Update: If you want to find out more about the meeting, Gamasutra published a summary of the meeting, "But Seriously Folks: Austin Game Developers Panel", written by John Henderson.
Summary of my own thoughts: Improved NPC AI could make characters in games more believable and entertaining, and increase player empathy and emotional indentification with the game characters.
My thoughts: I attended the Austin Game Developer‘s meeting last night (March 10th) and caught up with some old friends who are now at a variety of different companies around Austin. The meeting featured a round table discussion entitled "Games as Art: Does it matter?" as a follow-up to Roger Ebert’s recent comments about games.
Being more on the technology side of game development (though always interested in design and sticking my nose into it), I’ve been thinking for a long time about what technological developments could make games more immersive or involving to a larger audience in such a way that could make them feel more alive. These same outcomes could also help games be seen potentially as art instead of just mass market entertainment (in the same way that some movies and books can be art or mass market entertainment, or in the rare exception, both). (more…)
Update: PalmSource has publicly commented that the PalmOS user interface will be redesigned for smartphones as the MAX interface in