Changing the world, trends for the next decade headline GDC Next 2013

Learn about the future of games in Los Angeles next month during Game Developers Conference Next's Future of Gaming Track, with EA Mythic lead designer Kate Flack on toy industry insights she brought to Ultima Forever (pictured), Ubisoft Blue Byte's Teut Weidemann on why mobile is everything, and more. GDC Next will take place alongside the App Developers Conference on November 5th-7th, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The new event aims to highlight the future of video game development, with session tracks organized around 'Next Generation Game Platforms', 'Free To Play & New Business Models', and 'Smartphone & Tablet Games', as well as cloud and indie game tracks. Along with the GDC Next 10 series of talks on forward-looking games, the Future of Gaming Track will explore the future of the industry around key parts of the world and how and on what the games of tomorrow will be made. Smartphones and tablets are the future, and anyone not moving their business to these devices will get left behind, urges Ubisoft Blue Byte senior online game supervisor Teut Weidemann. In his talk 'Why Everything in Games Today Is Irrelevant,' he will explain why mobile is key for future-minded game dev studios. Starr Long will draw from his 20 years of industry experience, from project director of Ultima Online to now executive producer of the $2.3 million crowd-funded Shroud of the Avatar, to propose 'Nine Trends For The Next Decade Of Video Games.' In this talk, Long will explore how trends like 3D printing and wearable tech can change the way we make and consume games -- and how said trends will combine with each other to produce even more drastic changes down the line. EA Mythic lead designer Kate Flack will share "main street retail" insights that helped her in creating and launching freemium mobile title Ultima Forever in 'Analogue Lessons for a Digital Age.' Flack will illustrate how her experience working for Games Workshop, the largest creator of 'toy soldiers' in the world, helped inform her game design decisions, such as focusing on long-term loyal hobbyists and learning the profiles of those hobbyists. Those wondering 'How Your Game Can Change the World' will want to attend Game It Forward CCO and founder Brandon Bozzi's talk, in which he will examine games that are affecting communities, science, medicine, and fundraising and share tools that developers can use in more mainstream games for positive impact. Be sure to check out the GDC Next Session Scheduler to see the other announced talks and begin your planning. Previously announced talks include Raph Koster on the expanding definition and audience of games, Ouya's Julie Uhrman on 'Why Now Is the Best Time Ever to Be a Game Developer,' and Three Donkeys's Skaff Elias (a key figure in the creation of Magic: The Gathering) on tweaking luck and skill in game design. Online registration is in full swing for GDC Next and the co-located ADC; register now and save up to $200 on ADC, GDC Next, or a combined VIP All Access Pass. For all the latest news on GDC Next, subscribe for updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. Also, check out ADC's focus on Education Apps: EA founder Trip Hawkins on his new learning service, Animoca on complying with new online privacy rules, and Dreamkind on standing toe-to-toe with Elmo and other powerful kids' brands. Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech.