Known for giving rise to the stealth action game genre with his creation of the acclaimed Metal Gear series more than two decades ago, Kojima’s keynote will focus on conquering various development obstacles with creative game design, using the driving game design philosophies behind the Metal Gear series as reference. The address, “Solid Game Design: Making the ‘Impossible’ Possible,” marks Kojima’s debut appearance at the GDC. The Game Developers Conference takes place March 23-27 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.
Renowned as one of the world’s most influential contemporary game developers, Hideo Kojima first decided to get involved in the game development business while studying economics. Driven by the hardware limitations of the MSX personal computer, he pursued a fresh approach to the action game genre – and thus the stealth genre was born with Metal Gear. The debut title was then ported to the Famicom, known Stateside as the Nintendo Entertainment System, and received an unofficial sequel titled Snake’s Revenge. The global breakthrough for Kojima’s career took place in 1998 when Metal Gear Solid was released on Sony’s PlayStation platform. Before the sequel in 2002, Kojima also produced the mech action game Zone of the Enders. Kojima also created Boktai: The Sun in your Hand, a Game Boy Advance game which contained a photometric sensor in the cartridge that charged a vampire’s solar weapon, sending gamers outdoors to catch some fresh air. This type of idea is something that Kojima has become known for—breaking the “fourth wall” and forcing the player to interact with the game in ways outside of traditional gameplay.
“The Game Developers Conference has invited Hideo Kojima to keynote every year for as long as I can remember, so we couldn't be more excited that, at long last, he feels that it is time for him to address the game development community,” said Meggan Scavio, event director of the GDC. “The anticipation is already huge to see how one of the community’s most revered and elusive creators will inspire attendees to further push the limits of game development.”
Hideo Kojima’s keynote, “Solid Game Design: Making the ‘Impossible’ Possible,” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. PST in the Esplanade Room of the Moscone Center’s South Hall.
The Game Developers Conference is the largest professional industry event dedicated to the creation of games, including computer, console, mobile, arcade, online games, and location based entertainment. It is the central forum for learning, inspiration, and networking in the games industry. The GDC attracts over 18,000 attendees, and is the main global forum where programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision makers and others involved in the development of interactive games gather to exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry.
The GDC will take place March 23-27, 2009, at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The 30% early registration discount for All Access and Main Conference passes is only available through February 12.