Game developers online choice

Raph Koster is considered a thought leader, as a frequent lecturer and published author on topics of game design, community management, storytelling and ethics in game development. His A Theory of Fun, published in , is considered seminal by educators and members of the art game movement, as well as being one of the most popular books ever written about games. In his youth, Koster taught himself programming on an Atari 8-bit computer that he used to create the first game he ever sold, to a fellow classmate.

Koster's varied interests in writing, art and graphic design served him well when he joined Sony Online Entertainment in the role of creative director on Star Wars Galaxies, a game praised for its lush graphics, authentic movie-based soundtrack, expansive in-game world, customization options and sophisticated gameplay mechanics. After serving as chief creative officer at Sony Online Entertainment, Koster established his own firm, Metaplace, a software platform developer for social worlds and the company behind popular Facebook games Island Life and My Vineyard.

In , Metaplace was acquired by Disney Interactive Media Group's online social development arm, Playdom, where Koster currently serves as vice president of creative design.

The GDC Online Awards Hall of Fame recognizes a specific online game that has resulted in the long-term advancement of the medium, pioneering major shifts in online game development and games as a whole. Now regarded as a legacy in its own right, the game has dominated the MMORPG landscape, setting the standard for countless other games in the genre. The game offered the community a reprieve from long load times and steep learning curves, which only made the colorful graphics, engaging gameplay, exciting quests and raids and immersive world more impressive.

This includes excellence in complexity of network infrastructure , persistent world coding, graphics technology, artificial intelligence, or any other elements. The Best Social Network Game Award recognizes the best game that launched on a social network such as Facebook or MySpace in open beta or full version in the year to May , honoring the most outstanding title in terms of overall depth, execution and quality in the space. The Best Audio for an Online Game Award recognizes the overall excellence of audio in an online game that launched in the 12 months to May - including sound effects, musical composition, and overall sound design for an online title.

The Best New Online Game Award recognizes excellence in any online-specific game, including MMOs, free to play titles and social network games that launched to the public in open beta or full versions in the twelve months ending May The Best Live Game Award recognizes the best currently-operating online game, having been launched in North America for at least 12 months before May , and distinguishing itself by that exceptional new content through expansion packs, patches, or other updates in the last 12 months, as well as a vibrant player community, high-quality community management and network operation during that period.

The Audience Award honors the favorite game of the worldwide online game community. Community Policy. Related pushsquare. Given that it's a new release, we'll have to wait and see how Deep Rock Galactic holds up it does have space dwarves, to be fair — but even if it turns out to be a bust, we're still looking at one of the best months for PS Plus in quite some time. Like Comment Share. Now, the company has revealed the first few games hitting the service in the new year.

But its director says that studio management still treated it like a disappointment despite shifting over 8 million copies.

Xbox Game Pass Surprise Adds 3 Games In case you missed it, Xbox today announced the new Xbox Game Pass games coming to the service in early January, and while the bigger titles like Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Spelunky 2 are still to come, the announcement included three surprise releases that were added to the service today.

The three titles that are available right this moment are Gorogoa, Olija, and The Pedestrian. January Big Gaming Releases: 'Rainbow Six Extraction', New 'Pokemon' and More January is often a slow month when it comes to big gaming releases but, owing to several high-profile delays, the year is off to more exciting start than usual.

The year has officially kicked off, and it looks like the next days will be packed full of high-profile releases on PC and console. Share Share Tweet Email. Pam K Ferdinand Articles Published. Read Next in industry.