Road to the IGF: LiquidSketch 1
by Frank Cifaldi [03.15.13]
Nominated for a Technical Excellence award at the 2013 Independent Games Festival later this month, LiquidSketch is a unique iPad puzzle game employing impressive liquid physics that developer Tobias Neukom tells us was a beast to get right.
Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Programming, Design, Exclusive, Video, GDC, IGF

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Opinion: SimCity launch debacle comes down to mismanaged expectations 93
by Patrick Miller [03.15.13]
As EA continues to navigate the SimCity launch fiasco, Game Developer magazine editor Patrick Miller suggests the root problem was a failure to manage fans' expectations before launch.
Console/PC, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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How trial and error helps and hinders in video game design 1
by Mike Rose [03.15.13]
Small doses of trial and error in video games can be perfectly acceptable, and may even help build tension in certain circumstances -- but lay on too much randomness and the fun can really begin to fall apart.
Console/PC, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Design, Exclusive

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Road to the IGF: Tale of Tales' Bientot l'ete  
by Leigh Alexander [03.14.13]
We talk to Tale of Tales about its Nuovo award-nominated Bientot l'ete, and how it aims to communicate the unwinnable nature of love and the raw ambivalence of meaningful human interaction.
Social/Online, Indie, Programming, Art, Design, Exclusive, IGF

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Why is whaling okay in Assassin's Creed? 75
by Gamasutra Community [03.14.13]
Assassin's Creed 4 features whaling -- a controversial practice. Why is it okay, and how does that stack up against other comments Ubisoft has made about content and controversy?
Console/PC, Design, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Road to the IGF: Team Pixel Pi's Pulse  
by John Polson [03.14.13]
2013 IGF student finalist Pulse paints a canvas not with color but with sound. It is a first person survival game where echoes trigger the now-blind player's memory.
Console/PC, Indie, Programming, Audio, Design, Production, Exclusive, Video

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Dark Side of the Jam: A NASA game jam postmortem 7
by Brandon Sheffield [03.14.13]
Dark Side of the Jam co-organizer Brandon Sheffield discusses how the NASA-tied video game jam was put together, what went right, and what could have done with a little more organization.
Indie, Design, Exclusive

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Road to the IGF: Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime 2
by Frank Cifaldi [03.13.13]
Developers Matt Hammill and Jamie Tucker tell us the history behind the frantic co-op space platformer/defense hybrid, which is nominated for an Excellence in Visual Arts award at the Independent Games Festival later this month.
Indie, Art, Design, Exclusive, Video, GDC, IGF

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Road to the IGF: Anna Anthropy's Dys4ia 7
by Leigh Alexander [03.12.13]
Our Road to the IGF series of interviews continues with a look at Anna Anthropy's Excellence in Narrative and Nuovo nominee Dys4ia, a poignant, personal game about hormone therapy and the self.
Indie, Programming, Art, Design, Exclusive, IGF

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Road to the IGF: Guacamelee! 2
by Frank Cifaldi [03.11.13]
DrinkBox, the team behind the open-world action platform game Guacamelee!, speaks to us about where the game from, its inspirations, and what went into its unique, IGF-nominated art style.
Indie, Design, Exclusive, GDC, IGF

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The secrets of Disgaea's decade-long success 12
by Christian Nutt [03.11.13]
Gamasutra speaks to Sohei Niikawa, the creator of the cult-hit strategy franchise, which marks its 10-year anniversary in 2013, about what he has done to keep reeling players in for all these years.
Console/PC, Design, Exclusive

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Road to the IGF: Starseed Pilgrim  
by Frank Cifaldi [03.08.13]
Droqen's Starseed Pilgrim is up for the coveted Excellence in Design award at the Independent Games Festival later this month. We talk to him about the game's origins, his collaborators, and some real-life gardening gone bad.
Indie, Design, Exclusive, Video, GDC, IGF

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How the first ever Vine game trailer was crafted 2
by John Polson [03.08.13]
We caught up with Rami Ismail of Vlambeer and Kert Gartner to find out the process behind creating the six-second Vine video game trailer for the upcoming iOS game Ridiculous Fishing.
Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Design, Production, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Road to the IGF: Super Hexagon 2
by Frank Cifaldi [03.06.13]
Terry Cavanagh tells us the origin story behind smartphone hit Super Hexagon, which could take home the prize for Excellence in Design when the 2013 Independent Games Festival takes place later this month.
Console/PC, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Design, Exclusive, IGF

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The Android console race begins today with Green Throttle's launch 31
by Christian Nutt [03.05.13]
With the ability to add an Xbox 360-like pad to an Android tablet, Green Throttle has a lot of appeal -- but is today's release, now available on Amazon, really ready? Gamasutra talks to its execs.
Smartphone/Tablet, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Road to the IGF: Mahdi Bahrami's Farsh  
by John Polson [03.05.13]
At age 17, Mahdi Bahrami entered the 2011 IGF competition and received an honorable mention in the Excellence in Design category for Bo. Now Bahrami's a finalist for the 2013 IGF student competition.
Console/PC, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Programming, Art, Audio, Design, Exclusive, Video, IGF

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Why they're playing: Year Walk 2
by Leigh Alexander [03.05.13]
In the latest edition of Gamasutra's "Why They're Playing" design analysis, Leigh Alexander looks at Simogo's haunting Year Walk, and how its myriad fascinating creative risks pay off.
Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Design, Exclusive, Video

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Opinion: Why I won't be backing Kickstarters anymore 85
by Mike Rose [03.04.13]
In 2012, UK editor Mike Rose backed a total of 18 game projects on Kickstarter, pledging more than $300. In 2013, he can't really see himself backing anything via the crowdfunding platform.
Console/PC, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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Road to the IGF: Klaus Pedersen's Back to Bed 2
by John Polson [03.04.13]
Student IGF finalist Back to Bed places a narcoleptic, sleep-walking boy in an M.C. Escher-inspired isometric puzzler, where the player must nudge the boy safely to his bed using a creature from his subconsciousness.
Console/PC, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Programming, Design, Production, Exclusive, Video, IGF

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A theory behind January's weak Wii U sales 25
by Matt Matthews [03.01.13]
The NPD Group recently reported alarmingly low U.S. retail sales numbers for the Wii U for January 2012. Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews says there may be more to that story...
Console/PC, Business/Marketing, Exclusive

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