Road to the IGF: Teknopants' Samurai Gunn 1
by Kris Graft [02.11.13]
Once you see other people playing Teknopants' games, you really can't wait to jump in and try them for yourself. His latest is Samurai Gunn, and it's up for the design award at IGF.
Indie, Design, Exclusive, Video, IGF

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Road to the IGF: Mousechief's 7 Grand Steps 1
by Leigh Alexander [02.08.13]
In the latest installment of our Road to the IGF series, Mousechief's Keith Nemitz talks multi-generational family history game 7 Grand Steps, and how history helps us understand humanity.
Indie, Programming, Design, Exclusive, Video, IGF

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The surprising grace of Ninja Theory's Devil May Cry 46
by Leigh Alexander [02.08.13]
With the new Devil May Cry, Ninja Theory faced a complicated challenge inheriting the longstanding Japanese action franchise -- but they managed it uniquely, says Gamasutra's Leigh Alexander.
Console/PC, Programming, Art, Design, Exclusive

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The Walking Dead, mirror neurons, and empathy 10
by Jamie Madigan [02.07.13]
Psychologist Jamie Madigan examines the neuroscience of one reason why The Walking Dead is so effective at eliciting empathy from players -- starting with a study on tiny Italian monkeys.
Console/PC, Design, Exclusive

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Video: The strain of keeping 150M Club Penguin players happy  
by GDC Vault Staff [02.06.13]
Nicole Thompson speaks on managing and entertaining over 150 million account holders in Disney's MMO Club Penguin, in this free lecture from the Game Developers Conference Online 2011.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Production, Business/Marketing, Exclusive, Video

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Road to the IGF: Henry Smith's Spaceteam  
by Kris Graft [02.06.13]
As part of Gamasutra's Road to the IGF series, Spaceteam creator Henry Smith discusses the various influences he drew inspiration from, and what he plans to do next with the space genre.
Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Design, Exclusive, IGF

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Opinion: Why Facebook's push to attract the 'core' is a bad idea 29
by Leigh Alexander [02.05.13]
Leigh Alexander argues that Facebook's push for more "core games" is ill-advised and self serving -- what are the opportunities on the giant social platform, and who is the "core," anyway?
Console/PC, Social/Online, Programming, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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A developer says goodbye to XNA 25
by Staff [02.05.13]
As Microsoft sends its Xbox indie development platform out to pasture, one of its biggest supporters and best-known developers, Nathan Fouts (Mommy's Best Games) takes a look back at what it meant.
Console/PC, Indie, Programming, Exclusive

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How Saints Row and Metro ended up with Koch Media 5
by Kris Graft [02.05.13]
As THQ collapsed, Koch Media took a crash course in the Chapter 11 process, and came out the other side as a more formidable player in the triple-A game space.
Console/PC, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Road to the IGF: Q-Games' PixelJunk 4AM  
by Leigh Alexander [02.04.13]
We talk to Q-Games' Rowan Parker, lead designer of IGF Excellence in Audio nominee PixelJunk 4AM, about the game's style and inspiration, and the role of indies in the changing video game landscape.
Indie, Programming, Exclusive, IGF

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What does Kongregate's mobile push mean for developers?  
by Mike Rose [02.04.13]
Kongregate may be one of the front-runners of browser games at the moment, but the company isn't planning to be left behind when it comes to the mobile game boom.
Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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League of Legends bets big on eSports success 6
by Christian Nutt [02.04.13]
With Season 3 of League of Legends just started, Riot Games talks to Gamasutra about its efforts to make eSports integral to the game, including a 40 person team behind the move.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Depth and accessibility can be friends, says Tropico dev 2
by Mike Rose [02.01.13]
Omerta: City of Gangsters puts you in the role of an up-and-coming mob boss. Bisser Dyankov, game designer on the upcoming title, discusses balancing accessibility and hardcore strategy.
Design, Exclusive, Video

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Opinion: It's totally OK to not like 'anti-games' 67
by Mike Rose [02.01.13]
Proteus was released earlier this week, and has caused quite a ruckus online, as players argue over its video game merits versus its lack of traditional gameplay.
Console/PC, Indie, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Stealth in 2D: Design lessons from Mark of the Ninja  
by Patrick Miller [02.01.13]
How do you make a 2D stealth game? In the February postmortem for Game Developer magazine, devs explain how they adapted core stealth principles for 2D -- and some of the challenges they ran into.
Console/PC, Indie, Programming, Design, Exclusive

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Why GTA V's delay could cause an industry-wide ripple effect 42
by Chris Morris [01.31.13]
With the delay of Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar essentially lobbed a hand grenade into the holiday period -- one that was going to already be plenty chaotic.
Console/PC, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Four must-read predictions about the Chinese mobile game market in 2013 12
by Henry Fong [01.31.13]
Mobile game development can be a worldwide opportunity for big and small developers alike. Yodo1 CEO Henry Fong paints a clear picture of the opportunities China will present this year.
Smartphone/Tablet, Business/Marketing, Exclusive, China

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Opinion: The dubious new face of 'everyone's a gamer now' 55
by Leigh Alexander [01.30.13]
As video games hurtle toward ubiquity, perhaps the spirit of games is becoming diluted, or lost completely. Gamasutra's Leigh Alexander examines this concept in this introspective editorial.
Console/PC, Art, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Spooky Cool Labs: What happens when arcade vets take on Facebook 4
by Christian Nutt [01.30.13]
A group of console, arcade, and casino veterans hopes that flashy graphics and more complex gameplay can lure in social game players -- but will it work?
Social/Online, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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After iOS success, Sword & Sworcery sees strong sales on Android 3
by Mike Rose [01.30.13]
For some notable independent game developers, releasing an Android version of an iOS game has proven to be worth the effort. Maybe you should take a closer look at Android too.
Smartphone/Tablet, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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