<![CDATA[Kotaku: Game Development]]> http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: Game Development]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/game development http://kotaku.com/tag/game development <![CDATA[Dear Game Developers, We're Not All Idealized Androids (Some of Us Are Wizards)]]> You know how in many video games with character creation your attempts to make an older, wizened sort of character always result in the buffest old man you've ever seen due to their only being one body model for all male characters? In today's Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter jacobgermain points out how ridiculous that is. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5880468&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Why Japanese Developers Should Have Played More PC Games]]> Gaming's reached a turning point. Western games have more realistic graphics and physics than Japanese games. This isn't good or bad. It's true. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5844588&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Best Game Design Schools In North America]]> Looking to embark on a wondrous career in game design? GamePro Media and The Princeton Review have teamed up for a second year to list the 10 best graduate and undergraduate schools for video game design in North America. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5773695&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Luring Women Into Computer Science Through Gaming]]> Computer science needs more women, and video game development could be the key to making that dream come true. A recent study finds that teenage girls take to game creation just as readily as teenage boys. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5756900&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[John Romero Bows Before Gaming's Masters]]> Speaking last night at The Art History of Games symposium in Atlanta, Doom developer John Romero talked about the "masters" the game industry should look to for help creating games today. Which industry figures could make Romero their bitch? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5465300&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[North American Game Industry Employment Somehow Rose Slightly In 2009]]> According to the third annual Game Developer Census, game industry employment in North America has risen slightly in 2009, due in part to new Canadian studios and a rise in social and online gaming developers. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5432166&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[How Dumbed Down Acting Is Creating Dumbed Down Games]]> There's an interesting story over at The Brainy Gamer that discusses the techniques of voice acting and how it rarely applies to voice acting in games, mostly because of time and money constraints. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5211387&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[ESA Foundation Doubles Up On Developer Scholarships]]> The ESA Foundation, representing the charitable arm of the games industry, has announced that they will be making 30 scholarships available this year to aspiring female and minority game developers. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5163434&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[BioShock: The Postmortem]]> Gamasutra has published a postmortem for the hugely successful Bioshock; nothing contained within is particularly shocking (though comments have groused that they left out some big snafus), though I think it's always interesting to see what participants in the creation process have to say about the success (or lack thereof). The article goes beyond game elements and gets into things like how design teams were organized. But where does Alyssa Finley, project lead, have to say about the problems the Bioshock team ran into?: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5046303&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Ultizen Secures $6 Million Cash Injection]]> Outsourcing specialists Ultizen have secured $6 million is series B financing in a funding round led Taiwanese venture capital firm PAC-Link, along with Japan Asia Investment Co. and on-line advertising agency CyberAgent. The money will go towards expanding Ultizen's pool of resources through acquisitions. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5033246&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Is Exclusivity Hurting Digital Downloads?]]> Gamasutra has an interesting look at the issue of casual portal exclusives and how such exclusives may be hurting the casual games industry — and pulling developers into a no-win fray. Russell Carroll compares the digital milieu to regular retail establishments: "I can't imagine having to go to Target to get EA games and to Wal-Mart to get Activision games," and notes that this could be a good thing if it winds up being a Pepsi/Coke type thing (which, frankly, I can't quite imagine, since beverages and games are just slightly different animals). And what of the poor developers?: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5024689&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Predictions on the Future of Gaming]]> Over at the Escapist, they're taking a look at the future of gaming — Hal Halpin, president of the Entertainment Consumers Association, looks at a number of 'maybe, maybe not' predictions with his own take. Ranging from the mundane ('Game prices will go down!') to the political ('Things will get better once gamers become politicians!') to the industry-focused ('Publishing structure is stuck in a rut and won't change!'). It's a fun read with some good points on the present and future directions of the gaming industry. On the publishing structure, Halpin has this to say: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5024607&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA["Games and the Future of Learning"]]> I mentioned the Games, Learning & Society Conference in Madison, Wisconsin back when a call for papers was put out. Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer has some interesting notes on the conference, which was held this past Thursday and Friday. The wrap up of the keynote speech, delivered by James Gee of Arizona State University, is an interesting meditation on the role of games (and not just 'edutainment') in education: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5024594&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Why Korea Matters: Learning from Difference]]> Korean games (non-Japanese games in general, actually) tend to get a lot of flack — 'They're all the same!' 'They're so badly made!' 'Just look at them!' — but Brandon Sheffield cautions that we ought to be keeping a closer on eye on the Korean market. With different development strategies, different working environments, and different players, there is stuff to be learned from Korean companies taking steps to expand westward: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5024572&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Fan-Industry Interactions: the Case of Fallout]]> After a rather grueling year, I am taking a self-enforced vacation from academia for a few days to recharge. But if you're not, there's a pretty interesting PDF of an MA thesis floating around — the subject is fan-producer interaction in relation to games, specifically Fallout. I've browsed through a bit of it, and I've liked what I've seen so far: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5016583&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Problems in Game Criticism Today]]> Over at PopMatters, the capstone of a nine-part series by L.B. Jeffries; this edition's topic is the problems with game criticism today. Reviews and critical pieces are generally worlds apart — and critical reviews should be providing feedback for the makers of games in a way that a standard review can't: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5014230&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[NYC Eyeballs Growing Games Industry]]> New York City's Center For an Urban Future released an in-depth report on the state of the city's game industry, with the aim of encouraging city government to become more involved. Given the overall health of the industry, NYC joins a number of cities around the world looking for ways to attract game development; recently, we reported on a 20 percent tax credit granted to developers who create their projects there. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=391358&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Georgia Pretties Itself Up For Game Developers]]> It's no secret that Georgia wants game developers and it wants them bad. While the state is already home to a large handful of smaller game studios, they are seeking to make Georgia an entertainment mecca. To that effect Governor Sonny Purdue signed into law the 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act this past Monday, granting entertainment companies, game developers included, huge tax credits for creating their art in The Peach State. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=391198&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Do We Need Boutique Developers?]]> Michael Abbott has another little thought provoking post over at the Brainy Gamer on whether or not we need 'boutique' developers — just like the heavies of the film industry have divisions that deal in 'boutique' titles: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=384483&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Japanese Game Developers In Trouble]]> As someone who has as-of-yet not visited Japan, I still imagine it is a place where cutting-edge game development technology is lurking around every corner - stuff so far beyond what we have in the U.S. that we look like cavemen in comparison. Apparently my imagination is a little bit off, as according to Konami sound director Akira Yamaoka, Japan is falling behind. In an interview with Gamasutra (originally printed in expurgated form in Game Developer Magazine), Yamaoka touches on the differences he's noticed while working with California's The Collective on Silent Hill 5. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=337683&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Deus Ex 3 Rifles Through Lara Croft's Things]]> An interview with Stephane D'Astous of the newly opened Eidos Montreal story reveals that Deus Ex 3 is being built on the foundation of the latest Tomb Raider games. The studio is using the Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider engine that was so handy in transforming Lara Croft's series into something people wouldn't be embarrassed to play as the foundation for the third installment of the popular series. The reasoning?
We chose the Crystal engine because we plan to help develop this engine more and then share it back with the rest of the company, the other Eidos studios. Having that technology from the start gives us a great advantage and foundation for our coders - there are no doubts about the approach, and we have few uncertainties.
Plus it also saves a hell of a lot of time trying to develop an engine from the ground up, and that's good because I've wanted Deus Ex 3 since Deus Ex 2 came out. Snap to it, developer boy! More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=328629&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[IGF Student Showcase: Entries Close Monday]]> In another bit of Independent Games Festival, a reminder that entries for the IGF Student Showcase close this Monday (15 October). If you're 13 or older and were a full or part-time high school or college student as of the Spring '07 semester, you're eligible to enter - and they're even accepting entries of game mods. There's more information at the IGF site, but the basic rules and regs are after the jump: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=310645&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Kevin Bruner On Why Episodic Gaming Works]]> Kevin Bruner, one of the people behind Telltale Games and their Sam and Max series, sat down with gamesindustry.biz at the Nordic Game conference and talked about the promise and peril of episodic gaming - with mostly really positive things to say. His thoughts on the benefits of episodic games for developers reminded me of John Laurence's comments on the micro-transaction model - essentially, it allows more freedom to the developer to create what they want, since 'risk and cost can be lowered up front': More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=274042&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA['Vision Doesn't Sell Games']]> From this week's Escapist, a rather sobering look at the 'demise of Clover Studios.' Everyone claims they want new, different, innovative games, but somehow a studio like Clover that produced Viewtiful Joe 2, God Hand and Okami can't stay afloat. The author points out that for a "scrappy independent developer," selling hundreds of thousands of copies would be quite the achievement, but for a division of Capcom it was a "stinging disappointment." More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=260016&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[High School Kids Make Meaningful Games]]>
Students at South Shore High School in New York have been passing up normal after school activities for video games...though not to play them. For the past year they've been meeting after school in order to develop meaningful video games with messages attached. It's all part of a program that melds game development with social awareness, and with the help of Global Kids and local developer Gamelab their first game has just been released online. Called "Ayiti: The Cost of Life," it puts the player in control of a family of five poor Haitians in what can best be described as a family management sim. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=217739&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Save the Gamedevs, says Bectu]]>
GamesIndustry reports that gamedevs are at high risk for early burnout, which is a big no-duh to most Kotaku readers. But broadcasting and entertainment union Bectu wants to do something about it. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=189504&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Game Developers Guide to Pwning Second Life]]>
by More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=180044&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Credibility Budget]]>
Gamedev website Gamasutra has a feature up that puts into words a concept I've been struggling to explain for years. The author modestly calls it "Ken Perlin's Law", but I venture that his own term, "credibility budget", is far more catchy: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=177874&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Game Company Database]]> Yet another shiny Google Maps idea: find a games company near you, see where your favourite RPG was created (that's the only genre example they give so far)... More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=140829&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Code for the PSP, Win Stuff]]> Slashdot linked to a 30-day competition for programmers to create software for Sony's PSP. All entries need to be freeware so that after the contest they can be distributed. The excitement of homebrew never ends. Let's hope no enterprising hackers find a new way to brick the damn thing. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=130129&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Do Video Games Need Saving?]]> Sidney Shuman over at Games.net sure thinks so. Shuman outlines five no nonsense suggestions to developers for fixing the video game industry. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=125464&view=rss&microfeed=true