GDC 12: The IGF Recap

As the stage lighting slowly dims, the spotlight closes in on Andy Schatz of Monaco fame, who's hosting the fourteenth annual Independent Games Festival Awards. He approaches the podium as the audience grows restless with excitement. I was denied the opportunity to live blog the event, but figure what I could do instead was write about the actual event itself, and talk about one of the most significant events in the industry today (sadly one of the most overlooked as well).

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GDC 12: Hands-on preview of FEZ

As I stumble through the doors being frisked by weary bouncers, I find myself standing in the middle of the DNA Lounge. It is here that 8bitSF is throwing their POW event, where indie developers mingle and network at live show of various indie rock bands inspired by video game culture. As I just finished listening to The Glowing Stars set finish on stage, I turned my head and confirmed what was curiously in my peripheral. Low and behold, FEZ was available for play in a make shift kiosk where no one was playing it. This was an opportunity that spoke directly to me and on this wild ride; I was spoken to yet again on so many levels by little Gomez.

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GDC 12: Half-Brick Keynote: Fruit Ninja/ Jetpack Joyride Live Blog

GDC 12: Facebook Game Developer Conference

Today’s web traffic is that of a different beast. We blog online, we play our games online, and most commonly, we participate in the act of social networking. Facebook has climbed to the top of social networks, with a member base of over 845 million users, becoming one of the more prominent platforms for social gaming and applications. In 2011, Facebook poured over $1.4 billion of it’s finances for game developers to take advantage of. Whether you’re a gamer or a developer, it’s a trend that’s hard to ignore. The rabbit hole will only get deeper as Facebook aims to ingrain itself into your ever day gaming routine, regardless of whether or not you’re "casual" or "hardcore."

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GDC 12: FEZ: Technical Postmortem session Live Blog

GDC 12: The art of Folk Game Design

As the hall slowly fills up, Doug Wilson of Die Gute Fabrik takes center stage. Wilson discusses the philosophy of folk game design, the art of imagining applications and fundamentals that are conceived through simple rules that apply some sort of deputized restriction that can be applied by the allowance that modern day tech that motion gaming has given us. The excitement in the crowd is especially thick, a very thick, almost tangible sensation that hangs on every word he speaks as we bear witness to the propositions and theories that folk game design can provide to help motion gaming shake the stigma of being a gimmicky fad.

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Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 48 - Indie 3: 2012

Back by the sheer popularity of the 2011 Indie 3 (Bullet Heaven Episode 28), it's time once again for a brand new Indie 3 episode! In this episode of Bullet Heaven HD, we take a look at three games that cost just a buck apiece (80 MS Points)! You just can't get too much with a dollar these days... but are these games a solid investment?

Did you like what you saw here today? Questions and comments are not only welcome but encouraged! If you would like support Bullet Heaven HD, make sure to check out http://smpmusicproductions.bandcamp.com for great tunage at great prices! All proceeds go directly back into production

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QCF: Katawa Shoujo

On a typical winter evening, one that wasn’t very different from any other, a young man stands beside a beautiful woman. As he tenses up, his heart is overwhelmed in such a bitterly ironic way through such a sad turn of events. So beings the first act that sets the stage up for the controversial indie visual novel dating-simulator known as Katawa Shoujo.

Stemmed from a concept derived from an image board from the infamous 4Chan forum, Developer Four-Leaf studios brings a bishōjo tale catering to more than just your standard Japanese audience, but can this game appeal to western gamers beyond it’s questionable premise? Prepare to be surprised.

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