{"id":24436,"date":"2011-03-04T16:49:59","date_gmt":"2011-03-04T16:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=24436"},"modified":"2011-03-05T01:58:58","modified_gmt":"2011-03-05T01:58:58","slug":"game-developers-conference-gdc-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/game-developers-conference-gdc-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"Game Developers Conference \u2013 GDC 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n                                     google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm', 'Marken Communications']);\" ><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">Marken Communications<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> Inc. He has kindly agreed to report on the Game Developer&#8217;s Conference (GDC) happening in San Francisco from February 28 through March 4th  for ABT. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the opinions expressed are solely those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and the <strong>opinions of the rest of the ABT staff.<\/strong><br \/>\n\u2013Mark Poppin, ABT Senior Editor <\/span><\/span><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>GDC Day 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot to see and absorb at GDC (Game Developer\u2019s Conference) but we don\u2019t get to really \u201csee\u201d the stuff until Wednesday when the exhibit hall is open.<\/p>\n<p>The first two days seem to be packed with news (here and there) but a whale of a lot of opportunities to get inside the heads of today\u2019s market leaders and trendsetters.<\/p>\n<p>In addition hands-on type sessions that the 15,000 +\/- seem to really thrive on.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24356\" title=\"Day-1-1\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-1.jpg?resize=480%2C320\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-1.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a lot different from our Atari years but then the Tramiels\u2019 really weren\u2019t interested in sharing a whole lot of information.  Very unlike the breed of ultra-successful and struggling game developers\/producers at San Francisco\u2019s Moscone center.<\/p>\n<p>Checking out the program of presentations and classes for this year you see that this generation of game industry folks aren\u2019t afraid to give you a look inside their thought processes and the steps it took them to make the grade.<\/p>\n<p>While there\u2019s something for everyone the trails seem to focus on either \u2013 multi-level multi-player games (power game system and mobile device capable) or smartphone \u201cgames.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Can\u2019t really describe the latter but to say there are a lot of people hoping to produce some modest success with these games or maybe even deliver a whopping success.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Playmatics Session<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Because of the written description\u2019s promise of discussing some of the new levels of arcade games we sat in on the Playmatics session.<\/p>\n<p>Their approach is the thinking person\u2019s games \u2013 palm sweating such as <em>Give Up Robot<\/em> or mental strain like <em>Grayscale.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> <\/em><\/p>\n<p>To help those who paid their own T&amp;E and attendance fees, the speakers described the game play as very, very hard and that was intentional in its design\/development.<\/p>\n<p><em>Give Up Robot<\/em> and other games that were mentioned in passing in the session are forward looking meaning you can can actually proceed to the difficulty level you want and still feel fulfilled.<\/p>\n<p>While we tend to focus on the market and segment trends it is interesting that in a masocore game evolutionary process death and respawning are an integral part of the game\u2026rather cool because we were always bummed when we got eliminated.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s really not such a bad deal!<\/p>\n<p>The session speakers seemed to revel in the number of times they died at the game\u2019s various levels which is \u201ca little morbid!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The speakers provided the attendees a lot of the philosophy and psychology of what makes one of these masocore games so successful.<\/p>\n<p>The speakers offered some games people can play and analyze to determine how they are going to either simply play to win or start to work on their own masocore challenges.<\/p>\n<p>The games they recommended you study and examine weren\u2019t necessarily masacore titles but did deliver the psychological draw that was necessary for success.  They included:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Space Disposal<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Flyce<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Rubble Trouble<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          The Visitor<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zynga Rising<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was easy to see why the GDC attendees packed Zynga\u2019s Mark Skaggs\u2019 session.<\/p>\n<p>For crying out loud the company was recently valued at $10 billion with its recent cash infusion so anything you can learn from these people can\u2019t be all bad!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24357\" title=\"Day-1-2\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-2.jpg?resize=388%2C490\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-2.jpg 388w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-2-237x300.jpg 237w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 388px) 100vw, 388px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>If you don\u2019t know it (you probably live under a rock) Zynga is the most popular family of game sites on Facebook.<\/p>\n<p>Stuff like<em> Farmville<\/em> and <em>CityVille<\/em> has a huge community of members of all ages around the globe paying real money to buy virtual money\u2026cool!<\/p>\n<p>Skaggs started out in the early RTS (realtime strategy) part of the industry with a very respectable track record of winners he had been involved with \u2013 <em>Red Alert 2, Command and Conquer <\/em>and yes<em> Lord of the Rings. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like a lot of the attendees bent on developing the next great social media game he and the other developers who worked with him were \u201cgreen\u201d and learned by doing.<\/p>\n<p>While the company fumbled around seemingly going nowhere fast with modest successes.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t until Bing Gordon, a seasoned executive from Electronic Arts, suggested that they simply make a farm game (yeah like that\u2019s stupid!!).<\/p>\n<p>But the way Skaggs explains it today it seems logical \u2013 resource collection\/management \u2013 what the heck\u2026<\/p>\n<p><em>FarmVille <\/em>was fast, light, right, shippable.<\/p>\n<p>That seemed to be about it!<\/p>\n<p>Their goal was to get to the Facebook market as quickly as possible and garner space and mindshare.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of putting the game(s) on their own servers they moved them to the cloud so access\/storage capacity could grow as quickly\/effortlessly as possible.<\/p>\n<p>While <em>FarmVille<\/em> has grown to reach 32.5 million folks,  after its release, their next release \u2013 <em>CityVille<\/em> surpassed 100 million unique users a day in the first six weeks it was on the Facebook market.<\/p>\n<p>With earnest advice that was probably worth the cost of attendance for many of the people in attendance he advised them not to try and change the world of social gaming but leverage what works right now.<\/p>\n<p>Be creative\u2026borrow!!!!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Indie Games<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While the vast majority of the sessions were SRO (standing room only) the Humble Indie Bundle session seemed to have not only more than its unfair shared of attendees but also more people taking serious notes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24358\" title=\"Day-1-3\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-3.jpg?resize=480%2C325\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-3.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Day-1-3-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Started by a bunch of renegades in the indie development community they offered up a bundle of decent to good games that have achieved hundreds of thousands of downloads and provided the \u201cteam\u201d with over $3 million in revenue.<br \/>\nWhile the income was far more than they expected the speakers said their success was the result of viral media attention as well as the appeal of pay-what-you-want model.<\/p>\n<p>Their site eliminated such things as account registration and shopping carts (which most people seem to abandon anyway) and included a simple PayPal button.<\/p>\n<p>Pulling more than a few all-nighters the speakers solved the customer issues and have since then developed one of the best customer support teams in the industry (their words not ours).<\/p>\n<p>While they acknowledge that about a quarter of their bundles have been pirated an anonymous survey showed that those who did it because they couldn\u2019t use credit cards and didn\u2019t have online payment options in their country.<\/p>\n<p>But they said the generous people far outweigh the cheapskates so they still feel their approach is valid because they have 15 people who have spent over $1,000 each across the bundles.<\/p>\n<p>Based on reviewing their users they feel Linux users are the most generous and the most willing to be as fair as possible.  They also feel that by focusing on the Mac and Linux platforms the indie developer can double his\/her revenue.<\/p>\n<p>The Humble Indie Bundle speakers weren\u2019t modest about soliciting people to contribute their efforts either saying that if there was good they would love to bundle\/promote it.<\/p>\n<p>Of course the game has to be good and when they say that they mean good is in the eyes of the beholder\u2026<\/p>\n<p>That might not be your game.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Games as Service<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There were a number of sessions on the development and success of games as a service.<\/p>\n<p>This means offering gamers a fundamental set of features\/tools and enabling them to develop\/mold the game to fit their wants\/needs as well as the people in their sphere.<\/p>\n<p>The service type games are never \u201cpackaged\u201d so you can move on to the next project.  Instead you\u2019re constantly adding new features, enhancing existing features\/services and growing the game to keep pace with the community.<\/p>\n<p>The objective always is improved customer experience.<\/p>\n<p>Tomorrow is another packed day of getting inside the heads of the people who have succeeded hugely or modestly.<\/p>\n<p>Great thing is there is also plenty of opportunities for folks to:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Play with some of the most advanced and \u201cwhat if\u201d tools in the industry<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Develop new acquaintances and relationships nationally and internationally<\/p>\n<p>Share ideas and\u2026resumes<\/p>\n<p><!--pagetitle:GDC - Day 1--><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle:GDC - Day 2--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>GDC Day 2<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The bad thing about events in Northern California is that there are always a number of them going on in the tech industry and usually they have a knack to overlap.<\/p>\n<p>Take today.<\/p>\n<p>Yes GDC is still on but then down in San Jose is a two-day OTTCon (over the top conference) taking place.  No biggie you say but these are the guys\/gals who are going give us a hint on what we\u2019ll be watching, where we\u2019ll be watching it, how we\u2019ll be watching it.<\/p>\n<p>Affects the way you work with games too!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>OTTCon Snapshot<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24392\" title=\"GDC-2-1\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-1.jpg?resize=447%2C350\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-1.jpg 447w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-1-300x234.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 447px) 100vw, 447px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>These folks have a huge challenge ahead of them.   They\u2019re busting each other\u2019s chops trying to figure out exactly what tomorrow\u2019s TV entertainment is going to be like especially since people seem to want to push it to every screen you have (and even will be thinking about).<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not so bad but they\u2019re really trying to figure out how they\u2019re going to get their money out of it!  And how does it fit into\/compete in the YouTube online spectrum?   It does!<\/p>\n<p>They were an energetic crowd but the first thing you realize is that they don\u2019t have any better idea where TV is going than you do\u2026but they say it with confidence\/conviction so it \u201cfeels\u201d so!<\/p>\n<p>Diffusion Groups says there will be 100 million households with iNet connected TVs by the end of this year.  The connected devices like your game console or Roku box makes it a lot easier to download streams from the Net.  The cable guys in the audience were a little worried because some of the analysts were saying 20 percent or more of the customers could cut their cords and that means $1 billion less in revenues.<\/p>\n<p>Two of the box producers going head-to-head were Boxee which recently received a venture capital infusion wants to be the connecting device with an under $200 box.  They hope to have three million users by the end of the year.<\/p>\n<p>Of course Roku countered by saying people don\u2019t want a box, they already have enough of them.   Instead they want a viewing, entertainment experience.  Roku officials noted that the industry is still at the early adopter phase and that to bridge the gap the solution \u2013 whatever it is \u2013 has to be simple and bulletproof.<\/p>\n<p>TDG Research said it is less about cutting the cord than it is replacing Pay TV with OTT or add services\/capabilities to expand the market.<\/p>\n<p>TDG says that by 2014 OTT revenues should be about $5.8 billion but the picture isn\u2019t exactly crystal clear.<\/p>\n<p>The best \u2013 most thought provoking part of the 1<sup>st<\/sup> day\u2019s activities was a panel discussion on what our TV was going to be like in 2030.<\/p>\n<p>2030 is interesting and challenging but they may have picked a period 20 years out because no one would remember when the date arrives to tell them they were right or wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Intel told the audience that by 2015 there was going to be 500 billion hours of video available OTT.  Cisco\u2019s Scott Puopolo made the brilliant observation that that was a lot of video for us to try and find what we wanted.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also going to play havoc with pay TV operators, broadcasters and content owners.  He said that OTT viewing would become very fragmented and highly specialized by interest areas.  The practical result would be the old CPM ad formula would quickly disappear because the mini-markets didn\u2019t fit the old market model.<\/p>\n<p>To give us some ideas as to what we can expect, Puopolo showed the results of a recent Cisco survey of 50 TV experts on what the TV industry would look like in 20 years.  For the most part their report said the experts \u2013 spread across the industry \u2013 agreed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Channel surfing will become an exercise of the distant past.  They feel device makers like Roku and Apple will really move units but no one mentioned Google TV in the mix\u2026hhmm!  Replacing the exercise the on-demand streams will be customized to what you want to\/like to watch, what friends\/family watch and even where you\u2019ll be enjoying it.  Right now it looks like Roku\u2019s space to lose or win.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Remote controls will disappear because\u2026they\u2019ll be an app for that.  All of the players already have iPhone, iPad and Android apps so no need for the dumbed down remote.  The majority of the experts said that by 2030 TV could go beyond the <em>minority Report<\/em> experience and the TV would simply deliver up content that was appropriate for your mood.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          This one defies our \u201cconventional logic\u201d but you\u2019ll just have one screen, \u201cyour screen.\u201d   It could be a mirror, painting or \u2026  Some thought it might be expandable, flexible or ..worn!  Of course with all of that said no one sees bandwidth still sucking (our word, not theirs) and no one was optimistic that the cost would be overly \u201creasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Big concern from the content owners\/pipe providers and ad folks is how they were going to \u201cinvest\u2019 ad dollars when everything is becoming more contextual, interactive.  A number of the experts said that advertising would become more personalized with an inventory of ads sitting somewhere that would be provided to you based on your viewing activities\/habits.  That\u2019s probably okay as long as people can be 100 percent assured that their personal data isn\u2019t being shared\u2026that\u2019s a tough sell!<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Since you no longer channel surf  you\u2019ll also do away with just crashing on the couch with chips and a drink.  Instead you\u2019ll become a part of the entertainment like gamers are today using social networking so that you are completely involved in making the romance happen or solving the crime.  The experts agree that it won\u2019t be long that we\u2019ll be experiencing storytelling across multiple media but perhaps a little better than this year\u2019s Oscar event.   It can only get better as we get more involved.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Like what you\u2019re watching, enjoying with our constantly evolving social media you can share the experience with friends\/family in the future.  Not teleporting but telepresence which may be okay for the time being.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          We\u2019ll finally get to the point where you\u2019ll smell, taste and feel the activities, food, roller coaster, car driving down the road.  And you\u2019ll be able to watch\/examine events from various points of view without special glasses.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          You watch the TV commercials where you move from room to room, home to bus to airplane watching your show on an endless variety of shapes, sizes, locations of screens.  Expect that\u2026and more.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          In case you haven\u2019t noticed there is a tsunami of use generated content and more and more of it is pretty darn good.  HD cameras and HD lenses on your smartphone make it fast, easy to capture spot news or complete stories.  The new more powerful processors are also capable of easily handing editing\/authoring and uploading to the \u201ccloud.\u201d   One of the panelists noted that this was already with smartphones in Asia where smartphone manufacturers have included copies of muvee\u2019s automatic video production software that does all the work, including adding a sound track in just a few minutes.  Executives said we would probably see phones with the bundle in the U.S. mid-year and it would improve from there.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          With the interactivity, executives are increasingly confident that viewers will begin \u201chelping\u201d to write the show\u2019s episodes using social network activities and online collaboration.<\/p>\n<p>It was surprising how much of this seemed like \u201cwell yeah, so???\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It also gave us an opportunity to look at GDC in a different light.  We\u2019ll probably view each session and each HW\/SW solution we see a whole lot differently the rest of the week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tools, Platforms<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Whether it was for the Nintendo, Sony, MS, PC, Android or IOS platform there were more than 100 development, production, distribution tools introduced at GDC (ok maybe more but they just keep breeding).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24395\" title=\"GDC-2-2\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-2.jpg?resize=480%2C314\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-2.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-2-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sitting on the floor, standing in line, seated in one of the sessions one of the most widely discussed topics seemed to be which platform you should develop your next great winner for.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone agreed that to develop your game play for every available platform was the sure path to mediocrity at the least and disaster at the worst.  Executives advised the developers to pick their platform or platforms carefully and then use their social\/marketing skills to build the playing audience.<\/p>\n<p>For example Spry Fox developed a successful release of <em>Triple Town<\/em> and we wouldn\u2019t even think of the Amazon Kindle as a playing platform\u2026who knows today?<\/p>\n<p>If you ask the platform folks for advice they\u2019re going to tell you they are out to change the world and they believe it and will do what it takes to help you help them succeed.  Of course when they\u2019ve achieved their success then it\u2019s a whole different ballgame and suddenly you\u2019re the stepsister who can\u2019t go to the ball.<\/p>\n<p>Even platforms like Zuch\u2019s Facebook has been known to shutdown sites with little or no notice so you\u2019re left with a game that desperately needs a new home which means all new development work.<\/p>\n<p>One person noted you don\u2019t make the game you want to make you make the game that will optimize their platform and make them look the best.<\/p>\n<p>Then your success or failure is in the hands of the gods!<\/p>\n<p>We all know of people, games, concepts that have been thrown out or blocked by various platform owners.<\/p>\n<p>It also means your profits suffer and your creative control decreases.<\/p>\n<p>By the same token when the platform begins to become more successful and your game becomes more popular the platform folks also are more helpful in promoting your games\u2026they want to highlight leaders\/winners just like everyone else.<\/p>\n<p>Of course there are times when operations like Zynga (which we discussed yesterday) becomes so strong, powerful, far reaching that the viral marketplace.  Of course because of Zynga\u2019s dramatic success, Facebook has changed their rules but that\u2019s to be expected.<\/p>\n<p>Within platform organizations \u2013 as they become more \u201ccorporate\u201d there is more big business play and less of the \u201cfeel\u201d you got into game development for but that\u2019s to be expected.<\/p>\n<p>One of the speakers \u2013 who wasn\u2019t too subtle \u2013 noted that within any large corporation or major platform firm there was a department responsible for \u201clegal screwage.\u201d   Legal departments are far too professional to all it legal screwage but they do know how to do it \u2026 very well!<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve trained in it.   They\u2019ve specialized in it.   They\u2019ve honed their craft to a fine art.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>Well let\u2019s see there\u2019s money to be made and they figure they might get it before you do.<\/p>\n<p>Of course it isn\u2019t \u201call\u201d bleak.  If you don\u2019t like the contract or the terms\u2026walk away.<\/p>\n<p>If it\u2019s a good idea the next team you approach will listen a little more closely.  There are more solid platforms out there today than there are good\/insanely great games.<\/p>\n<p>The packed session seemed to have more people taking notes than any one we\u2019ve sat in on\u2026to date.<\/p>\n<p>Our guess not many people came to GDC to play.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AutoDesk \u2013 Middleware Kings<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24396\" title=\"GDC-2-3\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-3.jpg?resize=480%2C330\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-3.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2-3-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a good thing GDC isn\u2019t far from Autodesk\u2019s Hq because  they rolled out a humongous number of very robust, exciting products in their Entertainment Creation Suites\u2026and more!<\/p>\n<p>They must have had every team in the organization working on game development solutions because they rolled out;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Global illumination middleware Beat 2012<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          HumanIK 2012<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          2012 Entertainment Creation suites<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          A slew of modeling, animation, rendering 2D, 3D software products<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Softimage 2012 (a company they rescued from Avid) rolled out a wide array of tools and solutions<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Laundry list of movie, video game, broadcast products that will allow people to produce multiplayer, interactive content for the TV environment of 2030<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nvidia Came To Play<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2.41.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24398\" title=\"GDC-2.4\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2.41.jpg?resize=470%2C332\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2.41.jpg 470w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2.41-300x211.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ok it\u2019s a cheap shot to keep your attention but we did want to show that the audience seemed to be fairly well divided into both sexes.<\/p>\n<p>The game industry is no longer for bleary eyed, shallow skinned guys (if it ever really was)!<\/p>\n<p>But Nvidia announced a series of strategic alliances with firms to show off and support their PhysX, APEX, 3D vision technologies.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s become easy to see why really ambitious developers use their platforms for system development and soon for smartphone development\/play.<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia has the right mixture of cross-platform physics and expertise to maximize game play realism and enjoyment.<\/p>\n<p>One executive said that one of the divisions is also working closely with Hollywood and the content industry to help them deliver totally interactive social media entertainment, involvement.<\/p>\n<p>Not sure what we\u2019ll call the company then.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Eyes Have it<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2.52.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24401\" title=\"GDC-2.5\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2.52.jpg?resize=480%2C377\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2.52.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-2.52-300x235.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While it certainly wasn\u2019t part of GDC there was a strong wave of interest in the announcement Lenovo and a firm called Tobii made today at CeBit (the big trade show in Europe).<\/p>\n<p>Tobii (get it two eyes?) demonstrated a new eye-tracking technology that would allow you to control computer functions just by looking at points on the screen.<\/p>\n<p>The company isn\u2019t bashful, they want to take eye-tracking and eye control to anyone\/s\/everyone\u2019s computer and viewing environment.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s just in its infancy but reports are that you really can control the computer simply by having it follow your gaze.  It will automatically brighten and dim depending on how you look at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>If and when it takes off it really could be a big step forward in eye-recognition and become a truly natural interface for folks.<\/p>\n<p>Initial eye control is limited to simple functions\/tasks but you can imagine what it will do for people with limited capacities if they can point, select, scroll, communicate, develop\/play games.<\/p>\n<p>The new Lenovo\/Tobii prototype is truly proof of concept of eye-tracking technology and it has the potential of becoming one of our standard system interfaces very quickly.   The key then will be to make it smaller, less expensive, more versatile, more reliable.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t know but we\u2019d love to get our hands \u2013 ooppss eyes on one and see if it\u2019s half as good as the early reports say.<\/p>\n<p>If it is next year\u2019s GDC may have a whole new level of education sessions.<\/p>\n<p>Tomorrow?<\/p>\n<p>Again we\u2019ll have to divide our time\u2026GDC and the \u201cquiet gorilla\u201d in town \u2026Apple!!!!<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle:GDC - Day 3--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>GDC Day 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is a report on GDC so we\u2019re going to start with the show\u2019s keynote speaker, Nintendo\u2019s president Satoru  Iwata, then quickly cover the poorly kept secret of the iPad 2 announcement \u2013 there was excitement there though \u2013 then back to GDC.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GDC Keynote<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24416\" title=\"GDC-3-1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-1.jpg?resize=475%2C318\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-1.jpg 475w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While we may have been <strong><em>\u201cMortal Enemies\u201d<\/em><\/strong> back when he was a kid in the industry and we were promoting Atari, the years have been kind to him!<\/p>\n<p>Heck he\u2019s survived in the game industry for 25 years and that says a lot for anyone!<\/p>\n<p>As the industry changed from game systems to mobile to social media he\u2019s learned a lot from the mistakes of others and his own.<\/p>\n<p>Bake in the early years it was all about technically superior, adrenaline kicking in and heart throbbing games.  Only an idiot would roll out a family friendly set of games like Wii.<\/p>\n<p>What do we know?<\/p>\n<p>But he noted that he learned well from the gaming master Shigeru Miyamoto.  Primarily that content is king!<\/p>\n<p>Over the years he came to understand that the games must appeal universally across all ages, nationalities, sexes because game play, especially in today\u2019s social environment is even more important.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed out to the attendees that a game must appeal to a person the first time he or she begins to play and have the levels, expertise designed in to constantly keep the player excited and involved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen this is achieved,\u201d he noted, \u201cthe game will sell itself.  Then you sit back and determine what is needed to keep the game fresh and exciting.\u201d<br \/>\nIwata recalled that in the early days games were generalized to handle programming, art, sound design.   Today there is a stratification of these areas which has its cost emotionally and financially.<\/p>\n<p>Iwata believes the day when one person can understand the personality of the entire game is long gone and that highly skilled specialists are necessary to optimize user enjoyment.<br \/>\nThe problem and challenge for Iwata is to ensure that everyone involved understands not only his\/her role but also the overall plan and strategy of the game so everyone can develop in unity.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed out that today some of the craftsmanship of game development has been diluted and complicated production has put game development costs up with those of major movie releases.<\/p>\n<p>This makes it difficult for the next master game creator to emerge!<\/p>\n<p>During his keynote he expressed concern that the concept\/idea of the game has value and that often gets lost somewhere in the long, tedious process.<\/p>\n<p>He explained the obvious \u2013 developer\u2019s hours are too long, stress is too high, feeling of true competition is lost and the individual becomes a pawn in the larger process.  Not by design or plan he noted but rather it just happens.<\/p>\n<p>Iwata commented that there are only a few hundred titles on the major dedicated game systems and tens of thousands of titles on the major mobile app libraries.<\/p>\n<p>Referring to <strong><em>Screen Digest\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> game study,  he pointed out that 92 percent of the popular mobile content games are free.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFreenomics is a rotten way to turn a profit and pay the bills, \u201c he noted sadly.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s little wonder that game development is drowning in volume rather than quality.<br \/>\nHe called for the mobile, social platform producers to do something to motivate, encourage high-value game software rather than cheap stuff.<\/p>\n<p>Iwata felt most of these platform owners were only looking to fill their inventory, library with volume, not quality\/value.<\/p>\n<p>He emphasized that \u201cas we produce value, we must protect that value!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By emphasizing value the industry and developers can really invest in innovations for the industry and the consuming public.<\/p>\n<p>Of course during his keynote speech he also snuck in the introduction of the new Super Mario game for the 3DS.  But unlike most keynote presentations he didn\u2019t bore the audience with senseless self company\/product promotion.   It really was subtle, tasteful.<\/p>\n<p>And for those who were dwelling on his earlier advice of how to add value to their technology, their ideas, their passion\u2026you probably missed the sneak announcement!<\/p>\n<p>There were a lot of other Nintendo announcements at the show but since everyone in the venue was wondering what was going to be announced\u2026next door!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Steve\u2019s iPad 2<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Everyone knew the new iPad 2 was going to be announced and there were more pre-guesses as to what it would\/would not include that the actual announcement (as with most of Apple\u2019s orchestrated marketing events) was almost anti-climatic.<\/p>\n<p>Yeah almost!<\/p>\n<p>If you were Valley savvy running over to get into the auditorium for the Apple event you noticed an Astor Martin sitting nicely in one of the parking spaces.<\/p>\n<p>OMG\u2026Ya Think????<\/p>\n<p>Yes there aren\u2019t many folks that can drop that kind of bread and Jobs is one of them!!!<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-2-.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24417\" title=\"GDC-3-2-\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-2-.jpg?resize=500%2C333\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-2-.jpg 500w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-2--300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When Steve strolled onto the stage with his belt and shoes matching you would have thought that everyone\u2019s favorite rock star had arrived.<\/p>\n<p>It was a standing ovation and you know what?   He looked like he enjoyed it\u2026and he needed\/deserved it (and no we\u2019re not Apple diehards!)<\/p>\n<p>Jobs took more shots at the \u201csecond\u201d tier tablet players with no mercy.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone else is and will be dissecting all of the many new features\/shortcomings but this was one of Apple\u2019s finest moments.<\/p>\n<p>We felt it was a little unkind to take shots at the 100+ tablets that are being announced when the company has such a clear market leadership and they\u2019ve done a lot to reinforce that leadership for the next few years.<\/p>\n<p>What?<\/p>\n<p>Well the venerable touch screen that is almost the heart and soul of the tablet.  Apple has already locked up by consignment for an estimated 60% of the world supply for the next couple of years.<\/p>\n<p>That means everyone else will have to fight over the remaining 40 percent of capacity at some cost\u2026bet it won\u2019t be cheap.<\/p>\n<p>No one takes that into consideration when they say all of those tablets are going to flood the market and kill notebooks.<\/p>\n<p>Sure you can surf, play with your photos\/videos\/content, do some modest typing and what the heck in the right light even read a book.<\/p>\n<p>But real, real work?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll keep our notebook\u2026and our smartphone\u2026and eventually our tablet (we aren\u2019t saying what kind\u2026yet!!!)<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no need to rehash the new features, capabilities because unless you live under a rock you\u2019re going to be inundated with all of the wonders for the next <strong><em>MONTH!!!!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24418\" title=\"GDC-3-3\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-3.jpg?resize=500%2C333\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-3.jpg 500w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-3-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes it\u2019s a neat little unit.<\/p>\n<p>It went on a diet so it\u2019s a little thinner\u2026has a more powerful processor\u2026doesn\u2019t have a USB port, still runs 3G (come on who in the **** has 4G anyway?)<\/p>\n<p>In the U.S. the majors \u2013 AT&amp;T, Verizon \u2013 will have the units starting March 11<\/p>\n<p>By March 25 they\u2019ll be rolling it out in over 25 countries \u2013 Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, new Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s huge!<\/p>\n<p>Nuff said.   Check your local papers for time, channel, details!!!!<\/p>\n<p>Oh yeah\u2026still 10 hours of use time.<\/p>\n<p>Starting at $499 (and change).<\/p>\n<p>Despite the fact that Steve is the front man for the organization, Apple has an in-depth team of very good, very strong executives and possibly because he needed the rest or more likely he wanted to show off his talent he set up his key people to discuss all the sexy features.<\/p>\n<p>But at the end he again took control of the stage and had his team stand up in the audience and they also received a good round of applause.<\/p>\n<p>Of course he could have thanked Nintendo\u2019s Iwata for setting up the game industry for him and maybe even timing the end of his session so he wouldn\u2019t run too much over but\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reflecting<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24419\" title=\"GDC-3-4\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-4.jpg?resize=480%2C324\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-4.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-4-300x202.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Having heard from the two executives, a member of the Nintendo development team and one of the GDC attendees talked about how the lay of the land for game development kept shifting.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line is there looks to be room for both of the companies in the marketplace.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24420\" title=\"GDC-3-5\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-5.jpg?resize=480%2C320\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-5.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-5-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When the noise died down, Nintendo again took to the what\u2019s new\/educational platform and after announcing a number of new 3D solutions that will be available this year<\/p>\n<p>Then there were a series of major\/minor sessions:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          AMD rolled out new open source solutions for Maya 2011 as well as a number of collaborative activities and programs (translation nice but nothing earthshaking)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          EA also made a series of mobile and social relationship announcements which should boost opportunities for game developers and players.  They acquired Chllingo and Playfish which will open developer opportunities especially for people interested in developing games for the Facebook social media front<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-61.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24422\" title=\"GDC-3-6\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-61.jpg?resize=480%2C321\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-61.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-3-61-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>One thing this year\u2019s GDC showed is that there are no safe harbors for developers with fantastic ideas.<\/p>\n<p>Platforms such as Sony\u2019s PlayStation or Microsoft\u2019s Xbox or Nintendo\u2019s play system and portable have their strengths, weaknesses\/good points, bad points.<\/p>\n<p>Social media as open and friendly as that may sound like a quiet, refreshing walk in the park but you gotta understand even in the park bad things can happen!<\/p>\n<p>Social media and let\u2019s be honest we\u2019re sorta talking about the Facebook platform wasn\u2019t formed to be a bunch of nice guys.  But then they never told their people, \u201cdo no evil.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Social gaming may even be good for the game developer \u2013 let\u2019s say that for sake of argument \u2013 but it may not be good for a certain number\/type of people out there who play the games.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no better, no worse than watching soap operas and at least you\u2019re honing your eye\/hand coordination and stimulating your mind so that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n<p>But anything can be carried too far including hanging around your keyboard waiting for emails, texting on your smartphone, watching YouTube videos or well just about anything.<\/p>\n<p>The key for the game developer is that he\/she has to constantly work to add new features, new ideas, new depths to keep the player interested, excited, involved.  That takes one heckofa lot of innovation and work.<\/p>\n<p>Who knows game development perfection may even be addictive !!!!<br \/>\n<!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle:GDC - Day 4--><br \/>\n<strong>GDC Day 4<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The quiet buzz flying around Moscone Center on the final day of GDC that Nintendo had an opening for a new speech writer.<\/p>\n<p>To say that Iwata\u2019s comments about social and mobile game platforms and the need for developers to focus on <strong><em>real games<\/em><\/strong> (our translation, not his) didn\u2019t sit well with the production organizations, tool makers, developers who had smartphone games in the market or in development.<\/p>\n<p>The other console folks didn\u2019t jump to his defense they just encouraged the attendees to develop games for their units that would set the world on fire.   What they did in their spare time\u2026<\/p>\n<p>The closing day of most conferences is something like everyone running around picking up loose change and shotzkys (the free stuff).<\/p>\n<p>But GDC attendees seem to suck up as much information as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Great thing is there is a strong cadre of people in the industry willing to share their insights into their successes and their shortcomings.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24427\" title=\"GDC-Day-4-1\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-1.jpg?resize=480%2C317\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-1.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-1-300x198.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the announcements that always makes us wonder &#8212; not just about the gaming industry but the entire software industry &#8212; was that Electronic Arts (EA) had signed up more than 600,000 gamers for the beta version of <em>Battlefield Play4Free<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re sure there were probably another 600,000 plus folks who didn\u2019t make the cut.<\/p>\n<p>Defying logic people \u2013 smart, knowledgeable people &#8212; rush to become a beta user or stand in a long queue to get a copy of software that by definition is still a work-in-progress.<\/p>\n<p>Beta users provide a valuable\/volunteer service not only to the developer but also the ultimate consumer when the gold version is released.<\/p>\n<p>They find bugs, issues, problems and even provide ideas, tricks that make the game better, more fun, more rewarding to play.<\/p>\n<p>Software though is always a work in progress.<\/p>\n<p>They aren\u2019t bugs just undocumented features.<\/p>\n<p>The federal trade or safety folks don\u2019t demand a recall instead you get patches or a work-around.<\/p>\n<p>Nuff said.<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-21.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24429\" title=\"GDC-Day-4-2\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-21.jpg?resize=475%2C380\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-21.jpg 475w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-21-300x240.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>GDC isn\u2019t huge by a lot of convention standards but it\u2019s really big if you consider the fact that people come from around the globe to learn the latest tricks, tools, ideas on what it takes to make the growing array of highly involved, interesting games.<\/p>\n<p>When they aren\u2019t in the sessions or networking they\u2019re on the show floor packing the freakin booths.<\/p>\n<p>Old\/young, male\/female they spend a lot of time in the booths trying to figure out how the hardware\/software will make their behind-in-the-seat development time easier and more rewarding (for them and us).<\/p>\n<p>There were two sessions this final day that we looked forward to when we first looked at the program months ago:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          Chris Crawford\u2019s presentation\/discussion on yesterday\/today\/tomorrow<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          The GDC Awards<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-x.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24430\" title=\"GDC-Day-4-x\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-x.jpg?resize=200%2C200\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-x.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-x-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>GDC\u2019s Founding Father<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The founder of CGDC (Computer Game Developers Conference) and a pretty impressive game designer in his own right not only gave us flashes of what he \u2013 and we \u2013 worked with in \u201cthe old days\u201d and his vision of tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p>At times with what seemed like a lump in his throat he talked about working with early microcomputers including the Atari Stella, Apple II, Commodore PET, TRS-80.<\/p>\n<p>He brought tears to our eyes\u2026tears of bygone pain, not pleasure!<\/p>\n<p>Crawford told the young bucks and buckettes in the audience what it was like to program in Assembly (with paper\/pencil) and doing most of the work in your head counting in hexadecimal\u2026backward.<\/p>\n<p>He talked about each little industry improvement like line buffers as though they were monumental strides forward.<\/p>\n<p>Of course his discussion of being delighted when he sold a whopping 150 copies of a game in a ziplock for $15 made more than a few in the audience question is grip on reality.<\/p>\n<p>Crawford founded the conference in 1988 just as the gaming industry was beginning to recover from the massive layoffs four years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Today he feels that the first law of software development remains unchanged \u2013 when you design a game constantly ask yourself \u201cwhat does the user do?\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He felt that following the first law was critical because  people don\u2019t watch games, don\u2019t read them, don\u2019t listen to them, they play them!<\/p>\n<p>But that is probably the only constant in the gaming industry because today it is made up of large well financed companies and individuals with no money but the fire in their gut to make an insanely great game.<\/p>\n<p>While the depth, breadth, quality, intensity (and expense) of game development has grown over the years he didn\u2019t feel what the player does and the gamers\u2019 satisfaction remains unchanged.<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24431\" title=\"GDC-Day-4-3\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-3.jpg?resize=480%2C319\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-3.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/GDC-Day-4-3-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you think the intensity and excitement of the recent Oscar Night was impressive you\u2019ve never seen the GDC\u2019s annual <strong><em>Game Developers Choice Awards.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ok there\u2019s a total lack of tuxes, fashion gowns, red carpets, gold statuettes and paparazzi but other than that \u2026it\u2019s the same.<\/p>\n<p>Big winner for the evening was Rockstar\u2019s <strong><em>Red Dead Redemption<\/em><\/strong>.  Red Dead walked away with Game of the Year, Best Game Design, Best Technology.<\/p>\n<p>Other big winners were:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;           <strong><em>Minecraft<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Best Debut Game, Best Downloadable Game, Innovation<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          <strong><em>Cut the Rope<\/em><\/strong>&#8211; Best Handheld Game<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          <strong><em>Mass Effect 2<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Best Writing<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;          <strong><em>Limbo<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; Best Visual Arts<\/p>\n<p>Saga\u2019s Yu Suzuki won the Pioneer Award for his work on such classics as <strong><em>Outrun, Space Harrier, Shenmue Series.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lifetime Achievement Award went to Peter Molyneaux for his design work on <strong><em>Populous<\/em><\/strong> and <strong><em>Fable.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In Hollywood they\u2019d call that a wrap but in the gaming industry it\u2019s just another chapter in the ever changing learning process for people working on console, PC, MMOG, social and mobile games.<\/p>\n<p># # #<\/p>\n<p><strong>by:   G.A. &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> President<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> Marken Communications Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <a href=\"mailto:Andy@markencom.com\">Andy@markencom.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; 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