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Video: The technology behind the sand in Journey

In this 2013 GDC session, thatgamecompany's John Edwards goes over the technical details of how sand was implemented in Journey.

Game Developer, Staff

February 26, 2018

1 Min Read
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Journey takes place in a vast and lonely desert. With the player spending all of their time in an environment filled with sand, it's important to get it right. What did it take to render the sand in Journey

In this 2013 GDC session, thatgamecompany's John Edwards goes over the technical details of how sand was implemented in Journey.

Edwards also covers thatgamecompany's approach to graphics in general, and discussing how time was spent during the three year development cycle. 

Artists interested in learning about the sand in Journey can now watch the talk completely free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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