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2014 Independent Games Festival announces Main Competition finalists

The Independent Games Festival (IGF) juries have announced the Main Competition finalists for its prestigious 16th annual awards, honoring the most influential and outstanding development in independent video games. The IGF has nominated over 30 extraordinary game titles released in the past year.
Candidates for the 2014 IGF Awards were distributed to nearly 375 elite judges for evaluation. Expert juries specializing in distinct disciplines for each category then selected the IGF finalists following playthroughs and recommendations from the more than 650 IGF entrants. The numbers of entries have increased significantly from previous years, and are a testament to the growing popularity and importance of the IGF.

Ellie's buddy AI in The Last Of Us explained at GDC 2014

Passes for the Game Developers Conference 2014 are going fast, and today we're announcing even more sessions for the Main Conference that you'll want to check out.
Today's highlights include a rundown of how Naughty Dog crafted Ellie's buddy AI in The Last Of Us, an expanded talk from Adam Orth on how developers can combat toxic behavior online, and a data-packed presentation from EEDAR co-founder Geoffrey Zatkin that can help attendees understand the trends -- big and small -- shaping the industry.

Crytek showcases the graphics tech powering Ryse at GDC 2014

Passes for the Game Developers Conference 2014 are going fast, and today we're announcing even more sessions for the Main Conference that you'll want to check out.
Today's highlights include an explanation of how Crytek built the rendering technology in Ryse, a guide to using Kickstarter as a tool for community engagement from Colossal Kaiju Combat developer Sunstone Games, and a code review roundtable for programmers led by Insomniac Games' engine director. Audience participation on that last one is mandatory, and lively debate is encouraged.

Learn all about Destiny's customizable character design at GDC 2014

Passes for the Game Developers Conference 2014 are going fast, and today we're announcing even more sessions for the Main Conference that you'll want to check out.
Today's highlights include a talk on Destiny's character customization system from an artist's perspective, a rundown of what designers and AI programmers can learn from the enemy AI systems in Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and a pretty intriguing look back at what went right -- and wrong -- in the process of transforming the subscription-based Rift into a free-to-play MMORPG.

Infamous: Second Son particle system explained at GDC 2014

Passes for the Game Developers Conference 2014 are going fast, and today we're announcing even more sessions for the Main Conference that you'll want to check out.

Today's highlights include a deep dive into the particle system that powers Infamous: Second Son given by Sucker Punch's Bill Rockenbeck, a talk from Irrational Games Lead Character Artist Gavin Goulden on the challenges of working out compelling character designs for Bioshock Infinite, and a guide to optimizing your game's shader architecture for next-gen hardware from Avalanche Studios' Emil Persson.

Learn about the art of The Witness at GDC 2014

Passes for the Game Developers Conference 2014 are going fast, and today we're announcing even more sessions for the Main Conference that you'll want to check out.

Today's highlights include a behind-the-scenes look at the visual design of The Witness, a frank talk from DrinkBox Studios' Chris McQuinn about what works -- and what doesn't -- when you're trying to market a new game, and a postmortem analysis of how Jackpot Slots claimed the top-grossing slot on Google's Play store from Gree's Alex Rosen.

More noteworthy devs join IGF 2014's jury panels

The juries behind GDC 2014's Independent Games Festival continue to take form with an exciting lineup of highly lauded developers and industry professionals to decide the finalists for the awards this March.

While the juries are still being finalized as we move toward selection of IGF finalists, here are the confirmed jurors for the Excellence in Visual Arts and Excellence in Audio Awards, in alphabetical order (you can see jurors in additional categories here):

GDC 2014 wants submissions for 'ALT.CTRL' alternative controller exhibit

Game Developers Conference 2014 organizers have opened up a special call for submissions for developers to submit to ALT.CTRL.GDC, an on-site special exhibit focusing on unique control methods for playing games.
ALT.CTRL.GDC will make its debut showcase during GDC 2014's Main Conference, from March 19th-21st, and is seeking submissions until December 30th for indie-centric one-of-a-kind game peripherals, contraptions and novelties which enhance game experiences and challenge traditional forms of input.
Teams for each chosen submission will be asked to showcase their games at the ALT.CTRL.GDC exhibit area at Moscone's North Hall -- alongside the GDC Play area and revamped Career Center. They will receive for free 2 All-Access Passes and 2 Expo Passes for GDC 2014 (a total of 4 passes). (In exchange for Passes and free exhibit space, teams will be responsible for their own travel and the delivery of their exhibit submission to GDC in San Francisco.)
Those interested in participating in ALT.CTRL.GDC should fill out this online form in its entirety. And any questions about the form or the exhibit should be directed to ALT.CTRL.GDC's organizer, John Polson.

Join us for the Guacamelee! postmortem at GDC 2014

With the Independent Games Summit passes sold out and others going fast for the Game Developers Conference 2014, we're announcing even more sessions for the Main Conference that you'll want to check out.

Today's highlights are DrinkBox Studios' Chris Harvey giving a postmortem on the PSN and PC hit Guacamelee!, EA Mobile's Aaron Loeb on how retention is the driving force for success, and Immersyve's Scott Rigby and Troy Skinner on satisfying player autonomy.

14th annual GDC Choice Awards now open for nominations

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) has opened nominations for the 14th annual Game Developers Choice Awards through January 4, 2014. Produced by the UBM Tech Game Network, the Choice Awards are one of the most prestigious honors in the video game development industry and will take place the evening of March 19, during GDC 2014 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, CA.
The Game Developers Choice Awards celebrate the skills and expertise of developers recognizing them as leaders in their craft across multiple game development disciplines. Award nominations in 10 categories are now open for games that were released during the 2013 calendar year.

Lucasfilm Games stars in first-ever studio postmortem at GDC 2014

For March's Game Developers Conference 2014, we're announcing an exciting new type of postmortem panel: the Classic Studio Postmortem.
Noah Falstein, a storied game designer known for his work at LucasArts and DreamWorks Interactive, as well as his time as chair of the International Game Developers Association and columnist for Game Developer magazine, will be moderating a discussion of the creative and financial influences that shaped Lucasfilm Games among a panel of developers who worked there during its earliest days.
Panelists include Lucasfilm Games alums Ron Gilbert, Chip Morningstar, David Fox, Steve Arnold and Peter Langston.
Falstein and his fellow developers will talk about what it was like to work at Lucasfilm Games while the studio was finding its feet and releasing a diverse portfolio of games, including Habitat, Ballblazer, and Maniac Mansion. The postmortem seeks to explore what made Lucasfilm Games so iconic and successful, as well as to determine whether a similar studio could succeed today.
This postmortem is an hour-long session, and while the scheduling details aren't final yet -- we'll have more information about when and where the talk is being held when we're a little closer to GDC -- we figured many of you would like an early heads-up about what to expect from this new panel.

Influential game devs join IGF 2014's jury panels

GDC 2014's Independent Games Festival is shaping up to be one of the most exciting ever, thanks to hundreds of indie game developer entrants who are pushing the boundaries of video game development and design.
Some of the most notable people in game development will be evaluating IGF 2014's standout entries. Today we're happy to announce members of some of our discipline-specific jury panels. These panels -- composed of game industry professionals, notable independent game developers and former IGF award winners -- will determine the finalists and winners of the various IGF 2014 awards.
While the juries are still being finalized for other categories as we move toward selection of IGF finalists, here are the confirmed jurors for the Excellence in Narrative Award, Nuovo Award and Excellence in Design Award, in alphabetical order:

Independent Games Festival's 1999 finalists, then and now

The inaugural year for the Independent Games Festival (IGF) was over a decade ago. While over 1,000 entries exist for the 2014 competition, IGF was 10 times smaller in 1999, which may correlate to a time when it was more difficult to be financially successful and independent. Indie angel investors and incubators, console support, digital distribution channels, easy access to free tools and assistance, and online crowd funding initiatives were all but missing at the turn of the millenium.
Even if IGF recognized these innovative but incomplete games, there were more obstacles and fewer options for them to make it to retail. It should come as no surprise that some of the IGF 1999 games from smaller studios remain unfinished. Though not all the games earned success, the talent behind these games has persevered.
Master of remastering ceremonies Jason Scott has revisited some of the more widely known game talent from that year. To complement Jason's excellent preservation of the finalist show reel, this piece will explore what has happened to as many of the first IGF finalists as possible. It looks at what IGF has done for these sometimes repeat finalists, what else they have worked on, and even what they feel could improve IGF.

Sony, Tencent, Blizzard, Ubisoft to speak at this week's GDC Taipei Summit

GDC Taipei Summit 2013 will be held December 5-6 with onsite registration available, and we're highlighting some of the major talks from DeNA, Sony, Tencent, Unity, Ubisoft, and more.
The GDC Taipei Summit, now in its second year, is organized by Gamasutra parent UBM Tech in association with UBM Asia, also co-creators of the recent GDC China event - as well as the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and the Taiwan Game Industry Promotion Alliance.
The event will be held at the Taipei International Convention Center on December 5-6, 2013, and continues to be the premier professional conference for the creators of games and interactive entertainment in Taiwan. Each event pass will include access to all sessions, breakfasts, lunches, coffee breaks, and the conference dinner for the two-day program.
This year's full agenda is now available online and includes newly announced sessions from internationally renowned teams:

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