Damn, I'm really unhappy I missed this talk. (I was interviewing Peter Molyneux at the time, however, which I guess is a pretty good excuse.)

Going Techno

This year at GDC, the theme was "future vision", but the underlying subtext was the meaning of user-created and user-owned content. Microsoft's keynote was characteristicly slick and PRed: "Customization!" crowed J Allen. But "customization", for Microsoft, means skins and the ability to find your friends online - great features, but shallow ones. The stress was on technology - according to Allard, we're in the "HD era". And that means Hi-Def content and Hi-Def services. Several game developers in the audience blanched at this, as it also means even bigger budgets and bigger teams. Is that really what drives great games?

I [heart] Nintendo

Nintendo took a different tack: capture the "heart of a gamer", and you will have brand loyalty. But more than that, Iwata spoke about fun. Fun is not dependent on technology. The console should exist to entertain, to provide the most fun as it possibly can. And the new games Nintendo unveiled for both DS and Gamecube look to be packed full of fun. I can't wait for Animal Crossing DS.

That's my preliminary GDC report. What about you?