As we all know, events such as the Game Developers Conference are vital to improving the state of the video game in general. With that in mind, you may want to take a peek at the speakers featured by the Parisian GDC organizers. The event is scheduled to take place this June. More details after the jump!

People have this need to belong; no one wants to feel left out. How would you feel if you weren't allowed to attend a big gaming event because you're not a member of the press? Unfortunately, that may just be the case next year with the GDC, DICE and E3. More "exclusive" news after the jump.

Have you ever wondered how game developers went about developing the kinds of games you enjoy playing? If you're thinking of attending the Game Developers Conference in February, then you're in luck. Representatives of various game development companies will be talking about the games they've worked on, with four sessions currently slated for the conference.

Find out what those four sessions are about after the jump!

There's been talk of the upcoming E3 being downsized by the just-held Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2007. Reasons vary: this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo will be an invitation-only event, and the GDC saw a 32 percent rise of attendance.

We've all witnessed so much hype for this year's GDC, all with good reason. The GDC people worked hard to bring out a good show; GDC boss Jamil Moledina and his crew brought a good load of dealmaking, press conferences and industry parties to go around in the event.  It also helped that they were able to secure the interesting hands-on hardware workshops with Microsoft and Intel, as well as hotshot keynote speakers such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Phil Harrison and Cliff Bleszinkski.

Said GDC boss Moledina:

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Our alumni attendees uniformly felt it was the best GDC they've attended in recent years, citing the high quality and relevance of sessions, while newcomers were saying it was the best event in the game industry where they made connections and deals with all the key people they now had access to.

More than 16,300 people and 260 exhibitors attended this year's GDC, seeing a rise of 30 and 32 percent, respectively. Everybody's expecting an even bigger attendance at next year's GDC, but as Moledina cites, it's not the size of the event, but the quality that matters. This may exactly be why the usual E3 people are moving to the GDC.

 

In a report over at CNet News, Daniel Terdiman sheds some light on sentiment that the growth of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) over the years may be going a little too far.

Aside from the usual quotes from industry bigwigs about how big the Conference has grown over the years, and how it is now the largest game industry-only event worldwide, time is taken to note comments that show some caution. To be specific, comments from Patricia Pizer -  a longtime developer of online games, mentions that:

It's gotten so big. ...It used to feel more like a community of my peers, and now it feels more like a frat party. On the other hand, it has also gotten more corporate. It's a funny contradiction. It will continue to get progressively more commercial and less academic.

...It's been interesting to watch GDC evolve over time, from draped tables to a real exhibit hall. ...From small chalk-talks to keynotes filling huge halls.

Now that the industry is big enough to sustain (several other) segment-, market- or platform-specific developer conferences, will GDC still continue to be mecca for game developers? We'll see.

Of course conference director Jamil Moledina reassures that lessons were learned from E3's transmogrification from giant trade show to invite-only marketing event. Moledina expounds:

The main lesson from (the transition of E3) is that we have to stick to what we do best: providing learning and inspiration to independent developers.

Time will tell if Moledina's aim for the middle-ground will help prevent future GDCs from turning into events that are too large to satisfy its original intent.

Yes, the Game Developer's Choice Awards, one of many the peer-based awards in the gaming industry, will be hosted in March 7, 2007 at the Esplanade Ballroom of the Moscone Center's South Hall. The GDCA Advisory Board now has announced the names of fellow legendary developers to be awarded special honors during the award ceremony hosted by Tim Schafer.

Jamil Moledina, Executive Director of the Game Developers Conference, said:

This year’s recipients of the Game Developers Choice Award special honors reflect the dramatic impact of their visionary creations and industry work. Our four honorees are each responsible for inspiring the industry to creative heights through personal example and challenging conventional wisdom.

The legends and their awards are as follows:

• First Penguin Award - Alexey Pajitnov (Tetris)
  
• Maverick Award - Greg Costikyan (pioneer of indie games)
  
• Community Contribution Award - George "The Fatman" Sanger (game audio developer)
  
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong, Mario Bros.)
  

The First Penguin Award acknowledges developers who venture into unknown territory and pave the way for the rest of the development community. The Maverick Award recognizes those who take risks by experimenting with unconventional methods. The Community Contribution Award is presented to a developer who embodies the spirit of community and encourages improvement among peers.

Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award are selected by the Choice Awards Advisory Board, who are a collection of developers from around the globe. Past recipients of this award include Richard Garriott, Eugene Jarvis, Mark Cerny, Gunpei Yokoi (posthumously), Yuji Naka and Will Wright.

We've got a hot heads-up for the guys with an inkling (and a pass) to go to next year's Game Developers Conference. We've just gotten an event update that Llamasoft's Jeff 'Yak' Minter will be delivering the keynote address at the Independent Games Summit. Xbox 360 dudes will remember Xbox 360's Neon light synthesizer

Aside from Jeff, it's also been reported that guys from several other bigwig studios will be making their statements at the Summit. Curious about the current list? Read 'em and weep: Valve, Telltale Games, Introversion, NinjaBee and Gamelab are in the current roster, with other studios expected to make their presence known in this two-day event.

"For the past eight years, the Independent Games Festival has been, like the indie film movement, a source of true daring and a jumping board for reinvigorating large-scale commercial development." said Jamil Moledina, executive director of the GDC.

The Independent Games Summit is just one of several other segments within the GDC, which is expected to kick off March 5 to 6 next year, at  San Francisco's Moscone Convention Centre.