Develop March: The Human issue

Human Kind: A first for Develop, this month we focus on human issues affecting everyone from game developers to players. We delve into how games can help inform players about mental health, the importance of diverse representation and the horrors of crunch. This issue also features the Develop 30 Under 30 2017, celebrating 30 of the best humans working in the games industry today. Ron Gilbert discusses ‘improv game design’ and Slightly Mad Studios’ Andy Tudor talks realism in racing games. Full list below.

You can read this issue on your browser or mobile device here. If you’re not already subscribed to Develop, you can sign up for as little as £35 to ensure you receive your monthly look at global games development.

Got feedback? Are you a developer who wants to get involved with future issues? Feel free to email me at jalexander@nbmedia.com. (Dog gifs always appreciated.)

Here’s a full overview of what to expect this month:

• Mind Games: LKA.it (developer of The Town ofLight)and Ninja Theory discuss how games can be used for a force for good in the fight against mental illness.
• 30 Under 30: This year’s best and brightest from the global games industry.
• Racing For Realism: Sean Cleaver speaks to Slightly Mad Studio’s Andy Tudor about achieving realism in racing games.
• Represent: A look at diversity in games, using Life Is Strange as a case study.
• Everyone’s A Writer: Ron Gilbert discusses his 30 year old design philisophies, including ‘improv game design’.
• Inside Rovio London: We look inside Rovio’s new home in London.
• Studio Wildcard talks about the modding community and how it’s a spawning pool for the next generation of game developers.
• Heard About: John Broomhall finds out how BioWare made Mass Effect Andromeda‘s groundbreaking aduio. 
• Will Freeman talks to Dave Ranyard about his new studio and how he’s searching for new gameplay conventions in VR.
• A War On Conflict: War Child, a charity set up to help children in areas of conflict, is looking to work with developers to raise money and expose the issues.
• New Horizons: How Guerrilla Games’ art team evolved alongside alongside Horizon Zero Dawn‘s robot dinosaurs. 
• An overview of the London Games Festival and a chat with Michael French, the event organiser.
• Sean takes a trip to SpecialEffect to find out the charity’s latest attempts to bring ubiquitous accessibility to games. 
• KISS CEO Darryl Still tells us why it’s imperative to get your game listed on as many online stores as possible.
• Why We Love: Batman Arkham VR – A deep dive into some special moments from the game which took us by surprise.
• The jobs section includes a discussion of crunch and how to prevent it, as well as looks at both Rebellion and Playground Games and what makes them such great places to work..