Show organizers highlight a variety of the conference's best sessions, from a fireside chat with Xbox's Marc Whitten to a look back at the legacy of a classic studio and a look forward to the future of Japanese indie development.
Passes for next week's Game Developers Conference 2014 are still available, and today we're highlighting some of our favorite upcoming sessions for the Main Conference that you'll want to check out. Today we're showcasing a handful of GDC 2014 talks that exemplify the breadth and depth of the conference programming, from a fireside chat with Xbox's Marc Whitten to a look back at the legacy of a classic studio and a look forward to the future of Japanese indie development. Now in its 28th year, GDC is the world's largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry event, and will once again take place at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California during March 17-21, 2014.
Noah Falstein, a storied game designer known for his work at LucasArts and DreamWorks Interactive, will be moderating a discussion of the creative and financial influences that shaped Lucasfilm Games among a panel of developers who worked there during its earliest days. Classic Studio Postmortem: Lucasfilm Games panelists include studio alums Ron Gilbert, Chip Morningstar, David Fox, Steve Arnold and Peter Langston. Falstein and his fellow developers will talk about what it was like to work at Lucasfilm Games while the studio was finding its feet and releasing a diverse portfolio of games, including Habitat, Ballblazer, and Maniac Mansion. The postmortem seeks to explore what made Lucasfilm Games so iconic and successful, as well as to determine whether a similar studio could succeed today.
Xbox chief product officer Marc Whitten will join Gamasutra Editor-In-Chief Kris Graft onstage at GDC 2014 to have a candid fireside chat session about all things Xbox. Attendees of the talk can expect to learn more about the development and launch of the Xbox One, independent developers' role on the platform via the ID@Xbox program, and what Whitten believes the future of Xbox One development will look like.
Speaking of Japanese indies, BitSummit director James Mielke is giving a great English language GDC talk about where the Japanese indie scene came from, where it is now and where it's headed next. Mielke's session, Exploring the Human Element of BitSummit, will contrast the Western indie scene's burgeoning success and status with the relative anonymity of Japanese indie developers. Mielke plans to explain why people still equate the word "indie" with "amateur" in Japan, and showcase the Japanese indies who are responsible for changing the status quo of Japanese game development, despite the fact that Japan's mainstream media outlets rarely acknowledge their existence. According to Mielke, those wondering if Japan has lost its identity in game development may yet find hope in this new generation of indie game makers.
Earlier GDC 2014 announcements include a Robotron 2084 postmortem from creator Eugene Jarvis, a presentation on how to teach games writing, and the return of the 'Best in Play' awards as part of the GDC Play showcase. Developers on The Last Of Us, Kerbal Space Program, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf will also be giving talks. All of the announced talks are now available in the online GDC 2014 Session Scheduler, where you can begin to build your conference week and later export it to the up-to-the-minute GDC Mobile App, coming soon. GDC 2014 itself will take place March 17-21, 2014 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. You can register for the event by visiting the info page on the official GDC 2014 website. Early Bird pricing, with discounts up to 30 percent, will remain in effect until January 31st. Some passes have limited amounts, and with the Independent Games Summit pass already sold out, interested parties should register now. For more information on GDC 2014, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech
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