Special Report
Computer Game Developers Conference
By Sue Willcox
The gaming industry has suffered a bad couple of years and is looking for inspiration. Too many companies have gone bankrupt or downsized drastically. Now the survivors want to find answers on how to make a comeback. More than 5000 gamers showed up at the Computer Game Developers Conference (CDGC) in Santa Clara this past April to hear seminars, lectures, sponsored sessions, and roundtables that might offer a solution. The overwhelming concern was how to make online multiplayer gaming work better and at the same time make money.
A clamorous array of booths promised greater gaming satisfaction with 3D acceleration present in chip and board. On the exhibition floor all seemed optimistic, but behind the scenes skepticism raged as to how worthwhile it was to use Direct 3D versus OpenGL. (See theApril/Mays edition of our sister publication, Game Developer, for more on this debate.) There were 3D glasses, floating 3D images, the ultimate in animation software, and joysticks everywhere.
Quiet Corners
Chip and board manufacturers, keen to have something interesting to show on their monitors, regularly allow small companies to share booth space in return for minding the shop. Thus, some of the most interesting developments are tucked away in quiet corners of the conference floor. Here are a few notable examples:
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