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Last week, famous game designer Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Epic Mickey) gave a talk at the StudioXperience booth and shared his views about the modern game development with 80.lv.
During his talk with Steve Waskul at the Game Developers Conference (GDC `15) he told the audience about the ways that game development has changed over the years. Warren also shared some information about his transition into training developers into future leaders. As the director of the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy at the University of Texas, he helps game creators who just started their career achieve great success and educates them about the modern industry.
Denius-Sams Gaming Academy
Denius-Sams Gaming Academy is a relatively new venture that started less than a year ago. In August 2014, twenty lucky students took part in an intense 9-month program offered at the academy. They received guidance from the best industry leaders managed by Warren Spector himself. Students also received a tuition waiver and a $10,000 stipend to assist with fees and housing expenses. Upon completion of the program, participants earned a post-baccalaureate certificate.
Students work in teams and develop games during class and the most interesting part of this program is that it’s aimed at training real leaders. These students acquire all the skills needed to shape the future of the gaming industry.
The Golden Age of Game Development
But what about the developers who just weren’t able to sign up for the exclusive course? Here’s a word of advice from Warren.
There are so many middleware solutions right now, pick the one that is right for your project. Most of them are free under certain circumstances and they are more powerful than the tools we had even 10 years ago. Take advantage of that. Access the needs of your project. Distributing the game is also easier right now. Getting a boxed game on store shelves is pretty tough. You still have to go through existing publisher who has connections. Digital is the way to go. There are so many outlets. I’ve been saying this for a while now, the best thing is that all the great things are happening in games industry. So find the outlet that is right for your game and go for it!