Editing Game Developer (magazine)

{{short description|American magazine marketed to video game designers}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox magazine
| image_file    = Game Developer June-July 2013 Cover.png
| image_size    = 
| image_caption = June–July 2013 cover
| editor        = Patrick Miller
| editor_title  = Editor
| frequency     = Monthly
| circulation   = 
| category      = [[Video game industry]]
| company       = [[UBM Tech]]
| publisher     = 
| firstdate     = {{start date and age|1994|3}}
| finaldate     = June/{{end date|2013|7}}<ref>{{cite news|author=Brendan Sinclair |title=Game Developer magazine ceasing publication |url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-04-09-game-developer-magazine-ceasing-publication |access-date=5 December 2015 |work=Games Industry |date=9 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208125757/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-04-09-game-developer-magazine-ceasing-publication |archive-date=8 December 2015 }}</ref>
| finalnumber   = Vol 20 No 06
| country       = USA
| based         = San Francisco
| language      = [[English language|English]]
| website       = [http://www.gdmag.com/ gdmag.com]
| issn          = 	1073-922X
|logo=Gdm-logo.svg}}
'''''Game Developer''''' was a magazine for [[video game]] creators, originally started in March 1994 by [[Miller Freeman, Inc.|Miller Freeman, Inc]]<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Game Developer Premier 1994|journal=Game Developer Magazine|publisher=[[Miller Freeman, Inc.]]|year=1994|pages=2|issn=1073-922X}}</ref> as quarterly, later bimonthly, and finally monthly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gdcvault.com/gdmag|title=GDC Vault|website=www.gdcvault.com|publisher=[[UBM Tech]]|access-date=2018-12-24}}</ref> In each issue, industry leaders and experts shared technical solutions, reviewed new game development tools, and discussed strategies for creating innovative, successful video games. Monthly postmortems dissected the industry's leading games, from AAA console to social and mobile games and beyond, and columns gave insight into deeper development practices from across all disciplines, from design, to programming, to art, to business, and audio. It was closed in 2013 as part of a restructuring at parent company UBM Tech (part of [[UBM plc]]) that included the closing of all print publications owned by that company.<ref name='polygonclosure'>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/2013/4/9/4205514/game-developer-magazine-shuttering-print-version-by-july |title=Game Developer magazine shuttering, Gamasutra evolving |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=April 9, 2013}}</ref>

==Contents==
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2021}}
The magazine contained articles on professional [[game development]] topics relating to [[game programming]], art, audio, [[quality control]], [[game design|design]], and production. Monthly columns from industry veterans offered in depth discussion on a variety of topics. It had articles by notable [[video game industry]] figures and reviews on [[game development]] related [[book]]s, tools, and [[software]] packages. The back page "Soapbox" was also a popular feature but moved to sister site to Gamasutra circa 2004. It was replaced by a splash art page called "Thousand Words" and then replaced again with a regular column "Arrested Development".

''Game Developer'''s most popular feature was probably its monthly "Postmortem" column which discusses the recent development of a [[video game]] with the top five each of "What Went Right" and "What Went Wrong". It provided a frank, first-hand account of the lessons learned in the development process. The first Postmortem was featured in October 1997 and written by Andre Vrignaud on ''[[Dark Sun Online]]''.

Starting in 1998, ''Game Developer'' recognized exceptional game development tools with their "Front Line Awards" which were given annually. Winners included software (such as [[Photoshop]] and VTune), [[game engine]]s ([[Unreal Engine]]), middleware ([[Havok physics]]), hardware ([[GeForce 3]]), and books (''[[Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice]]'').<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/01/07/game-developer-reveals-2009-front-line-awards-winners-bink-to-hall-of-fame |title=Game Developer Reveals 2009 Front Line Awards Winners, Bink To Hall Of Fame |date=January 8, 2010 |work=[[IGN]] }}</ref>

''[[Gamasutra]]'', the sister publication [[web site]] of ''Game Developer'', acts as an online resource for game developers, as well as a job posting board for employment in the [[game development]] field. It was not part of the closure that resulted in ''Game Developer'''s cessation and continued some features from the magazine.<ref name='polygonclosure'/> ''Gamasutra'' rebranded itself to ''Game Developer'' on August 26, 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/gamasutra-is-becoming-game-developer | title= Gamasutra is becoming Game Developer | first = Kris | last =Graft | date = August 23, 2021 | access-date = August 23, 2021 | work = [[Gamasutra]] }}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Video game publisher]]
*[[Game programmer]]
*[[Game designer]]
*[[Game producer]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.gdmag.com/ ''Game Developer'' Magazine official site]
* [http://www.gdcvault.com/gdmag Archive of all issues] at [[Game Developers Conference|GDC Vault]]
* [http://www.gdmag.com/frontlineawards/ Front Line Awards official site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602003904/http://gdmag.com/frontlineawards/ |date=2013-06-02 }}

[[Category:Monthly magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct video game magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:Informa brands]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1994]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 2013]]
[[Category:Defunct magazines published in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Professional and trade magazines]]
[[Category:Video game development]]