GDC China 2009: The Coverage Highlights

Author: by Staff

GDC China 2009 officially wrapped up this week, bringing to a close three days worth of sessions on topics such as indie game development, social game evolution, MMORPG issues, and how to take part in the emerging Asian marketplace. For those who couldn't make the trip, here's our extensive coverage of GDC China 2009. Gamasutra (a part of Think Services, as is GDC China itself) was at the show for all three days, and links to many notable stories are presented below: GDC China: Ngmoco's Yu Talks iPhone's Social Future "In a talk at GDC China in Shanghai, Ngmoco VP Alan Yu discussed the formation of the iPhone-focused studio and the state of the App store, suggesting that social-focused, microtransaction based Apps are the way forward." Social Gaming Evolution, According To Playfish "Playfish's Mack Growen (Restaurant City, Pet Society) delivered a speech about the current state of the social gaming market, in which he encouraged developers to abandon their passion for copying successful games, and talked of a coming shift towards high-level competition from well-moneyed players." GDC China: NetEase's Lin On Stamping Out MMO Bots "In a lecture at GDC China, NetEase's design director Yunfeng Lin discussed the fascinating gold farming bot-related issues in the company's massively popular Westward Journey Chinese online game series, and how it fixed them." GDC China: Mechner Charts Prince Of Persia's Creative Evolution "In his GDC China keynote, Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner explained that the series' evolution in games and film was assisted by its unpredictable history, with cracks in the plan allowing room for the franchise to grow creatively." GDC China: Chinese Indie Game Trends and Opportunities "To give a Chinese perspective on independent development, the first day of GDC China closed with a panel discussion about the state of the market by three local industry veterans." GDC China: Nicalis' Rodriguez Talks Indie Realities "Tyrone Rodriguez, co-founder of indie publisher/developer Nicalis, delivered a presentation at GDC China in Shanghai on the state of the indie movement, and offered advice gleaned from his career -- including as a former game journalist and doing work-for-hire for publishers." GDC China: The World of Indie Games "At GDC China, Independent Games Festival chairman Simon Carless delivered an informative overview of the Western independent games movement aimed at cluing the Chinese audience in on what's necessary and what works; useful information in any country." GDC China: Red Rocket's Suh On Making iPhone Games In China "In a GDC China lecture, Red Rocket Games (Mevo & The Grooveriders) CEO Jung Suh talked about making iPhone games in China for the Western market, and why the company was moving into publishing iPhone apps for others." GDC China: Nexon's Kim Charts Social Evolution, Asian Opportunities "Nexon America VP Min Kim (MapleStory, Combat Arms) delivered a speech at GDC China in Shanghai on his company's successes and stumbling blocks in the U.S. market in an attempt to inspire Chinese creators to release their products in the West, and 'come and help us start this market.'" First IGF China Awards Topped By Captain Forever "The first ever IGF China Best Game award, including a RMB 20,000 ($2,900 U.S.) cash prize and two all-access GDC 2010 passes, went to Australian creator Farbs and his unique modular 2D space adventure game, Captain Forever." GDC China: Lazzaro On Creating 'Viral Emotions' In Games "In a GDC China talk in Shanghai on Tuesday, XEODesign president Nicole Lazzaro, best known for her work on game usability, emotional reaction and interface design for companies like Electronic Arts and Playfirst, discussed her views on creating massively social online games and what she called 'viral emotions.'" GDC China: Large Animal's MacDonald On Creative Direction For Social Games "Finishing up GDC China 2009 in Shanghai, Large Animal (Bumper Stars) art director Brad MacDonald talked about the social network and iPhone indie game developer's approach to making intriguing social games."