Zynga picks up real-money gaming developer Spooky Cool
In a further bid to enter the real-money gaming market, Zynga has acquired Chicago-based social casino developer Spooky Cool Labs.
Get a job: Irrational is hiring UI programmers
BioShock developer Irrational is looking for UI programmers. "This position will require a combination of initiative, leadership, design, coding, and daily problem-solving on multiple target platforms."
Practical examples for marrying theme and meaning
In Part Two in a set of articles on creating meaning through mechanics, this reprint from the March 2010 issue of GD Mag has Soren Johnson exploring practical solutions for ludonarrative dissonance.
Microsoft pulls big 180 with Xbox One DRM policy reversal
After much pressure, Microsoft has revised its previously-announced DRM, preowned game usage and online check-in policies for Xbox One.
US Court of Appeals upholds Wii balance board patent
The Federal Circuit of the US Court of Appeals has upheld a 2012 decision ruling that Nintendo's Wii balance board does not infringe on a patent held by IA Labs.
Video: Sexism and sexuality in games
Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider takes a look at how romantic characters evolved from
Baldur's Gate II to the
Dragon Age series
Blog: Why did King really ditch in-game ads?
Candy Crush Saga developer King
recently announced it's ending in-app advertising. What's the real reason? Should you? Freemium designer Benjamin Sipe ponders the issue.
GDC Next's first talks: Disney, thatgamecompany, Google, Adam Orth
GDC Next organizers have announced the first talks for
its inaugural event this November - revealing future-leaning talks from Google, Disney, thatgamecompany, plus Adam Orth on 'mob rules'.
Invisible enemies: The challenge of making a sound-based game
What if you couldn't see your enemies at all? Getting players to comprehend this was more complex than Brian Schmidt anticipated, and he writes about developing his game
Ear Monsters here.
Tale of Tales' latest game asks you to make love to your tablet
Tale of Tales' entry into this year's IndieCade showcase at E3,
Luxuria Superbia, is a joyful iOS experiment in sensuality. Gamasutra speaks with co-developer Auriea Harvey about the project.
Postmortem - Sony Santa Monica's God of War: Ascension
Remaking a popular franchise like
God of War is no easy task. Members of Sony Santa Monica go over what went right and wrong with the latest installment.
Games for Change Festival names its 2013 winners
Games for Change, the New York City festival focused on the positive social impact of games, has revealed the winners of its 2013 awards, including the festival's coveted Game of the Year.
What do sheep and goats have to do with educational games?
At the 2013 Games for Change Festival, designer Jesse Schell talked about different educational strategies and the source of curiosity.
Removing friction at the point of player payment
It's hard enough to get players to pay for games or items -- so it's dangerous to be unaware of the how the payment process. This blog post explores the complexities of international payments.
Candy Crush Saga's King said to be eyeing up an IPO
Social games studio King is said to be preparing an initial public offering following the success of
Candy Crush Saga on Facebook and mobile, according to media reports.
A free HTML5 engine to play around with
Experienced Flash developer Zac Zidik has been transitioning to HTML5 and written an open-source engine, complete with tutorials posted here on Gamasutra, that you can give a spin.
Automated testing the BioWare way
Forget what you think you know about automated testing. BioWare QA engineer lead Alex Lucas explains why you need to rethink where in the dev cycle you automate and even
what you automate.
Safe Sex with Friends wins Games for Change design challenge
Games for Change, in conjunction with SEXECT.org, has announced the $35,000 winner of its sexual awareness game design competition,
Safe Sex with Friends.
Nintendo tests free-to-play waters with Steel Diver
3DS launch title
Steel Diver is reincarnating with a new free-to-play entry, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto confirms in a new interview.
Video: How Western mobile games conquered China
Google Play, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are blocked in China -- so how can Western mobile games succeed? Yodo1's Henry Fong suggests a complete re-write for marketing.
Protecting immersion: 'Whyproofing' your game
Droqen (IGF nominee
Starseed Pilgrim) writes about what really breaks immersion -- bad creative decisions on the part of a game's creator -- and how to use the game's world to "whyproof" it.
Get a job: Activision looking for a Tools Technology Director
"Reporting to the VP of Technology, this role's primary objective is to direct the development of significant tools technology across multiple Activision studios and titles."
'Next-gen' isn't just a new console: Emerging trends from E3 2013
While everyone else was focused on the Microsoft-Sony horse race, editor Patrick Miller was paying attention to the Oculus Rift, eSports, and a collection of creator-driven games as the
real next gen.
Group monetization: Building MMOs so people will play together
When your game must be played in a group, you should design your business around fostering great group dynamics and not "rewarding narcissists," argues virtual economist Ramin Shokrizade.
GDC Europe 2013 adds Kick Off classic postmortem
Organizers have confirmed a classic postmortem of
Kick Off from Dino Dini for
August's GDC Europe, also adding talks on
Warface's low-end PC optimizations and Heidi McDonald on romance games.