Cloud games? What about cloud game development?

In a new feature, PlayCanvas co-founder Will Eastcott argues that just as Google Docs allows for online collaboration, so too will all aspects of game development. "If you are a coder, it is a fair bet that you have a GitHub or BitBucket account," Eastcott writes. "Just a few short years ago, most of us were content to install a local instance of Subversion or Perforce, to name a couple of popular version control solutions." "So why the rise of version control as a service? There are many reasons, but the key driver is community. Coders can now network like never before, following other developers or interesting projects, and receiving immediate notifications as soon as updates are made." "So why let coders have all the fun?", asks Eastcott. His thought is that as games move to the web -- his company is working on HTML5 game development tools, and the bulk of his article is about this technology -- so too will game development. "Let's face it: making games is hard, and making a (good) game alone is not an option for most developers. The spectrum of skills required is often just too great. Developers need to be able to find each other and get involved in the game projects that excite them the most," Eastcott writes. "If our dev tools are running in the cloud, with all clients connected to one server, why not allow seamless editing from all users?" he asks. The full feature -- Will HTML5 Change the Way Games are Made? -- is live now on Gamasutra.