GDC China 2012 adds talks from Naughty Dog, Volition, more

The lineup for November's GDC China in Shanghai continues to grow today, adding some of the creators of key titles like Saints Row: The Third, Uncharted 3, and more. These three newly announced sessions -- along with the rest of GDC China -- will take place November 17-19 at the Shanghai International Convention Center in Shanghai, China, and will bring together the world's leading developers to share knowledge and ideas that will benefit the Asian game industry and beyond. The full details on GDC China's newest sessions are as follows: - As part of the Production track, Volition player experience researcher Jordan Lynn will examine the best practices for making satisfying games in "Playtesting and Metrics: Getting the Most Out of Your Usability Testing." Drawing examples from games like Saints Row: The Third and Red Faction: Armageddon, Lynn will explain "how to integrate back-end telemetry into an existing playtest program," noting how it can help developers gather valuable information and ultimately make better games. - Over in the conference's Game Design track, Naughty Dog senior game designer Benson Russell will host, "The Last 10, Going From Good To Awesome." Here, Russell will examine how the acclaimed studio behind Uncharted and The Last of Us ensures its games launch as polished as possible. He'll discuss the team's approach to managing development schedules, the level of detail developers should shoot for, and how to make a high-quality game while still shipping on time. - Finally, Ubisoft Shanghai's Xu Wang will present the Game Design track lecture "From Console to Mobile: the Best Practices to Build Multi-Platform Games." During this session, Wang will discuss how developers can use some principles from console game development to make their mobile projects go much more smoothly. Looking at everything from development pipelines, technology and communication, Wang will examine the ways in which console expertise can benefit nearly all forms of multiplatform development. These sessions join other previously announced talks for GDC China, including a robust level design tutorial, design talks from EA Sports and Virtuos, as well as a handful of talks in the Smartphone and Indie Game Summits. More information on any of these sessions is available on the Main Conference track pages or Summit pages on the official GDC China website, as well as the list of all announced sessions to date. Those interested in attending this November's show can secure their pass now, as online registration is now open. As noted above, GDC China's Main Conference will take place November 17-19 at the Shanghai International Convention Center in Shanghai, China. Be sure to keep an eye out for even more updates on GDC China, as show organizers will have plenty more to announce in the weeks ahead. For all the latest information on GDC China, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.