Flush with capital, Stardock to set up multi-million dollar investment fund 9
by Kris Graft [04.11.13]
Thanks to a presumably massive haul from Stardock's sale of its Impulse digital distribution platform, the company said today it intends to start an investment fund for software and game developers.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Business/Marketing

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Putting the reward in 'risk vs. reward' 26
by Gamasutra Community [04.11.13]
A design debate: Should players be rewarded for playing on higher difficulties, or is the increased challenge itself the real reason to play?
Console/PC, Indie, Design

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Player irrationality vs. game design 3
by Gamasutra Community [04.11.13]
We've observed that humans very often make irrational decisions. So how do you design a game, knowing that? Let's look at the research and find some answers.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Design

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What about love? Inside a game jam revolution 5
by Leigh Alexander [04.10.13]
A recent community-led dating sim jam over social media yielded not only an explosion of touching, innovative and expressive experiences about love -- but possible lessons for the traditional community.
Indie, Design, Exclusive

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How random loot drops really feel to players 16
by Gamasutra Community [04.10.13]
Building from his post about the emotional effect of random loot drops, Chris Grey looks at games like World of Warcraft and Ni no Kuni to see how their patterns affect players.
Console/PC, Indie, Programming, Design

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HTML5 game development, from prototype to release 2
by Gamasutra Community [04.10.13]
A top-to-bottom look at the development of HTML5 puzzle game Animory, which takes in everything from prototyping to what platforms it was ultimately released for, and how.
Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Programming, Design, Production, Business/Marketing

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The 8 keys to indie success 35
by Gamasutra Community [04.10.13]
The ex-studio developer behind million-selling Xbox Indie Games success CastleMiner Z explains how the discipline of a professional should complement the freedom of an indie.
Indie, Production, Business/Marketing

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GDC China 2013 announced for Sept 15-17th: call for talks now open  
by GDC Staff [04.10.13]
The call for submissions in Mandarin and English to present talks is now open for the 2013 Game Developers Conference China, which has moved up to September this year.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Programming, Design, Production, Business/Marketing

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The yin and yang of game design 6
by Gamasutra Community [04.10.13]
This blog post talks about the creative dualities of game design -- and explains how to marry your creative and analytical sides to come up with and execute on a concept you love.
Console/PC, Indie, Design

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What I learned from Ludum Dare 4
by Gamasutra Community [04.10.13]
You can learn a lot very quickly by participating in a game jam, and in this blog post, Lena LeRay explains how far she came in one weekend.
Indie, Programming, Production

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Sharing the GDC experience  
by Gamasutra Community [04.10.13]
DigiPen professor Neils Clark tries to give us a picture of his experience of GDC this year -- in a blog post formed from quotes and observations and experiences he had.
Console/PC, Indie, Design, Business/Marketing

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Video: The ethics and psychology of the 'freemium' model 1
by GDC Vault Staff [04.09.13]
GDC 2013 played host to a live recording of the popular mobile developer podcast Walled Garden Weekly, with Touch Arcade's Eli Hodapp and Temple Run's Keith Shepherd debating the merits of freemium for mobile games.
Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Design, Production, Business/Marketing, Video

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Making a game that can last forever 25
by Gamasutra Community [04.09.13]
"There are three things that make the infinite game possible," writes Anton Temba: "multiplayer, procedural random generation, and user content." This blog post explores the idea of using them.
Console/PC, Indie, Design

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Game Developer magazine closing in July 2013 50
by Staff [04.09.13]
Gamasutra parent company UBM Tech is announcing that, as of July 2013, Game Developer magazine will stop printing its physical edition and transition to become a Gamasutra section - details within.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Serious, GD Mag, Programming, Art, Audio, Design, Production, Business/Marketing

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Flow and the player's journey 5
by Gamasutra Community [04.09.13]
The theory of flow has made its indelible mark on game design, but can be it married with other ways of looking at games? This blog marries it with the concept of player mastery.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Design

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Going Agile in 7 easy steps 23
by Gamasutra Community [04.09.13]
This guide takes you down the road to moving to Agile project management. While it might not get you fully there, it's a cheat sheet for what to expect when leaving waterfall behind.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Production

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Equity crowdfunding: When your players become actual investors 29
by Frank Cifaldi [04.09.13]
It's finally happened: We're seeing crowdfunded games backed not by traditional Kickstarter-like backers who only get rewards, but by small-scale investors who get a cut. Is this the future? Let's talk about it.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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IGDA outlines new stance on events 30
by Gamasutra Community [04.09.13]
In response to the controversy surrounding the GDC party her organization co-presented with YetiZen, IGDA executive director Kate Edwards outlines the organization's new policy for events.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Serious, Business/Marketing

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7 must-read resources on player motivation 6
by Gamasutra Community [04.08.13]
If you want to better understand what motivates players, this helpful blog post rounds up seven essential works from Raph Koster, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and other experts.
Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Design

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What you need to know before porting your game to Ouya 22
by Gamasutra Community [04.08.13]
Making mobile games work with a console controller is a challenge, says indie developer Nathan Fouts (Serious Sam Double D). Here are a few of the tips and tricks he's learned in the process.
Console/PC, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Programming, Design

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