Last updated: 5/12/2012
Here’s just a list of websites/video series I think are good for game developers to follow.
From the Industry and Game Design/Development Perspective
#AltDevBlogADay: This blog just about covers everything from programming, to design, to even the business of games. The best thing about this site is that the content comes from a variety of people with different backgrounds. Some writers are actually from the industry, some are independent, some are educators, and some are even students so you’ll definitely get the perspectives from just about everyone. Also, not many sites go over the engineering aspect of games with as much depth as this one as you’ll find that notable programmers like John Carmack even write up some valuable programming tips you won’t find anywhere else. If you’re not a programmer don’t let that turn you away though. There’s definitely some very insightful articles on design and business that you won’t want to miss here too.
/r/gamedev: The gamedev subreddit on reddit is a great resource for game programming, art, audio, business, and more. It’s updated by fellow gamedev redditors constantly, so you’ll always find something new and interesting to read/learn every day.
Gamasutra: Gamasutra provides great information on the design and business side of games. Occasionally there’s stuff on programming, but usually when it comes to this specific topic they’re just re-posts from #AltDevBlogADay.
All Your History: In this video series by Machinima, you’ll learn about the history of games, game companies, and the game industry. It’s definitely valuable to see what the industry went through to get to where it is today. Don’t worry, it’s a lot more interesting than high school history class!
Extra Credits: A show run by Penny Arcade that takes a deeper look into games in various different topics ranging from game design to gamer culture.
Pach-Attack!: Pach-Attack!, a show by GameTrailers.com, is really interesting to watch since you get to hear insights about the game industry from a research analyst by the name of Michael Pachter. It’s good to see things from the business perspective and you’ll get some insight general statistics behind the money driving the games industry.
From the Gamer and Media Perspective
Don’t forget the gamer and media perspective! I don’t check these as often as the websites listed above, but I make sure to check over them at least once a week just so I can keep up with gamer/media opinions and such.
The Penny Arcade Report: The Penny Arcade Report (or PA Report for short) is one of the newer gaming-related publications. The depth and quality of the articles found here are great, and you can find very insightful posts on interviews, industry news, and more.
GameTrailers.com: Very in-depth video game reviews and has plenty of other shows about the gamer news and culture.
GameSpot: Another great source for game reviews and news.
Kotaku: Mostly has well-written articles about gamer news and culture. There’s some nice laughs to be found here.
GameInformer: Don’t go here for their news feed thing. You can find all of that stuff pretty much everywhere else. The good stuff is the exclusive content they reel out which includes very insightful game info and interviews. Just note that it doesn’t come out very often, so I wouldn’t really check this site every day. Don’t forget about it though because when it actually updates with real stuff, most of the time you’re in for an interesting read.