The New Arcade - D.I.C.E. 2012

D.I.C.E. 2012 served as a coming-out party for Innovative Leisure, the new social and mobile gaming company from Seamus Blackley, one of the designers behind the original Xbox. The company was founded on the belief that these games are the new arcade, and Blackley laid out a slew of parallels between the coin-op scene of the early '80s and the social/mobile scene of today, from the explosive growth to the short play sessions and instantly accessible games. Unfortunately, the glut of companies flooding the market with substandard and possibly exploitative games looks a lot like the arcade scene of the early '80s as well, and Blackley cautioned that the mobile and social market may be headed for its own version of the crash of 1984.

To avoid this, Blackley said companies will need to focus on making quality games, and Innovative Leisure has lined up a handful of classic arcade designers to bring their experience and insight to bear on new platforms. Joining him at the D.I.C.E. 2012 session for a trip down memory lane and a look at the future of the industry were Ed Logg (Asteroids, Centipede, Gauntlet), Rich Adam (Missile Command, Gravitar), Ed Rotberg (Battlezone, S.T.U.N. Runner), and Owen Rubin (Major Havoc, Space Duel).

The D.I.C.E. Summit (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) is a once yearly conference dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment. It is organized by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and hosts the annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which celebrate the best games of the past year, as voted by AIAS members. Comedian Jay Mohr will return to host the awards show, which takes place on February 9.

For more, check out GameSpot's coverage page, which will feature full video of every panel and keynote address from the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit.