The Design of Free-to-Play Games, Part 2 6
by Pascal Luban [01.18.12]
The rise of the free-to-play business model has drastically changed the landscape of game development, and in this feature, designer Pascal Luban takes a look at the design elements which free-to-play elements designers can address and looks at future trends.
Design, Social/Online

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Minecraft, Intellectual Property, and the Future of Copyright 16
by Greg Lastowka [01.17.12]
IP lawyer Greg Lastowka looks at what Mojang has achieved with its massively popular game -- not just creatively, but in terms of shattering the boundaries between player and developer, and what that means in the current internet age.
Business/Marketing, Indie, Social/Online

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The Verge of Change: Ben Cousins on Founding Ngmoco Sweden  
by Christian Nutt [01.16.12]
As the popularity of mobile games continues to snowball, Ngmoco Sweden's Ben Cousins discusses how, in the years to come, we'll see mobile game teams expanding to the size of console game studios.
Business/Marketing, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet

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7 Things To Know About HTML5 35
by Tom Curtis [01.10.12]
HTML5 is poised to blow open game development and smash app stores and native applications -- or is it? Gamasutra speaks to game developers and Google about the advantages and shortcomings of the new standard.
Business/Marketing, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet

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What the Copycat Saw: Creative Theft in Mobile and Social Games 22
by Michael Thomsen [01.05.12]
What can developers do technologically, legally, and creatively, to combat the wave of copycat games in the social and mobile spaces? Gamasutra speaks to Kixeye CEO Will Harbin, Booyah's Brian Cho, lawyer Greg Boyd, and more.
Business/Marketing, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet

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Gamasutra's Best Of 2011 5
by Gamasutra staff [12.30.11]
Another year is ending, and Gamasutra has once again taken a broad look at the ever-expanding face of the industry with a series of articles that identify the games, trends, and companies that have made the biggest impact.
Business/Marketing, Design, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet

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Classic Design Lessons: What Free-To-Play Can Learn From Arcades 10
by xavi fradera [12.22.11]
An experienced coin-op designer from Spain's Gaelco (Smashing Drive) moves into the world of free-to-play games, and notices eerie similarities between the new markets -- and in this article, shares his insights.
Business/Marketing, Social/Online

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The Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic 5
by Paul Hyman [12.20.11]
Creative director James Ohlen, lead writer Daniel Erickson, and BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk reflect on the long journey that lead to this week's release of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Business/Marketing, Design, Interview, Social/Online

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An Explosion Of Social MMO Features: Lucent Heart's Design 3
by mark Quilter [12.15.11]
Gamania's Mark Quilter, product manager for free-to-play MMO Lucent Heart, explains how the need to hook players and serve the community changed the direction of the game towards social features that successfully kept players coming back.
Design, Social/Online

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Gamification Dynamics: Choice and Competition 1
by Tony Ventrice [12.14.11]
In the latest of his exploration of different game dynamics which can be harnessed for gamification, Badgeville's Tony Ventrice explores how choice and competition function in games, and how players are affected.
Design, Social/Online

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