At GDC, Arti Gupta chatted with Blizzard Entertainment’s Frank Pearce about the latest World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm, as well as integrating mobile phone applications to support the experience of their core games and developing for fans new and old alike.

The perennial goal of creative professionals working on animation and special effects for motion pictures and television -- as well as computer-aided design (CAD) professionals -- is to deliver top-notch work on time and under budget.

While production times might be expected to decrease in direct proportion to available processing power, the ambitions of creative professionals are outpacing Moore’s law, which says that transistor density will double approximately every two years. Evermore complex rendering algorithms deliver increasing levels of visual subtlety and devour advances in processing power as quickly as they become available.

Roger Chandler

In a nutshell, it seems that the players, the games, the business models, the game delivery mechanisms, the platforms, the market size and the way players interact with games have all changed. And through it all, the PC -- the most open and innovative of all the gaming platforms -- is experiencing a renaissance. PCs in general are morphing into different form factors, including netbooks, tablets and media-centric designs. Developers are starting to riff on platform technologies -- like stereoscopic 3D, touchscreens, facial recognition, solid-state drives, Z-cameras and wireless display connections -- to make games more immersive and fun. Soon, it may be the norm for integrated cameras to map your face to your in-game character, mimicking your expressions in real time. Games may sense and translate not only your motions, but also your emotions.

Matt Ployhar

Recently, I was featured in a prominent publication in an article about PC gaming. What I’m reminded of is how easy it is to be taken out of context -- for right or wrong.

The article was well-written and I stand by most of what I’m quoted as saying. A few things, however, were lost in translation. It’s easy to forget that the people listening to me may not also share my viewpoints, convictions, experiences or vantage point, and therefore, it’s all too easy to be misinterpreted.

Lee Purcell

What defines a community is more than its geographic boundaries; it’s the element of people gathering together for a common cause, supporting each other’s well-being and interests, and advancing goals that strengthen both the community and its members.

In 1985, one of the landmark events was the founding of the WELL, a new computer service by the San Francisco gang that had published the Whole Earth Catalog. In his influential book The Virtual Community , Howard Rheingold described how people took to this new communication medium enthusiastically, forging friendships and relationships that spanned a wide range of common interests -- on both a professional and personal level.

Today, the online landscape is profoundly richer, deeper and more readily available to digital media artists. As bandwidths increase, processing platforms improve while becoming less expensive, Internet access becomes more affordable, and software applications create new tools for communication, collaboration and play.

By John Gaudiosi

New processors and advanced graphics are always a hit at the Game Developers Conference, but digital audio companies like Cakewalk, Dolby, and DTS also have a presence. With new PC games starting to take advantage of Dolby 7.1 surround sound  -- and DTS’ unveiling of 11.1 surround sound with DTS Neo:X  technology at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 -- sound is playing a more important role in today’s video game landscape.

“We have seen the evolution of game audio go from sounds that accompany video to fully immersive musical scores that envelope the user in the action or world,” says Steve Thomas, public relations director of Cakewalk, which has Sonar X1 audio software available for game developers. “And when it comes to cut scenes, where the expectation for video and audio quality is very high, it’s like producing for TV/film. No more cheesy sound FX and simulated strings -- now you get high-quality sampling and real orchestras. Game on!”

By Gus Mastrapa

DC Universe Online, which launched in January for the PC and PS3, presented some unique development challenges. MMOs are notoriously difficult to create, but Sony Online Entertainment and Everquest veteran Chris Cao rose to the challenge. The game director of DC Universe Online talked to us about the game’s launch and what’s next.

By John Gaudiosi

When it comes to video games, Valve Software was one of the early game studios to emphasize the importance of interactive narrative in shooters like Half-Life. Storytelling remains an integral part of all of Valve’s games. And Erik Wolpaw is one of the top writers at the Seattle game studio.

Wolpaw began his career as a journalist writing for game sites like GameSpot.com and founding OldManMurray.com. That work led to a job at Double Fine Productions for Psychonauts, and in 2006 he was honored with a Game Developers Choice Award for best writing.

Gabe Newell hired Wolpaw at Valve, where he’s worked on the story and dialogue for games like Portal 1, Left 4 Dead and now Portal 2. Wolpaw talks about the creation of Valve’s much-anticipated Portal 2, which ships in April, in this exclusive interview.

By Gus Mastrapa

Rift, the new PC MMO, launched on March 1 in the United States and days later in Europe and Australia. The game debuts on a crest of positive buzz garnered through a slew of well-received beta events. But launching a successful online game is as much about follow-through as it is about first impressions. I spoke to Trion Worlds design producer Hal Hanlin about his company’s philosophies on keeping customers happy, leveraging technologies and, of course, making great games.

By Scott Steinberg

Legendary British game designer Peter Molyneux, founder of Bullfrog Productions and Lionhead Studios and inventor of the “god game” genre with 1989’s Populous, tends to think big. Witness his resume, which includes epic strategy and simulation titles like Dungeon Keeper, Black & White and Theme Park, among the most ambitious of all time.

Occasionally vilified for overhyping new releases, Molyneux has spent 27 years of development on gaming’s front lines and hasn’t slowed his ambition -- or his willingness to buck trends. With his latest creation, the fantasy roleplaying epic Fable III, shipping for the PC this month, Molyneux talked about his commitment to grand, all-encompassing experiences -- and home computers.