Square Enix is soliciting further questions and feedback via email at [email protected].

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