Press Pause Radio at GDC 14!

hat happens when you get two indie developers, an mobile games journalist, and an asshole like George in a room together in front of a microphone? You get 2014 Game Developer Conference podcast special! Complete with angry Atari talk, narrative talk, Goat simulator, Crypt of the Necrodancer, and video game toothbrushes, and more! Join us as we actually look forward to Virtual Reality in this episode among other things.

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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GDC 14: Nintendo's quest for indies is paying off

he pace is slow and the swagger barely exists. The last day for GDC is starting to wear on the best of us, but it’s been an incredible ride nonetheless. This show in particular showcased incredible ideas and potential to gaming in some sweet directions.

Another testament to this, of course, were games supported by the efforts of Nintendo and their web frame/Unity efforts to make the eShop a friendlier place to distribute their games on for indies. Two games hitting Nintendo’s underdog console as exclusives particularly stood out, and hopefully will set a trend for their peers to follow suit when it comes to what the Wii U can do.

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GDC 14: Getting down on Ouya exclusives

aking a breather from the hustle and bustle that GDC 2014 has proved to be this week, I decided to go and enjoy some casual time at the Ouya booth to check out what was being showcased and to get a handle on the redesigned controller myself. Surprisingly, there were a lot of games being demoed through Ouya’s “fund the fun” campaign, and despite some reservations concerning the new splintered direction the brand is going in from proprietary to third-party and the end of all of them being free to play, the games being exclusively signed prove that the Ouya remains relevant after all.

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GDC 14: The best of the IGF Pavilion

’m mere hours away from one of the biggest events in GDC, The Independent Game Festival awards—the real action of IGF however, is happening right now at the IGF pavilion on the show floor. Soaking in all of the noise and lights that surrounded me, my stroll through the area proved to be a fruitful one, the games I sampled here are some of the most impressive I’ve played at the show so far.

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GDC 14: A Wild Indie Mega Booth Appears

alking through the West Hall at the Moscone, I was delightfully surprised to see one of my favorite exhibits appear at GDC; that’s right, the Indie Mega Booth. I settled myself in, and took it upon myself to get familiar with all the games showcased; here are the games that I believe will make 2014 the best year in video games yet.

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GDC 14: Mixing it up at the IGN Indie Mixer

s Rob Rich and I slogged our way through the doors of IGN and wrestled with the possibility of being trapped within a malfunctioning elevator, our spirit was never the less indomitable as we excitedly approached the fourth floor with glee—for above us, lay dozens of games presented by their respective teams, ripe for the playing.

With a fist full of beer and poncy wine, I walked into the lion’s den, and left with anticipation for an incredible batch of games slated for release in 2014, these titles stood out particularly to me.

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GDC 14: Exposing who the Character is, instead of what they do

he art of weaving an engaging fiction for the most interactive media in existence pens out like one of the easiest tasks in game development. The reality, however, is far from it. As we’re entering into the eighth generation of video games, an age where the latest foundation of tech at hand can simulate the most realistic of atmospheres and imagery, games still struggle to escape the trappings of the self-derived conceit that is ludonarrative dissonance, among other shortcomings -- Why?

The journey to fix these flaws and expand storytelling into new, more refined territories is a challenge that several developers attempt to tackle during every Game Developers Conference. While last year’s efforts focused on what could improve the writing that composes these tales, this year tackles the art of direction and engagement, and factors that motivate the gamer to emotionally invest into the narrative.

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