game developers conference

Mozilla wants you to get your game on -- in your browser

SAN FRANCISCO--If you could play high-end, 3D games in your browser at the same speed as on a console, would you? Here at the annual Game Developers Conference, the maker of Firefox revealed a plan to get you to do just that.

Mozilla's current holy grail is getting the mix of HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS that powers the modern Web to run apps at speeds that rival native code, the operating system-dependent languages underpinning apps on iOS, Android, Windows 8, and other proprietary systems.

The not-so-secret weapon in Mozilla's plan is something called ASM.js, said Director of Engineering Vladimir Vukicevic. "It's a dialect of JavaScript that can optimize [code] much better. It's around two times as fast," he said.… Read more

The 404 1,211: Where we're down with GDC (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- A what, where, and why primer on the Game Developer's Conference from guests Meggan Scavio and Simon Carless.

- The 15th annual Independent Games Festival opens its Audience Award voting window, now through March 1.

- Nominations open for 2013 Game Developers Choice Awards.

- Unity Engine coming to BlackBerry 10 smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook.… Read more

The 404 978: Where you're today's lucky winner (podcast)

Since Jeff can't attend the 26th annual Game Developers Conference on March 5 in San Francisco, we're doing the next best thing and bringing part of the show to him!

General Manager Meggan Scavio is our guest today and we're getting all the details on the upcoming show, like the split among console, PC, and mobile gaming, the rise of independent game developers, and sequelmania! We'll also rant about 3D games and the convergence of the film and gaming industries.

She'll also join us in the second half of the podcast where we'll run … Read more

San Franciscans angry over video game balloon stunt

Update (Wednesday, 5:17 p.m. PST): This story now has a response from The Marine Mammal Center and The California Department of Fish and Game about the potentially hazardous effects of balloon litter on wildlife.

SAN FRANCISCO--Dozens of red balloons released today as a video game promotion ended up in the San Francisco Bay, causing anger among those who see the balloons as an environmental threat and an immediate danger to fish, birds, and other wildlife.

During the Game Developers Conference here, video game publisher THQ released hundreds of the balloons in conjunction with a promotion for its new … Read more

Why Zynga ticks off the games industry

Being the 800-pound gorilla in the social games room, it's no surprise that there are a lot of gripes about Farmville publisher Zynga.

Usually, people inside an industry with strong feelings about a specific company keep those sentiments to themselves because they don't want to burn bridges. So what might surprise some is how easy it is to find games industry professionals with an ax to grind about Zynga. Those tend to have to do with issues ranging from the company's propensity to imitate others' game concepts to a perception that it is both insensitive to the … Read more

Why the explosion of social games excites veteran developers

SAN FRANCISCO--For game developers whose industry experience predates not just Facebook but even Mark Zuckerberg, you might expect that abandoning making big, complex games for simple titles like Farmville and similar social projects would be anathema.

But to hear a panel of respected industry veterans who spoke before a packed house in a huge room at the Game Developers Conference here Tuesday, the truth is exactly the opposite. In fact, to these four speakers at least, this may be the opporunity of a lifetime--making a transition from working on $25 million console-level games that take years to build to small … Read more

At GDC, iPhone game development breaks out

If you had any doubts that the iPhone must now be considered one of the world's most important gaming platforms, this week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco will try to put them to rest once and for all.

For years, GDC, as it's known, has hosted two days of "summits" early in the week, before the main keynote address and the bulk of the panels and sessions begin, including the longstanding GDC Mobile, which dealt with just about every issue a developer could want on mobile and handheld devices.

And this year is no … Read more

Intel: Our graphics silicon is gaining in gaming

Any gamer worth his or her salt is quick to decry gaming on Intel graphics silicon. But wait. The platform is taking off, according to Intel.

"So you want to know what's so compelling about making sure your game runs on Intel integrated graphics?" Aaron Davies, a senior marketing manager in the Intel Visual Computing Software Development group, asked in a video on the Intel Software Network Web page. "Here's your answer: Mercury Research showed that in 2008, for the first time, integrated graphics chipsets outsold discrete (graphics chips), and in 2013, we expect to … Read more

GDC 09: Gaming's really big show

roundup It's not as flashy as E3, but GDC in San Francisco may well be the world's largest gathering of game developers, the place to keep an ear to the ground and to get business done.

The Atari 2600: Still schooling game designers Author and professor Ian Bogost explains how the iconic '70s- and '80s-era game console can be used to inspire today's game designers. (Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman) March 30, 2009 4:00 AM PDT

Intel details future graphics chip At GDC, engineers spell out the inner workings and target markets for Larrabee, Intel's first graphics chip in over a decade. (Posted in Nanotech: The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers) March 27, 2009 11:30 AM PDT

Lessons to glean from social gaming At GDC, game developers analyze successful social games to glean some insight into what the playing public really wants. (Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman) March 27, 2009 4:00 AM PDT

GDC: A view from above Zoom in to this panoramic photo to get an up-close look at the gaming industry event of the year. (Posted in Gaming and Culture by James Martin) March 26, 2009 12:34 PM PDT

God of War III spotted, filmed Shown off behind closed doors at the Game Developer's Conference was God of War III, a hopeful "system seller" for the PS3. (Posted in Crave by Dan Ackerman) March 26, 2009 8:41 AM PDT

iGoogle gets video game makers in on the action The iGoogle start pages get officially sanctioned gaming themes and possibly a more social way to play games with friends. Google's Marissa Mayer on video games Photos: iGoogle gets its game on (Posted in Webware by Josh Lowensohn) March 25, 2009 11:47 PM PDT

Why GDC matters more than ever

SAN FRANCISCO--For Brenda Brathwaite, a longtime video game designer who avoids flying, the annual Game Developers Conference is such a can't-miss event that she is driving cross-country, from Savannah, Ga., to San Francisco (and back again) in order to be there.

GDC, as it's known, kicks off Monday with a series of two-day topic-specific summits and begins in earnest on Wednesday. And while there may not be too many people driving 5,400 miles round-trip to attend, there is no shortage of people who, like Brathwaite, see the show as indispensable.

"It's the mecca of the … Read more