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game development
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 » -
Ultizen
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.
So who the hell is Ultizen, you ask? Ultizen is one of those mysterious outsourcing companies, based out of China, that basically have their hands in many different gaming pies at once. They do everything from concept art to full-on programming to porting, providing services to everyone from small indie outfits to the big names in the industry. It helps to think of them as game development mercenaries. They're the A-Team of the gaming industry, and they love it when a financing plan comes together. Hit the jump for the full press release. More »
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casual games
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 » -
predictions
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 » -
academia
"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 » -
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industry
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 » -
academia
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 » -
criticism
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 » -
nyc game mecca?
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.
The report found that the city has more incentive to focus on the game industry than it's been given credit for:
According to local industry experts, the number of game development companies in New York City could be counted on one hand as recently as five years ago. But today, the city is home to more than 30 game development companies and another 55 firms involved in some aspect of games, from sound effects to distribution. Only a handful of other cities in North America have as many gaming firms.
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game development
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.
Qualifying productions spending at least $500,000 in the state will qualify for a 20% tax credit, with an additional 10% granted if said productions included an animated Georgia logo in the finished product.
As a member of the gaming press residing just minutes away from beautiful downtown Atlanta, I welcome any and all game developers to our lovely state. If you need crash space, give me a call.
Hit the jump for the full press release. More »
game development
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