Game Developer Research just put out their “2008 State Of Game Development Survey.” Pretty interesting data on game developers here.

What are they working on?

• 70% respondents are making computer games (PC, Mac)
• 43% are console game developers
• 28% are web game developers
• 16% developing games for handhelds (DS, PSP)

Console Developers (some overlap)

• 73% developing Xbox 360 games
• 58% developing PlayStation 3 games
• 42% developing Wii games
• 15% developing PlayStation 2 games (still?)

DS/PSP

• 75% developing for DS
• 45% developing for PSP

I wish I could say this didn’t surprise me, but really it does.

Playboy, IGN and Eidos Sell Out Women

The Woman Game Developer’s list is pretty peeved about this, but then again, it’s not like IGN, Eidos, or Playboy really cares about what women developers or women gamers think anyway. I’m sure this PR stunt will help sell Kane and Lynch and to hell with everything else, huh?

Exploitation of women to sell games… Not like that’s anything new, but I did expect more from IGN. This is really over the line.

I’m sitting here at EA basking in the gaming atmosphere. Today is the Women In Games conference spotlighting Games for profit for Women. I’m botching the title of the thing, but the gist of it is there.

I’m blown away by the number of gaming stations, ginormous flatscreens and comfy chairs here at EA, and quite frankly, I’m overwhelmed at the size of the campus. Getting here wasn’t easy, as this southern gal had quite a time navigating the BART and Caltrain, but I’m here now and I’m having a blast.

Because I am getting to escort the panelists to the green room, I’ve had a chance to quickly meet some of the female rockstars of the gaming world, and I’ve been amazed so far at what some companies (Microsoft and Linden Labs, to name a few) are doing for female gamers.

Tomorrow I’m off to GDC, and will spend most of my time either bugging people for an interview or manning the WIGI booth, so if you are there please look me up. My cell is 540-797-1423 and I answer it sporadically.

I’ve spent the last hour preparing my video camera to hold a massive amount of video. I’m heading to Barcamp Madison (Madison, WI) tomorrow and I’ll spend the weekend packing in as much learning as I possibly can (you should see the sessions already planned). Of course, that fact that we’re having a LAN party, a Wii fight and an XBox time slot means I get to game at least a little bit as well.

Sunday afternoon I fly to San Francisco so that I can help Women in Games at GDC. I get to work the booth on Weds and Thurs morning and Fri afternoon. I’ve also got a few interviews lined up for the videoblog at GDC. I’m especially looking forward to getting to see EA at the WIGI event and getting to attend the Microsoft party on Thursday night. I still can’t believe I get paid to do this kind of work…

Anyway, I’m almost prepared. I’ve packed as many geek Ts as I can fit in my ginormous girl suitcase and I’ve lovingly wrapped my laptops and game machines into 2 carry on bags. I’ve got a backlog of work (including 3 podcasts) that I can work on during the flights and a healthy supply of Vince Flynn, Matthew Reilly and Tom Clancy novels. I’m all set.

If you are going to be at GDC or Barcamp Madison, let me know. I look forward to meeting some new people this week!

1. ISN’s Gaming Contest - Of course I’m going to list this one first.

Intel’s Software Network and GarageGames are hosting a Game Demo Contest.

Brad Werth said, “The Game Demo Contest is a follow-up to a similar effort we did in 2006. We are looking for PC game demos that push the technological edge by showing good threading practice or by implementing cool mobility features that make the game easier or more fun to play on a laptop.”

You’ll hear more about this at GDC (Game Developer Convention) in two weeks, but I’ll go ahead and say the prizes in this one are amazing.

2. FuturePlay 2007 is asking for teams to submit games for their competition this year. They are asking for games in the following categories: Indie Games, Student Games and Serious Games.

Important dates: March 16, 2007 - deadline for a 1 or 2 page concept via email; August 1, 2007 - deadline for winners of round 1 to submit a fully working game; November 15-17 FuturePlay conference in Toronto, Canada where winners will exhibit their games and collect their prizes.

Full details are available on www.futureplay.org/games

If you are a developer, I hope you’ll take advantage of these opportunities to give your work the spotlight. There’s nothing like a little competition, especially to a gamer, so get cracking. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.