game development
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ESA Foundation Doubles Up On Developer Scholarships
12:40AM Mike Fahey | 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 »
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Is Exclusivity Hurting Digital Downloads?
6:30AM Maggie Greene | 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 »
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Predictions on the Future of Gaming
6:30AM Maggie Greene | 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 »
‘Games and the Future of Learning’
4:30AM Maggie Greene | 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 »
Why Korea Matters: Learning from Difference
3:30AM Maggie Greene | 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 »Fan-Industry Interactions: The Case of Fallout
5:30AM Maggie Greene | After a rather gruelling 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 »Problems in Game Criticism Today
2:30AM Maggie Greene | 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: It gives developers feedback, real insights into their game, so they can go back and improve their work. There simply isn’t a way for people to properly explain criticism in the current culture of “I’m not having fun” reviews. Nor is there a way to reward innovation or successful elements of games beyond gushing “I’m having fun” praise. It’s one thing to say you like a game, but figuring out a way to go beyond that gives developers a better understanding of their audiences reaction. In any case, it’s an interesting essay that ties in with a lot of other criticism of the gaming press at large; the other eight parts are also a good read, if you’re not scared off by the “Zarathustran Analytics” in the title. Zarathustran Analytics in Video Games, Part 9: Flaws in Criticism Today [PopMatters via The Brainy Gamer] More »
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NYC Eyeballs Growing Games Industry
9:40AM Leigh Alexander | New York City’s Centre 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. More »
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Georgia Pretties Itself Up For Game Developers
1:20AM Mike Fahey | 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 »
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