The 2007 Game Developers Conference is now officially closed, and the lucky ones are either still sleeping, or hopped a plane to continue the festivities at the ever-growing SXSW conference in Austin. I've returned in time for finals week and an ever-growing pile of catch up work. I didn't take many notes or live blog the event, but there were standout themes and happenings I thought I'd share. Other TNers and GDC attendees are urged to fill in the gaps --
Beyond the official conference theme, it seems that each GDC has some sort of unofficial theme/idea running through it, with last year being about new interfaces (think DS, Wii) and this year being about social networking and the integration of better communication systems and tools into game spaces.
I didn't attend the Sony keynote by Phil Harrison, but friends noted the focus on a new lobby/portal for the PS3's online space, titled "Home" among other things. Everyone kept saying it was a cross between Second Life and [insert generic reference to a social networking site here]. I also just noticed that the coverage sponsor for Gamasutra is GameTrust, which apparently will "Integrate content of your choice, and then add multiplayer games, chat, avatars, profiles, instant messaging, and micro-transactions to increase your retention, session times, revenues… and FUN!" Another strange coincidence?
Along with Phil and Sony and now GameTrust, I talked extensively with some folks at ECD Systems, who generously agreed to sponsor Women in Games Interational's presence at the Expo. They have their own "Social Networking Engine" they just launched, to bring the fun of Web 2.0 to the casual games space. So it seems that Web 2.0 and games have now met, and the hopeful (by industry anyway) result is Games 3.0.
In remarked counterpoint to that theme (oh the irony) was the actual physical location of GDC this year. Back in San Francisco, we now had two large halls to navigate (each with separate Expos) and (gasp) the loss of the Fairmont bar for a central meeting space. While many groups could and did organize social events in advance, there is always the need for a central space for gathering, the chance encounter, a place to expand your social circle, etc etc. The Fairmont bar in SJ always filled that bill- if you stayed there long enough, you knew you'd run into most everyone you wanted to see at GDC, even if they were outside of your daily social circles.
Yet this year, there was the alleged gathering spot of Jillian's Bar (which I did not hear of anyone going to) and a group of wandering nomads, texting each other with messages such as "I hear there's a party at the W" and "Which bar in the Marriott did you mean?" Not to get too deep, but I think this reinforces the value of social networks, and the importance of some general, agreed upon spaces for that networking to occur in. When those spaces change, you have upset attendees on your hands.
Apart from that, I attended an absolutely excellent presentation about localization at Square Enix by Richard Honeywood. As always, the Game Design Challenge that Eric Zimmerman runs was well attended and the design solutions to this year's "Needle and Thread as Interface" were very well done (click here to read more about the designs and to see who won). Kudos to Celia Pearce for walking up to the mic and asking why no female designers were taking part in the competition (or had in the past competitions). The applause greeting her comment was great to hear, and I'd like to think that CMP will work with Eric to remedy that omission for next year. I had my own presentation on Friday, along with Jane McGonigal and Ian Bogost, the Game Studies Download 2.0. Even with a 9 AM timeslot it was well attended, but for those of you who could not make it, Raph Koster has a rundown of the top ten and a link to the slides.
Lastly, perhaps the session that disappointed me the most was the keynote by Shigeru Miyamoto. Perhaps Will Wright has spoiled me, or perhaps the focus of the talk was a bit off. It seemed that Miyamoto was torn between trying to talk about both Nintendo's vision and his own. What I got was a little of each, but not enough on either side. I'd prefer either the straight up vision of Iwata like last year's Heart of a Gamer talk, or more design specifics. We did get to see a brief preview of Super Mario Galaxy, but that was the only real nugget that I gleaned from the talk. Plus, the whole "wife-o-meter" concept was a little grating. Ha, ha. Now even wives play games! Miyamoto's wife too! Sigh. I really appreciate Nintendo's and Miyamoto's efforts to widen the gaming market, but I am really looking forward to the day when reaching "the wife" is no longer something of note.
So, that's what I remember, at least at the moment. Please- add your own thoughts, recollections, 2 cents, etc.
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