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GDC 2014 opens call for Summit talks through Oct 23

The call for submissions to present lectures and panels for the specialized Summits that kick off the 2014 Game Developers Conference is now open through Wednesday, October 23. Beginning on the first two days of the conference, the GDC Summits cover topics in emerging sectors of the game development industry, with a focus on broadening the scope of games to incorporate new audiences, new platforms, and new gameplay ideas.
Organized by the UBM Tech Game Network, GDC 2014 will take place March 17-21 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.
The summits feature lectures, panels, and postmortems, with an acclaimed roster of speakers covering content within specific sectors of the gaming industry to share their expertise with developers aiming to master their crafts.

The Odd Gentlemen, Neil Gaiman's Wayward Manor added to 'GDC Next 10' talks

GDC Next 2013 organizers have announced that The Odd Gentlemen and Neil Gaiman's ghostly game collaboration Wayward Manor is the newest inductee of the 'GDC Next 10' session series.
As part of the November LA-based 'future of games' conference's cutting-edge content, representatives from each game's creator will be invited to give a world-exclusive talk about the conception, inspiration, and design behind the title.
Every 'GDC Next 10' game has been picked by GDC's organizers as a game to watch for the future, and a title that is doing something decidedly different in today's increasingly crowded game market.
This week's inductee to the Next 10 is Wayward Manor [trailer], a serial game collaboration between comics writer and screenwriter Neil Gaiman (Coraline, The Sandman, Stardust) and developer The Odd Gentlemen (P.B. Winterbottom, Flea Symphony).

What's Next? Chris Crawford says storytelling is our greatest challenge

[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.]
I can't continue this series of GDC Next interviews without including Chris Crawford. Not only was he the original founder of the Game Developers Conference (then called the Computer Game Developers Conference; it started in his living room), but he has been concerned with the future of games - specifically the medium's potential for interactive storytelling -- for a long time. Read on to find out what keeps Crawford going in the quest for a truly emotionally engaging game.

What's Next? Ultima Online vet Starr Long bets on user-generated content

[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.]
NCsoft and Origin veteran Starr Long is probably best known for his work on Ultima Online, but that isn't the only forward-looking credit you'll see on his resume. Long is giving a talk at GDC Next on Nine Trends for the Next Decade of Video Games" -- read on to find out what didn't make the cut, and why he thinks user-generated content (UGC) is a big part of our future.

GDC Next adds Cryptic on avoiding pay-to-win MMOs, Animoca talks

As early-rate pricing ends today, 'future of games' conference GDC Next organizers have added more exciting talks to its lineup, including Animoca's Henry Oh on choosing your next game platform, and D&D: Neverwinter developer Cryptic Studios on avoiding pay-to-win in F2P MMOs.
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.
Developers wanting to design an engaging and fair free-to-play MMO experience without offputting monetization traps should check out 'How to Avoid Pay-to-Win with F2P,' from Cryptic Studios CEO Jack Emmert. He will share how Cryptic weighed business needs against game balance while keeping players happy in its current MMOs, including Star Trek Online and Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter (pictured).

ADC survey finds piracy, discoverability to be key issues facing app creators

Piracy and discoverability are the top issues facing app developers today, according to new research conducted by the organizers of GDC Next sister event the App Developers Conference.
In order to paint a picture of the app development landscape as it stands right before ADC, more than 250 app creators were surveyed on topics ranging from targeted platforms and app stores to app verticals, monetization methods and more. The full text of the survey results is available for free.
Organized by UBM Tech (also owners of Gamasutra), creators and producers of the largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry conference, the Game Developers Conference, ADC will take place November 5th-7th at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be co-located with another inaugural event, the future-facing GDC Next.
26% of surveyed devs had their apps pirated; of those with IAP, same percentage saw them hacked

Double Fine's Broken Age, Grand Cru's Supernauts added to 'GDC Next 10'

With the first-500 pass deadline almost due, 'future of games' conference, GDC Next organizers have revealed Double Fine's crowdfunded adventure game Broken Age and Grand Cru's 'Minecraft vs. Clash Of Clans'-esque Supernauts as the latest in the 'GDC Next 10' lecture series.
As part of the Los Angeles event's cutting-edge content, each game's creator will be invited to give a world-exclusive talk about the concepting, inspiration, and design behind the title.
Each 'GDC Next 10' game has been picked by GDC's 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 inductee to the Next 10 is Double Fine's crowdfunded point-and-click adventure game revival Broken Age [trailer]. Their GDC Next session will explore their research and design for rethinking the classic adventure genre for the modern era.
With a compelling speaker line-up yet to be revealed, the studio will examine what classic adventure games did well, what fans of the genre liked about them, and how they can take advantage of all the advancements in dev technology and technique since the genre's heyday.

What's Next? Thomas Bidaux says it's cloud computing

[With the 'first-500' pass deadline almost due for 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.]
Thomas Bidaux has worn many hats in the game industry; former development director at NCsoft, CEO of online game consulting firm ICO partners, and advisory board member for GDC Next. Read on to find out why he thinks cloud computing, crowdfunding, and user-generated content are key for developing the next generation of games.

IGF China 2013 winners announced

The fifth annual Independent Games Festival China has concluded, after some 250 entries were boiled down to a core 14 finalists, including eight for the main competition, and six student competition entries.
Entrants came from all over Asia and Australasia, from countries as diverse as Singapore, India, Taiwan, Australia, and indeed, China itself. The awards were judged by a team of five veterans, including Richard Tsao of Ubisoft Chengdu, Kevin Li of Tipcat interactive, and IGF chairman emeritus Simon Carless.
The ceremony, held on Monday the 16th in Shanghai, brought these various countries together under one roof, to celebrate the region's innovative spirit. Stage fright upon receipt of awards abounded, but that only added to the endearing nature of the general environment. Indeed, one nominee, Muhammad A.Moniem (Coated), brought his entire family with him to the event.
While only nine of the 14 finalists received awards, all were present at GDC China's IGF pavilion, and were a main attraction during the event's proceedings, alongside GDC China's independent games summit.
Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2013 IGF China awards:

What's Next? Move to mobile, or fall behind!

[With 'first-500' pass deadline almost due for 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.]
Ubisoft Blue Byte senior online game supervisor Teut Weidemann has had an extensive career in the games industry. I could introduce him simply by his credits, which span from Turrican, to Panzer Elite, to The Settlers Online, among others. But the name of his upcoming GDC Next talk, "Why Everything in Games Today is Irrelevant" says enough. I spoke to him about why he sees mobile games as the center of the future game industry -- and how he sees the mobile games sector changing over the years.
Patrick Miller: Your talk at GDC Next appears to be pretty bold on the prospects of mobile games as the future of the industry. I've spoken to many devs that are having problems in mobile right now, though, due to discoverability and user acquisition issues, and bottomed-out price expectations (among other concerns). What do you think devs need to do differently to succeed in mobile? What do you think needs to change in the app stores, platforms, hardware etc. to enable a wider variety of devs and games to succeed?

Sonic The Hedgehog F2P, Tom Hall, future of AR talks added to GDC Next

While early-rate pricing is rapidly running out, 'future of games' conference GDC Next organizers have added more exciting talks, including Sega's move to free-to-play with Sonic and veteran Tom Hall (DOOM, Rise Of The Triad) on Diner Dash's mobile efforts, as first-500 registration is almost filled.
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 tracks including 'Next Generation Game Platforms', 'Free To Play & New Business Models', and 'Smartphone & Tablet Games', as well as cloud and indie game tracks.
Newly announced sessions for GDC Next include 'The Evolution of Sonic: Dashing into a Freemium World,' where Sega director of online services Ethan Einhorn will explore the company's transition into mobile and new monetization models with titles such as Sonic Dash and Sonic Jump, discussing changes made to the gameplay and design at different stages in the products' lifecycles.

GDC Next adds Super TIME Force, Project Spark to 'Next 10' lecture/showcase

With early-rate pricing rapidly running out, 'future of games' conference GDC Next organizers have revealed Capy Games's Super TIME Force and Team Dakota's Project Spark as the latest two titles included in the 'GDC Next 10' showcase of innovative, yet-to-debut games.
As part of the Los Angeles event's cutting-edge content, each game's creator will be invited to give a world-exclusive talk about the concepting, inspiration, and design behind the title. Each 'GDC Next 10' game has been picked by GDC's 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 inductee to the Next 10 is Sword & Sworcery developer Capy Games's Super TIME Force [trailer], an upcoming Xbox 360 Live Arcade sidescrolling shooter which Game Informer praised for its "retro style, fun-loving sense of humor, and clever time altering mechanic."
Capy co-founder Nathan Vella's talk 'From Game Jam to Full Game - Super TIME Force & Other Shining Examples' will cover the creative and production challenges they faced while making their game jam project into a game for a major platform -- as well as some of the learnings from other 'game jam to complete title' projects from other studios.

What's Next? David Cage: 'Indie developers are the future'

[Ahead 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.]
One of the hallmarks of a forward-thinking game creator is the readiness to look outside of video games for creative inspiration -- and few developers are as well-known for looking to other media as Quantic Dream founder David Cage. Read on to learn about the influence he draws from cinema, working with high-profile actors on Beyond: Two Souls, and why indies are the future of the industry.

What's Next? Warren Spector: 'Design innovation is where the future lies'

[Ahead 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 fourth 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.]
In an industry as young as ours is, few devs have the experience that Warren Spector has -- or, for that matter, the resume. System Shock, Ultima, Wing Commander, Deus Ex, Epic Mickey -- naturally, I wanted to know where he thought the future of games was headed.
Read on to see what Spector has to say about game dev education, multi-act careers in the industry, personal influences, and the importance of game design in the future of video games as a medium.

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