IDF 2015 has come and gone, but it was a great ride. Game developers had a lot to see and learn at this year’s Intel Developer Forum. It was a good opportunity to network, learn about the latest Intel technology, and share development techniques. This year one of the big topics of Intel Developer Forum (IDF) was gaming and game development, learning about and sharing ideas for Intel® RealSense™ technology and Intel graphics.
Unfortunately not every game developer could make it to the Moscone Center in San Francisco, so this recap highlights the key events. Enjoy, and hope to see you at IDF 2016!
The “Game”- Changer with Doug Fisher and Kirk Skaugen
Doug Fisher, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Software and Services Group, and Kirk Skaugen, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Client Computing Group, shared Intel’s role as the partner of innovation on the PC. Including tools for game developers that make it easier to develop across multiple operating environments. During the mega-session Chris Roberts, founder of Roberts Space Industries, creator of Star Citizen and the Wing Commander* universe made an appearance. He discussed the difficulty of creating a seamless game universe with no loading screens and how 6th Generation Intel® Core™ Processor Family (codenamed SkyLake) and Intel® Optane™ technology will help. CLG Red, the Intel-sponsored, all-woman professional gaming group from Counter Logic Gaming, made an appearance. Doug Fisher also talked about Achievement Unlocked, the Intel Game Developer Program, and revealed the 2015 Intel® Level Up contest winner.
You can watch the entire session here.
Intel® Buzz Workshop Game Developer Camp
This year we brought the successful and popular Intel® Buzz Workshop to IDF. At this day-long event, attendees participated in a Q&A session, a panel session, and a speed-dating-style mentoring session. Many people won prizes, like Intel® Solid-State Drives and the Intel® Compute Stick.
The workshop kicked off with the announcement of the Intel® Game Quality Assurance Evangelism Program. This program can help you deliver a top-notch PC game experience through QA testing assistance. Intel is working with top QA labs in the industry to help educate and support QA testing for game developers.
The first guest speaker of the day was Susan O'Connor. Her topic was “How to Change the Dev Cycle for the Better.” Susan has been a game writer for over 10 years, working on big games such as BioShock* and the Tomb Raider* reboot. Susan talked about the importance of writing and story in game development
After Susan O’Conner’s great talk, we held a panel on alternative funding methods.
Participating in the panel were:
- Blake Commager, Founder/CEO of MediaSpike
- Neil Haldar, Former VP at Gree International
- Eric Kress, Principal at Gossamer Consulting Group
- Kimberly Verbonitz, CRO for Fingerprint Digital
Together they discussed the myriad ways to fund game development, from the “friends and family plan” to angel investors. The discussion was fun, informative, and engaging, with many questions from the game developers in attendance.
Following the panel, the last session of the day was “Speed Dating with Mentors.” During the session, participants had the opportunity to meet with all of the speakers and industry mentors present, and ask questions and solicit advice on their experiences in the industry. In addition to speakers we had:
- Robin Hunicke, Co-founder, Funomena
- Brandon Blair, Product Owner, Intel® Integrated Native Developer Experience (Intel® INDE) Graphics
- Stone Librande, Lead Designer, Riot Games
- Corey Johnson, Field Engineer, Unity Technologies
- Mark James, Director, Technology, 2K Games
- Clive Henrick, Sr. Development Director, Kabam
- Anna Kipnis, Gameplay Programmer, Double Fine
IDF 2015 Technical Sessions
Technical Sessions were presented by Intel and industry experts. Developers got relevant technical information on the latest technologies and products. Topics included hyper-scaling, 6th Generation Intel Core Processor Family (codenamed SkyLake), PCI Express* 4.0, and 3D optimization for Intel Graphics. Also included were hands-on labs. Here is a list of all the technical sessions held at IDF this year. Webcasts or audio recordings are available for most sessions.
Developer Showcase
Developers received hands-on experience with disruptive and experimental software solutions from Intel® Software Innovators at the Intel® Software Innovations Pavilion. These early adopters are leveraging the latest in Intel RealSense technology to create new experiences in the areas of gaming, and entertainment. The developer showcase featured 9 indie games at the Intel Software Innovations Pavilion.
Experience the Possibilities
This was the first IDF with a focus on gaming, and it will not be the last. It was a great event with lots to see and learn for game developers. Game developers were able to experience the latest Intel technology and see some of the possibilities that it offers. Attendees of the Intel Buzz Workshop Game Developer Camp were able to interact with industry mentors and discuss many topics. The “Game”- Changer with Doug Fisher and Kirk Skaugen showed everyone the possibilities with the 6th Generation Intel Core Processor and guests such as Chris Roberts gave insight into new game experiences with Intel technology. Follow this link to see all that happened at IDF 2015 and hope to see you at IDF 2016!