GDC 2008
[!](http://gdconf.com/)
I've been to [Game Developers Conference](http://gdconf.com/) for seven years
now. It's always inspiring, thought provoking, and lots of fun. I've written up my
thoughts on the [last](/space/GDC+2005) [few](/space/GDC+2006)
[years](/space/GDC+2007), and I'm back to do it again this year.
As always, sites like [Gamasutra][], [GameSpot][], and [Next Generation][] have
comprehensive coverage. What's more, the full proceedings will be available
online at [GDCRadio][].
[Gamasutra]: http://www.gamasutra.com/gdc2008/
[GameSpot]: http://www.gamespot.com/events/gdc08/
[Next Generation]: http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8737&Itemid=2
[GDCRadio]: http://gdcradio.net/
They have me outnumbered, so I won't try to compete with them on coverage or
details. Consider this a high level, karmic overview, light on details and heavy
on analysis.
### Contents
[Goodbye Consoles, Hello Developers](/space/GDC+2008#developers)
[Social Networks and User Generated Content](/space/GDC+2008#social)
[Microsoft's Community Games](/space/GDC+2008#community)
[Are Games Maturing?](/space/GDC+2008#maturing)
- [Project Management](/space/GDC+2008#mgmt)
- [Business](/space/GDC+2008#business)
- [Game Design](/space/GDC+2008#design)
### [](space/GDC+2008#developers) Goodbye Consoles, Hello Developers
Like many businesses, a big part of game development is cyclical. Every five or
six years sees a new generation of consoles, all usually launched within a year
or so. The last generation started recently, with the XBox 360 released during
the 2005 holiday season and the PS3 and the Wii in 2006. For that reason,
Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo were the loudest voices at the last couple GDCs.
The new consoles had settled in by this year's GDC, though, so hardware took a
back seat to software. Many of the most popular talks were given by the
developers behind recent AAA next-gen titles, who discussed their techniques for
developing on the new platforms. They included
[Ken Levine on delivering Bioshock's story](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186365.html),
[Ubisoft on procedural data generation in Far Cry 2](https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6240), and
[Kim Swift and Erik Wolpaw on user testing Portal](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186636.html),
among others.
### [](space/GDC+2008#social) Social Networks and User Generated Content
[Like last year][], social networking and user-generated content reigned as the
trendiest must-have game mechanics. Dozens of talks were devoted to them,
from the production, business, and game design perspectives. They even took over
established forums that _weren't_ devoted to them, including the
[Game Design Challenge][] and the [Startup Showcase][].
[Like last year]: /space/GDC+2007#user_content
[Game Design Challenge]: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186579.html
[Startup Showcase]: https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=7021
[Also like last year][], microtransactions came in a
close second for trendiest game mechanic. ["Free to play, pay for stuff"][] has
become a rallying cry for casual games, smaller MMOs, international markets, and
game mashups looking for a bandwagon. There's even a promising startup that's
making microtransaction middleware, [TwoFish][], a sure sign that this trend has legs.
[Also like last year]: /space/GDC+2007#outside
["Free to play, pay for stuff"]: https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6180
[TwoFish]: http://twofish.com/
I have to admit, I consistently found myself dismissing these trends out of
hand. I don't use social networks much, I don't often "generate content" outside
of this site, and while I spend money on games, I don't expect to buy a virtual
shirt or sword or teddy bear any time soon. I was especially cynical about the
startups in the [Startup Showcase][], since *all* of them were based on these
trends. They reminded me, painfully, of the crazy business models in the dot com
bubble.
[Startup Showcase]: https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=7021
After feeling that scorn well up in me a few times, I stopped and reconsidered.
It didn't matter that I wasn't interested in social networking or user-generated
content or microtransations. Lots of people are, and they're speaking with their
dollars. That's what matters. Whenever I felt that scorn, I learned to take a
few deep breaths, re-open my mind, and remind myself that I *wasn't* the target
audience.
### [](space/GDC+2008#community) Microsoft's Community Games
Even if I am a 20th century dinosaur, I'm still incredibly excited about
Microsoft's [XBox Live Community Games][] announcement. It removes the
expensive, lengthy certification process required of current XBLA games and lets
indie developers upload games directly to XBox Live.
[XBox Live Community Games]: http://forums.xna.com/ShowThread.aspx?PostID=46554
Microsoft hinted about this last year, and I
[foamed at the mouth](/space/GDC+2007#community_arcade), but no one else paid
much attention. I could say "I told you so," but I'm more interested in actually
trying it out. Honestly, I'm so excited that this writeup may be shorter than
usual. I can't wait to write an XBox 360 game on my laptop (!), upload it to
Live, and make my friends try it out, all in the same day.
Sony, Nintendo, are you listening? That certification process for [PSN][] and
[WiiWare][] is suddenly looking a little long in the tooth.
[PSN]: http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Network
[WiiWare]: http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/lJUgYjCGf4pVbYMAU2qmwF3wp7DiOK5k
### [](space/GDC+2008#maturing) Are Games Maturing?
Apart from software and web 2.0 buzzwords, the main theme that emerged was a
broad maturing across the industry. I don't mean trading guns and girls for
economics sims and Shakespeare, though; I mean maturing of the
[development process][], [business models][], and [game design][]. Even the
awards ceremonies matured a little. This year, for the first time ever, the
[Developers Choice Awards][] were broadcast on national television.
[development process]: /space/GDC+2008#mgmt
[business models]: /space/GDC+2008#business
[game design]: /space/GDC+2008#design
[Developers Choice Awards]: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186460.html
Granted, the industry has been big for a while. "Games are bigger than the
Hollywood box office" is quoted so often that it's become a cliche. Just like
people, though, new industries usually grow big well before they truly mature.
While the game industry definitely isn't fully matured yet, if this GDC was any
indication, it's definitely on its way.
### [](/space/GDC+2008#mgmt) Project Management
In the last few years, development best practices have been sure bets for GDC
topics. Agile and scrum, continuous builds, automated regression testing, and
eating dogfood always claim at least a few talks each. Admittedly, they're
called best practices for a reason...but still, these talks have always felt a
bit like frenzied sales pitches on late night infomercials.
This year, though, there was a distinct difference. Most of these practices were
discussed as matters of course, not as sales pitches. Established developers
such as Ubisoft, Blizzard, and NetDevil
[mentioned them in passing](https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6884),
almost as accepted norms. The talks devoted to them felt more confident,
offering upbeat postmortems on their experiences and advice on how to implement
these practices in real world situations.
### [](/space/GDC+2008#design) Game Design
Project management wasn't the only aspect of the industry that seemed to be
maturing. Many developers also discussed the best practices they'd adopted in
their design processes. Highlights included iterative design, rapid prototyping,
and user testing.
One of the most popular talks of the conference, a
[postmortem on Game of the Year Portal][],
happily acknowledged its debt to extensive prototyping and user
testing. Designers from [Blizzard][], [Bungie][], and [Ubisoft][] all mentioned
similar debts in their latest titles.
[postmortem on Game of the Year Portal]: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186636.html
[Blizzard]: https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6884
[Bungie]: https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6863
[Ubisoft]: https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6240
Beyond best practices, I was intrigued to hear how designers were attempting to
quantify and measure aspects of game design such as immersion, balance,
perception, and even community.
[Clint Hocking's talk on immersive fidelity](https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6214)
was fascinating, as were
[Rob Pardo on balancing multiplayer games](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186416.html),
[Sulka Haro on learning from Habbo Hotel's users](https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6511),
[CCP on hiring architects and fashion designers for EVE Online](https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6273), and
[Bungie on *designing* AI, not programming it](https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6863).
Lastly, the [Game Designers Rant](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186631.html)
delved into serious and real-world games, a couple of the most interesting and
unusual trends in game design recently.
### [](/space/GDC+2008#business) Business
As opposed to game development and design, the business of games has already
matured in many respects. Still, a number of talks revealed encouraging new
trends in business as well.
Independent game development studios have been dealing with entrepreneurship
issues for decades, long before the term *startup* came into vogue. Still, there
was much more collaboration with seasoned entrepreneurs and venture capitalists
this year. VC fund [CRV][] sponsored the [Startup Showcase][], along with other
sessions. I also regularly overheard the startup lingo of term sheets, exit
strategies, and valuations on the expo floor.
[CRV]: http://crv.com/
[Startup Showcase]: https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=7021
Larger companies also seemed to be maturing. A number of talks discussed HR
challenges such as
[quality of life in the wake of the EA_Spouse fallout](https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6408).
Elsewhere, talks like
[Cryptic's](https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6349)
addressed common IT challenges raised by MMOGs, user-generated content, and
digital distribution. Many discussed standard, off-the-shelf solutions,
which was especially surprising given the egotistical, not-invented-here culture
of many game developers.
For me, the clearest sign of the times came from [Matt Hooper][], a producer
at [id][], who acknowledged the value of management ideas widely accepted by
modern publishers and even other industries. id's not known for their business
innovation, so if they're pulling their head out of the sand, that's a sign.
[Matt Hooper]: https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=G&V=3&id=445619
[id]: http://idsoftware.com/
As always, this year's conference came to an end all too quickly.
Congratulations to [Portal][], [Crayon Physics][], and the rest of the other
award winners. To everyone I talked with, it was great to catch up! See you all
next year...
[Portal]: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186460.html
[Crayon Physics]: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186459.html
