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IGF China 2012 winners led by CubeTractor, Fish

The Independent Games Festival China has revealed the Main Competition and Student winners for its 2012 award ceremony, which celebrates the most creative indie games from throughout the Pan-Pacific area.

The GDC China co-located event is now in its fourth year, and the victors were led by Best Game winner, retro-inspired puzzler Cubetractor, and abstract action Best Student Game winner Fish.

Drawing from a prize pool totaling 45,000 RMB (roughly $7,150), IGF China's Main Competition gave away awards covering Excellence in Audio, Design, Technology, and Visual Arts, as well as the Best Mobile Game and Best Game awards.

Three awards -- for Best Student Game and Excellent Student Winners -- offered 13,000 RMB (roughly $2,050) in cash prizes, and the winners were revealed in a ceremony in Shanghai during GDC China - which is the subject of extensive live coverage at sister website Gamasutra.

Here are the winners for this year's IGF China:

SpellTower's Zach Gage to discuss tactile touch controls at GDC China

While touch controls are a fantastic way to attract a wider and more diverse audience, developers need to be careful to get things right, as poor touch controls will often make a game fall flat on its face.

Indie developer Zach Gage (SpellTower, Bit Pilot) has spent the last few years honing his skills making touch-based iOS games, and this Sunday at GDC China, he'll host an in-depth session to help other developers learn from his experience.

During his session, Gage will examine both classic and emerging control schemes, noting whether they succeed and discussing the lessons developers can draw from them. He'll also take a moment to look at a number of different touch-based games to pick apart their triumphs and failures.

Although the session is focused primarily on touch-screen games, attendees will be able to use Gage's lessons learned when moving to any type of new game hardware.

His session, titled "Controls You Can Feel: Putting Tactility Back Into Touch Controls," will take place as part of GDC China's Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit, and will be open to GDC China's All Access and Summits & Tutorials pass holders. Online registration is now open on the GDC China website, and the show itself will take place November 17-19 at the Shanghai Convention Center in Shanghai, China.

In addition to the above presentation, GDC China organizers have also added the following talks to the Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit:

- In "From Japan to the World -- the Status and Future of Mobile Social Card Games," D2C Inc.'s Xiaolei Zhang will take a close look at the growing popularity of mobile card games. These titles are already a phenomenon in Japan, and Zhang believes the craze will soon expand into the rest of the world. He'll pick apart D2C's own card games like The Sekigahara Kingdoms and Pirate Fantasy to help other developers understand why these games are so popular.

- Elsewhere, Game Insight's Darya Trushkina will explain how Chinese developers can succeed in North America during a session titled "How Chinese Mobile Can Win the West. Drawing from Game Insight's international publishing experience, Trushkina will compare the Eastern and Western game markets, while offering tips to help Chinese developers expand their reach into brand new territories.

Become a better writer, programmer with GDC 2013's specialized tutorials

Whether you're an experienced industry veteran or an upstart hobbyist developer, it's always a good idea to take some time to brush up on your game-making fundamentals.

No one can make a truly great game without first understanding the basics of development, which is why next year's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco will feature a number of robust tutorials to help attendees sharpen their essential skills.

This week, GDC 2013's organizers have debuted a pair of tutorials to help developers create better narrative content, and understand the mathematic principles behind modern game programming.

In the first tutorial, LucasArts lead narrative designer Evan Skolnick will return to GDC to host "Game Writing Fundamentals in a Day." During this session, he'll provide a comprehensive primer for game writers, covering the basics of good story structure, character development, and dialogue writing.

Of course, developers in other disciplines will benefit from this tutorial as well, as they will learn how to bridge the gap between game writers and the rest of the development team.

This week's second tutorial is another GDC favorite aimed at helping developers understand the foundation of modern game programming. The session, titled "Math for Games Programmers," will bring together a host of programming experts to cover everything from basic mathematic principles to the complex topics every programmer should master.

Confirmed speakers for this session include Jim Van Verth (Insomniac Games), Manny Ko (Imaginations Technologies), Gino van den Bergen (Dtecta), Stan Melax (Intel), Squirrel Eiserloh (The Guildhall at SMU), Robin Green (Microsoft), and Graham Rhodes (Applied Research Assoc., Inc.).

Both of the above sessions will take place as part of GDC 2013's Main Conference, which is open to All Access and Main Conference pass holders (a special Audio-specific pass is also available). Discounted Early Bird registration is now open on the show's official website, and GDC 2013 itself will take place March 25-29 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Learn to break into the Korean mobile market at GDC China

While mobile game developers often earn much of their revenue from North America, regions like China, Japan, and Korea are still extremely valuable.

The Korean market in particular has plenty of opportunities for mobile developers, and at next week's GDC China in Shanghai, attendees will learn the ins and out of breaking into this lucrative market.

During the show, Neowiz China's Eliot Shin will take an in-depth look at the Korean mobile market, detailing how it differs from other regions and why it's so appealing to developers around the world.

Korean mobile games often have an extremely high average revenue per user, but Shin believes it can take a fair bit of trail and error to really capitalize on that potential. While his talk primarily focuses on helping Chinese developers, Shin will offer plenty of insight to help both Western and Asian studios launch successful mobile games in the Korean market.

His talk, "Korean Mobile Market and Penetration Strategy for Chinese Developers," is part of GDC China's Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit, and will be open to All Access and Summits & Tutorials pass holders. Online registration is now open on the GDC China website, and the show itself will take place November 17-19 at the Shanghai Convention Center in Shanghai, China.

In addition to the above presentation, GDC China organizers have also added the following talks to the show's Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit:

- In "The Battle Royale of Mobile Social: Friends or Players?," Applifier CEO Jussi Laakkonen will pick apart the increasingly competitive mobile social market. He'll examine heavyweights like Gree, DeNA, Tencent, and more, noting how developers can make mobile games that have better global appeal.

- Elsewhere, Appy Entertainment brand director Paul O'Connor will discuss how his studio converted two premium apps to a free-to-play model, and saw a large boost in revenue in the process. His talk, "Premium to Freemium: Pivoting Monetization Method for Best-Selling Apps," will offer specific advice for other developers looking to make a similar shift.

GDC Vault adds classic Ron Moore keynote on Battlestar Galactica

[GDC organizers have digitized and made available new, free talks on the GDC Vault, including a visionary keynote on Battlestar Galactica, a talk on breaking into the mass-market, and more.]

This latest "Tales from the Vault", making classic GDC talks available online for the first time, featuring Jon Bentley's programming tricks of the trade and the second GamExecutive video at the 2000 conference, along with a visionary Battlestar Galactica keynote from 2006.

The first lecture reminds everyone that much like the game industry, Hollywood is no stranger to sequels and reboots of famous franchises. Creator and producer of the newer Battlestar Galactica TV series Ronald Moore (pictured) offers his take on rebooting in the "Vision track" keynote for GDC 2006, entitled "Building a Better Battlestar."

He discusses the process of developing and adapting the original series to the new series, injecting realism and drama into the sci-fi setting rather than veering toward the fantastic. Much like game developers, he wrestles with appealing to a new and larger audience unfamiliar with the original show while keeping long-time fans happy. [GDC Vault free video]

In the second GamExecutive conference video, the focus shifts from managing risk to appealing to the mass market. The session starts with Hasbro Interactive president Tom Dusenberry discussing his company's efforts to provide something for everyone, using the success surrounding the new IP of Rollercoaster Tycoon and a revitalized Frogger as examples.

Just as the industry laments the flooding of the app market now, Dusenberry speaks of a "glut of product" over a decade ago, which oddly foreshadows the company's selling in 2001. Dusenberry's attempt to solve the issue involves reducing product releases by 30 percent to focus on marketing.

A panel follows that also addresses internet age and mass-market penetration. The speakers include Tom Reed of Interplay, Thom Ackerman Maslow of Mattel Interactive, Alison Locke of THQ, and Douglas Littlejohns of Red Storm Entertainment. [GDC Vault free video]

Last up this week is the "Tricks of the Programming Trade" lecture by Bell Labs' Jon Bentley. In a rather invigorating discussion, Bentley asks the audience not to take notes and instead call out the steps and solutions to problems from randomizing experiments to calculating how much water flows from the Mississippi River.

Some of the tips he promotes for both real-world and program debugging include defining the right problem, determining how to check a possible solution, and encouraging multiple, quick calculations after design and before implementation. [GDC Vault free video]

GDC 2013's debut sessions feature Assassin's Creed III, Magic: The Gathering creator

The build-up to next March's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco has officially begun. The show's organizers are now working hard to craft the event's robust session lineup, and today they announced the first three talks that have made the cut.

The first talk to join the GDC 2013 roster is "Rendering Assassin's Creed III," a Programming track lecture that will offer a detailed look at the game's weather system, lighting solution, and much more. Speaker and Ubisoft lead graphics programmer Jean-Francois St-Amour will also share some of Ubisoft's tricks for improving current-generation titles when porting them to DX11 PC hardware.

The other two debut talks come from GDC 2013's Business, Marketing, and Management track. In "The Beauty and Challenge of Mixing Physical and Digital Games," a robust panel of industry veterans will take a moment to examine the blurring line between physical and digital titles.

During this session, speakers including Eric Hautemont (Days of Wonder), Soren Johnson (Zynga), Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield (Three Donkeys), Joel Goodman (Playdek), and moderator Tom Chick (Quarter to Three) will detail how developers can benefit from straddling the line between video games and board games.

The third GDC session, also in the Business track, is a roundtable examining the intricacies of microtransaction-based business models. You can attend "Free to Play, Pay for Stuff: Virtual Goods Win" and join Three Rings CEO Daniel James (Spiral Knights) and Iron Realms chairman Matt Mihaly as they discuss the dangers, opportunities, and ongoing trends in the free-to-play and virtual markets. This will be the ninth successive year of this popular roundtable.

More talks will debut in the near future, and all of the above sessions will take place as part of GDC 2013's Main Conference, which is open to All Access and Main Conference pass holders (a special Audio-specific pass is also available). Discounted Early Bird registration is now open on the show's official website, and GDC 2013 itself will take place March 25-29 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Discover Gree's secrets for mobile game success at GDC China

In global social market, few companies are as prominent as the Japanese game firm Gree. Its social mobile games are some of the most lucrative in the industry, and at this month's GDC China in Shanghai, the company will reveal just a few of the tricks it uses to launch and maintain its successful free to play titles.

Gree Beijing VP Dr. Shumian He will take a close look at the company's first mobile social game, Fishing Star (Tsuri-Sta, pictured), noting how it attracted a large base of loyal players and has maintained a high level of revenue since its launch in 2007.

Using this title as a case study for Gree's business at large, He will discuss how the international company drives in-app purchases, and how it uses its proprietary Gree Platform to sustain and grow its burgeoning game catalog.

His talk, "Unveiling the Secrets of Mobile Social Game Operation," is part of GDC China's Business & Marketing track, and will be open to All Access and Main Conference pass holders. Online registration is now open on the GDC China website, and the show itself will take place November 17-19 at the Shanghai Convention Center in Shanghai, China.

In addition to the above presentation, GDC China organizers have also added the following talks to the show's lineup:

- As part of the Game Design track, Carla Fisher of children's game design studio No Crusts Interactive will explain how developers can leverage developmental psychology to create better games for kids. Her talk, "Little Hands, Foul Moods, and Runny Noses: Developmental Research Meets Emerging Technologies," will equip developers with the knowledge they need to craft better UIs, cooperative mechanics, and storytelling systems for kids on a wide variety of platforms.

- Elsewhere in the Game Design track, Henric Suuronen of NonStop Games (Dollar Isle, Paint Stars) will focus on emerging multiplatform technologies in "Making Games for Gamers in HTML5." Here, Suuronen will examine the current trends on smartphones and tablets, noting that developers might want to focus on more on hardcore players if they wish to create a successful game in HTML5.

IGF 2013 sees record entries for its Student Competition

The organizers of the 15th annual Independent Games Festival -- the longest-running and largest festival relating to independent games worldwide -- are proud to announce another year of record entry numbers for IGF 2013's Student Competition.

In total, this year's Student Competition took in more than 300 game entries across all platforms -- PC, console and mobile -- from a wide diversity of the most prestigious universities and games programs from around the world.

Together with the record Main Competition entries, this year's IGF has taken in nearly 900 total entries -- the largest number in the festival's history across the Main and Student competitions.

This year's Student Competition includes entries such as the DigiPen-developed Perspective, which combines 2D platforming with 3D first-person navigation, and Nevermind, an experimental horror title that uses biofeedback to manage player stress and change difficulty on the fly.

Other entries include the physics-based tower defense title The White Laboratory, the stealth horror game Blackwell's Asylum, and the experimental narrative title Snowfall.

The above are just a small selection of the games now available for browsing via IGF.com, where you'll find more information, screenshots and video for each of the IGF Student Competition entries.

The festival's organizers have added an official Student Competition JSON feed, added to the existing Main Competition feed, updated every 30 minutes from live back end data. Teams can update info on their games and have the official entry page change, and third parties are welcome to use this feed to make their own custom IGF entry lists and pages.

GDC China 2012 to reveal the unlikely story of Johann Sebastian Joust

As video games go, Die Gute Fabrik's Johann Sebastian Joust is a bit of an odd case, as it really have any video to speak of. The graphics-free game relies only on music and motion controllers, and encourages players to get physical in a unique game of elimination.

While it hasn't yet seen a commercial release, the game has won numerous awards, and has been featured at major industry events such as the Game Developers Conference, PAX, and more. And later this month, the game's creator, Douglas Wilson, will head to GDC China to discuss the how this quirky title evolved from a simple game jam prototype into a full-fledged indie darling.

Douglas will chronicle the game's development from the very beginning, and will share the numerous lessons he's learned along the way. He'll examine how folk games and playground games can inspire developers working on their own physical games, and will explain why it's helpful to think of motion-controlled games "in terms of slapstick and subversion."

Wilson's talk, "The Unlikely Story of Johann Sebastian Joust," is part of GDC China's Independent Games Summit, and will be open to GDC China's All Access and Summits & Tutorials pass holders. Online registration is now open on the GDC China website, and the show itself will take place November 17-19 at the Shanghai Convention Center in Shanghai, China.

In addition to the above presentation, GDC China organizers have also added the following talks to the show's lineup:

- Also in the Independent Games Summit, Dejobaan Games' Ichiro Lambe (who created the award-winning AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity) will outline how you can get your career as an indie developer off the ground. During his talk, "First Steps: Starting as an Independent Game Developer," he'll discuss how you can manage a brand new team, explore new publishing opportunities, avoid common pitfalls, and more.

- Over in the Programming track, Adisak Pochanayon of Mortal Kombat house Netherrealm Studios will offer an advanced talk on code instrumentation. His session is titled "Runtime CPU Performance Spike Detection Using Manual and Automated Compiler Instrumentation," and will cover "manual instrumentation, code detours and function trampolining and compiler specific options including compiler automated (or compiler assisted) instrumentation (CAI), naked functions with platform specific inline assembler, and linker function wrapping."

Raph Koster to examine 'How Games Think' at next month's GDC China

We live in a world that has always been shaped by the media we consume, and with video games growing more popular by the day, their influence is only getting stronger.

And at next month's GDC China in Shanghai, Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies veteran Raph Koster will examine that very topic, noting how games not only affect the world we live in, but also the way we think.

As Koster sees it, video games inherently support certain ways of thinking, and by playing these games, we end up viewing the world through their unique lens, which ultimately affects the society we live in.

During his keynote, "How Games Think," the Playdom VP will examine how games are changing the world, how they influence the way we think, and what that means for our future.

This keynote will be open to GDC China's All Access and Main Conference pass holders. Online registration is now open on the GDC China website, and the show itself will take place November 17-19 at the Shanghai Convention Center in Shanghai, China.

Koster's talk joins numerous other sessions already announced for GDC China. For more information on any of the sessions in the show's growing lineup, check out the "Announced Sessions" page on the show's official website.

Two days left to enter 2013 IGF's Student Competition

With record Main Competition submissions for IGF 2013 announced, organizers are reminding that student submissions for this year's GDC co-located festival are closing on Wednesday.

The longest-running and highest-profile independent video game festival, summit and showcase will continue to accept student entries until 11.59pm PT on October 31st, and finalists in both the Main Competition and Student Competition will be announced in January 2013.

This year, the show will select a total of eight student teams, all of which will receive the opportunity to show off their games at the IGF Pavilion at GDC 2013 in March. All teams in the IGF Student Showcase will also be eligible to receive an enhanced $1,000 cash prize.

In addition, the IGF student finalists will also compete for the IGF Best Student Game Award. The recipient will be revealed during GDC's prestigious IGF Awards ceremony, and the winning game will receive an additional cash prize of $3,000.

The award ceremony will take place Wednesday, March 27, 2013, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and the IGF Pavilion will remain open from March 27-29. The sister Independent Games Summit event, meanwhile, will be held on March 25 and 26.

All of the Independent Games Festival events take place as part of the 2013 Game Developers Conference, which is held March 25th - March 29th, 2013 in San Francisco, and the IGF continues as the most vital showcase of independent game talent across the wide spectrum of artistically- and commercially-aimed development.

GDC 2013 Bosslady Blog: Our GDC Code of Conduct

[In her Bosslady Blog update for the 2013 cycle, Game Developers Conference events GM Meggan Scavio details the official code of conduct for GDC and all of its related events.]

As the General Manager of all GDC events, I've been looking closely at how we explain to attendees what is -- and is not -- allowed at our shows. So I would like to take a moment to remind you that offensive behavior of any kind will not be tolerated.

As GDC enters its 27th iteration, I want nothing more than for it to remain a place where everyone is welcome, treated equally, and leaves feeling as if it was a week well spent.

I also want people to enjoy themselves -- whether waiting in line for a session, visiting the expo floor, or partaking in drinks at a hotel bar or after-event party. I don't know about you, but I enjoy myself most when I am not being threatened, discriminated against, or fending off unwelcome advances. So don't do that.

And more importantly, if someone tells you that they are bothered by your behavior, stop doing it. As has been the case in the past -- but as we are making absolutely explicit now -- any Game Developers Conference attendee, speaker, press member, or exhibitor behaving offensively or found to be harassing others will have their GDC badge confiscated and be asked to leave. Depending on the severity of the offense, we may consider a multi-year ban from our shows.

All of this only works, of course if you report harassment immediately. Every GDC has a Show Office where you will always find a staff member willing to help. And I can always be reached by email at [email protected], if you don't feel comfortable initiating a report face to face. But it's important that you tell us at the time of the incident while we are onsite and can do something about it.

Our GDC official code of conduct, which is modeled on Open Source Bridge's original, is below. Let's work together to keep GDC an open and safe place for all.

Here is the official Game Developers Conference Code of Conduct:

1. Purpose

GDC believes our community should be truly open for everyone. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, or religion.

This code of conduct outlines our expectations for participant behavior as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.

We invite all sponsors, volunteers, speakers, attendees, media, exhibitors and other participants to help us realize a safe and positive conference experience for everyone.

2. Expected behavior

- Be considerate, respectful, and collaborative.

- Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech.

- Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert conference organizers if you notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.

3. Unacceptable behavior

Unacceptable behaviors include: intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning conduct by any attendees of GDC and related events. Many GDC venues are shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations.

Harassment includes: offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability; inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides); deliberate intimidation, stalking or following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Discover the origin of FTL at next month's GDC China

With its successful Kickstarter and clever approach to sci-fi strategy, Subset Games' FTL - or Faster Than Light - has been one of the most talked-about indie titles of 2012.

The game's massive popularity certainly took the two-man development team by surprise, and at next month's GDC China, Subset Games' Matthew Davis will look back on FTL's development to provide a full postmortem on how this quirky space combat game came to be.

During his presentation, Davis plans to tell the story of how "two guys who didn't really know what they were doing managed to make something people wanted to play." He'll examine FTL's early prototypes, its popular Kickstarter, and its eventual launch on Steam, noting how a small indie project can turn into a runaway hit.

Along the way, Davis will discuss what he and co-developer Justin Ma learned while creating FTL in the hopes of inspiring and empowering other indie developers.

This FTL postmortem is part of GDC China's Independent Games Summit, and will be open to GDC China's All Access and Summits & Tutorials pass holders. Online registration is now open on the GDC China website, and the show itself will take place November 17-19 at the Shanghai Convention Center in Shanghai, China.

In addition to the above presentation, GDC China organizers have also added the following talks to the show's lineup:

- As part of the show's Business & Marketing track, Tenshi Ventures' Ian Baverstock will offer some tips for reaching out to a European audience in "Working in the European Market." Baverstock will provide a general overview of this valuable market, noting the opportunities and challenges developers can expect if they hope to bring their games to Europe.

- Elsewhere, Final Form Games' Tim Ambrogi will host the Production track lecture "Small Steps in the Dark: Embracing the Continuous Prototyping Mindset." Here, he will explain how developers can more effectively integrate prototyping into their entire development process. By prototyping every step of the way, he believes developers will be better prepared to adapt to change and make better games.

GDC Vault uncovers XNA's debut, behavioral game design lessons

[GDC organizers have digitized and made available for free on GDC Vault classic videos from Game Developers Conference 2004 on the debut of XNA, the essentials of behavioral game design, and more.]

This edition of Tales from the Vault looks back to 2004, where a Microsoft keynote announces and demos the XNA software development platform, a programming lecture from Sony PlayStation R&D focuses on simulating character animations, and a game design lecture ties heavily with behavioral psychology.

In the Microsoft keynote titled 'Turning Innovation into Impact', executives Robbie Bach and J Allard discuss the importance of software in game development amid surging development costs and consumer expectations.

Those wants in 2004 seem similar to what they are today: games of epic scale, more immersion, and more online social connection. The challenge escalates as consumers expect to pay the same price for each game, when development costs were already exceeding $5 million per title.

Allard says that it's software, not hardware, that is the "key that unlocks the potential" of developers and can move the industry forward. During this presentation, he announced and demoed the XNA software development platform that the second generation Xbox console would be firmly rooted in.

The Microsoft team used third-party testimonials to evoke hope in the future of XNA, too. Among those, Valve's Gabe Newell professes that "XNA combines the power of the PC and the power of the consoles into a best of breed platform." [GDC Vault free video]

Next, in the programming lecture 'Practical Physics for Articulated Characters', Vangelis Kokkevis from Sony PlayStation R&D speaks about using physical simulations as a source of animation for a skeleton. Kokkevis echoes the sentiment that hardware and its speed are not the issue with getting character animations up to the same quality of game visuals. He says the key is to find the appropriate algorithms.

These algorithms should produce character animations that respond naturally to typically unpredictable user input and to interactions between characters and between characters and the environment. He goes through the pros and cons of a series of algorithms his team implemented to build a simulator and arrive at these goals. [GDC Vault free video]

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