GDC Next, an extension of the Game Developers Conference focusing on ideas about what’s next for the gaming industry, is still a few months away; but the show’s organizers have announced the first few talks scheduled to take place during the inaugural event. The lineup covers a range of topics from a variety of presenters including: Disney, thatgamecompany, Adam Orth, and Google. While specifics aren’t yet detailed, we do have a basic idea of what to expect during each seminar.
thatgamecompany, developers of unconventional titles such as Journey and Flower, will be on hand during a talk they’re calling, “An Experimental Approach to Interactive Entertainment.” Studio manager Sunni Pavlovic, who’s certainly proven to understand how to break out of traditional frameworks of gameplay and genre, will outline the team’s philosophy for game development, and how they manage to create experiences inclusive enough to attract both casual folk and core gamers alike; while simultaneously adapting to changes in technology and social dynamics.
Google’s discussion will highlight the first six months of Google Play, and how the mobile and web games service will grow over the foreseeable future. The talk will be hosted by Todd Kerpelman, a developer advocate for Google.
Disney is presenting an interesting seminar titled, “Location-Based Interactive Storytelling the Walt Disney Imagineering Way.” The lecture will feature imagineeers Jonathan Ackley, whose gaming credentials stem from being a former designer at LucasArts responsible for working on the Monkey Island series, and Chris Purvis, the director of tools and services at Walt Disney R&D. The two will discuss theme park design and how it can both relate to and influence game design. When you think about it, designing a theme park attraction isn’t all that different from developing a video game. Imagineers must be familiar with similar concepts of interactive narrative, group-oriented activities and objectives, architectural storytelling and design, and the difficult process of adapting characters to suit new entertainment mediums.
The final presenter announced so far is none other than Adam Orth, whom most will remember for coming up with a little thing known as “#dealwithit” while defending the concept of an always-on console not too long ago. His lecture, titled “Mob Rules: The Destructive Power of Opinion and Online Community,” will delve into toxic online behavior and how to “deal with” the influence of social networking and online communities on businesses.
For those interested in how GDC Next will be structured, the event is built on six pillars, referred to as “primary content tracks.” Those tracks are: The Future of Gaming, Free to Play & New Business Models, Next Generation Game Platforms, Independent Games, Cloud Gaming, and Smartphone and Tablet Games. These are then focused through six game market disciplines, including: Customer Experience, Design & UI, Monetization, Production, Programming & Architecture, and Business & Marketing. All of this basically helps sort through the types of lectures and seminars, breaking them down into their most important components for those looking to learn about a specific aspect of development or production.
GDC Next 2013 will take place from November 5-7, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and runs alongside the App Developers Conference. At the time of this writing, the organizers are offering a 30% discount to the first 500 online registrants purchasing passes.
Would you ladies and gents be interested in hearing more about any seminar in particular? Do events like GDC, that take you behind the curtain and focus on the business and design philosophies of game making, interest you? Or would you rather just hear more about the games themselves? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to like IGXPro on Facebook, follow us onTwitter, or give us the ‘ol +1 on Google+. If you can’t get enough of my shenanigans, (who could blame you?) you can check me out @GamingsNirvana, or add +VinnyParisi to your circles.
