Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express targetting the XBOX 360 will democratize game development by delivering the necessary tools to hobbyists, students, indie developers and studios alike to help them bring their creative game ideas to life while nurturing game development talent, collaboration and sharing that will benefit the entire industry.
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Member since:2006-05-04
Great move, and not only for them, but also for those who want to try developing games.
"Great move"? I'd say smart move from Microsoft. Microsoft seems to be really doing its best to attract and tie developers to their platform lately. Also note: "...about academic institutions that are lining up to include XNA Game Studio Express in their course offerings". I wouldn't be surprised if this comes with all sorts of benefits for those institutions. Try to lure young developers to your platform, get them used to it, get them addicted to it... then if you make sure that the game libraries you use, are only available on your own platform(s), then after some time you have a bunch of developers who are "tuned" for your platforms and who will bring you profit by making games for your platform and in many cases, your platform only, since they never learned to use anything else.
You say it's great for people who want to try developing games, but hasn't this been possible for years on the computer on Windows and Linux? Your choice to go cross-platform with SDL, OpenAL and OpenGL, or stick to Windows with DirectX. Or is it just the fact that it's a console? In that case, you could develop games for the PlayStation2 on Linux if you ordered the Linux kit, if I'm not mistaken.
I know, it is probably a nice thing to do from Microsoft and it will probably benefit a lot of people, but on the other hand, they are doing it in their own interest and the fact I am not so happy about it, is that it ties developers to Microsoft's set of game libraries and to Microsoft's platforms.
Member since:2005-08-11
What? Do you expect to be able to develop for the xbox 360 using linux and emacs? Come on get a grip, traditionally, game consoles are closed systems, you aren't going to be able to develop software for the xbox, without using MS's software. Developing for the PS2 is a lot more expensive then this, and this may shock you, but maybe some people don't want to develop on linux, or for the ps2
Member since:2006-04-10
"Microsoft seems to be really doing its best to attract and tie developers to their platform lately."
Its not a secret you know, they even say it themselves. The power lies in the developers. Microsoft just plays their cards right.
"...about academic institutions that are lining up to include XNA Game Studio Express in their course offerings". I wouldn't be surprised if this comes with all sorts of benefits for those institutions."
Well of course! They get cheep software, in which they can create games on consoles! That has _never_ been done before.
"Try to lure young developers to your platform, get them used to it, get them addicted to it..."
Microsoft must be drugdealers, according to your description? Excuse me, but that is just too paranoid.
"then if you make sure that the game libraries you use, are only available on your own platform(s)"
There are 3 players in the console-market. Why should the one be better than the other? Or do you mean the PC-games? If you dont count niche-markets, its only windows.
"then after some time you have a bunch of developers who are "tuned" ... since they never learned to use anything else. "
Whos fault is it, that they dont learn anything else?
Nothing stops Nintento or Sony to open up their software.. Right now they have nothing to open up, so lets see what they can bring into the fighting-ring when the match begins.
Member since:2005-07-06
"Great move"? I'd say smart move from Microsoft. Microsoft seems to be really doing its best to attract and tie developers to their platform lately.
Lately? Are you kidding? Compared to the heavy-handedness that Microsoft employed to get content onto the XBox in its early years, this recent move seems almost altruistic.
At the very least, it's a far cry from when they were pulling crap like trying to pay id to delay release of Doom3 in order to have the XBox version ready for release at the same time as the PC version (there were also rumours that they tried to pay Carmack to release Doom3 as an XBox-exclusive title, and not release for other platforms - or at least, release it much later, a la Halo).
Member since:
2006-04-10
Developers developers developers! :-)
Great move, and not only for them, but also for those who want to try developing games. Not wanting to read it all again, did the article mention anything about deploying the games to ones xbox?
I wonder if sony will make a move against that initiative? There will be some reaction somehow.