Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Gordon Walton is a name that’s been around the gaming industry for a long time. A popular figure at the GDC Austin, Gordon has worked for many of the industry’s top developer. We recently got the chance to speak with Gordon prior to this year’s GDC and get his views on MMOGs, social gaming, and how he feels the GDC Austin helps developers.

Ten Ton Hammer: You represent a fairly large development house. How did you end up on the advisory board?

Gordon Walton: We’re just legacy. Rich [Vogel] and I were involved in the original Austin Game Conference before it changed management. We’re just legacy, so they just keep us around to keep us happy I think.

When it first started, Rich and I got involved and the first couple of years we did all the content work. So most of that was our fault, but now we have a much bigger board. It’s awesome. Now we have so much help and people spread out the work.  Now I think we’re getting much better content because we have more eyes on it.

Ten Ton Hammer: What do you think is a hot topic for online gaming this year and online in general?

Gordon Walton: I think the big thing now is that the show continues. It started out more as an MMO show. Kind of an MMO only and what we’ve tried to do over the years is evolve it more to encompass more online and social gaming and as you look at our theme for the year and the kind of people that we’re bringing in. That’s what we’re pushing for is to really make this about the connected gaming, not just pigeon hole into the MMO, which is an important part of the field, but it’s not the only thing going on.

Ten Ton Hammer: Do you think it’s important for the MMOs to at least be introduced and familiar with the social stuff because so much of that social networking is being introduced into MMOs these days?

Gordon Walton: I think you’re looking at it completely backwards. All they did was rip off all the good stuff from MMOs. (Laughs)

Ten Ton Hammer: It’s funny that you should mention that because we recently had an article about how Facebook and Twitter took all the good ideas from MMOs and message boards.

Gordon Walton: Oh of course. There were no starver communities in the MMO communities and all the things that went with that were ruperly valuable if you had a game as an organizing metaphor or not.

That really is what MMO audiences really are. They’re communities that happen to have an organizing metaphor in the center of it. We all play this game together. That’s our point of commonality.