Searching for the next big thing at GDC 2011 (photos)

This week in San Francisco, big thinkers in gaming are convening to share ideas of craft and coding.

A comprehensive hub of the game developers industry, this week is a time for artists and producers to share their ideas, show off their talents, and make the connections and collaborations that will lead to the next big thing in video games.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, during his keynote Wednesday, "Video Games Turn 25: A Historical Perspective and Vision for the Future," looked back to the start of what he called the "modern" era of gaming, and the advancement Nintendo has made and what's to come.

Octodad, the lanky octopus character created by students from Chicago at the University of DePaul, wanders the expo floor at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week.

The motion-controlled Octodad games, which requires players to use their arced arm to mimic waddling flipper movements, was a finalist in the Student Showcase at GDC's Independent Games Festival.

Lists of open positions at gaming companies were posted around the floor in the Career Pavilion, and everyone seems to be hiring for just about every position, from level artists designer to project managers and sales.

Programmer Daniel Rohrlick uses the motion-controlled weapon to play Killzone 3 inside the pavilion at GDC 2011 Thursday.

What started as a personal hacking project has developed into a forward-thinking application for development of robotics beyond gaming, Move.me, just announced this week at GDC 2011.

This new software application is designed for "academics, researchers, students, and hobbyists" and will allow developers to use their PlayStation 3 consoles to create PC applications that use the PlayStation Move controller as an input device.

Using the Move's motion-tracking PlayStationEye camera and motion sensor controllers, Sony envisions potential applications such as integration with medical applications and research on human-computer interaction.

The Insight VCS is a steadycam-like virtual camera system that gives game developers the ability to shoot cut scenes and demos from within game worlds with unprecedented creativity.

Shot from within the game, Insight VCS integrates real-world cinematography into the virtual environment.