One of the main themes of the upcoming GDC Next conference is discovery -- not just those "Eureka" moments of game development, but also the act of finding new games to enjoy.
To that end, GDC Next has added a new Discoverability track to this year's show that includes a session on developing games with an eye towards YouTube viewership, a session on the secrets of App Store placements and a rundown of modern messaging apps and how you can boost your game's discoverability through them. The conference itself is taking place November 3rd and 4th this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
In the spirit of discovery, organizers polled some of the game industry professionals who will be speaking at GDC Next about their personal favorite apps and games, asking them to share some of their favorite "hidden gems" with the world ahead of next month's show.
Here are just a few of the games that GDC Next speakers wanted to highlight, along with a brief note about who made the recommendation and why:
Long Live the Queen
Failbetter Games' Hannah Flynn wants to draw attention to Long Live The Queen from Hanako Games. "The combination of hyper-cute illustration, the visual novel style and the threat of imminent death every time my princess opened her mouth was compelling, frustrating and totally delightful," says Flynn. She'll be at GDC Next next month sharing community-building tips in her talk "Hello, Delicious Friends: In and Out of Character on Social Media."
Tom vs. the Armies of Hell
Richard Ludlow, audio director at Hexany Audio, suggests you keep an eye on Tom vs. the Armies of Hell because "...it's a prime example of the lone indie developer who has successfully tackled an ambitious game and brought it to fruition." The game earned an honorable mention in the GDC Play 2014 Best in Play awards, and the developer is hoping to release it soon on Steam's Early Access service.
"He's devoted his life to the project, and it definitely shows in the quirky and compelling adventure he's created," added Ludlow, who will be speaking about strategies to create compelling game audio on an indie budget in his "Indie Audio: Making Great-Sounding Games On A Budget" session at GDC Next.
Anamnesis
Game designer and RainBros owner Akira Thompson recommends Anamnesis as an excellent example of how Oculus Rift developers can use the headset as a second screen, rather than a replacement for the PC monitor, to turn it into "a type of in game prop [that] actually helps bring the player into the world."
"Also, no motion sickness!" adds Thompson, who will be appearing on the "Indie Voltron: Building a Development Collective" panel at GDC Next to share advice on what indies need to know about working with one another to survive -- and thrive -- in the contemporary game industry.
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