Hey devs! Did you catch game designer Douglas Wilson’s talk at GDC 2012 about game design, in which he strapped PlayStation Move controllers to peoples’ butts in order to demonstrate a fun game (Dog the Wag) using motion controls?

If not, you should! It was a great talk in which Wilson encouraged developers (especially indie devs) to embrace the limitations of motion control technology, rather than struggle against them.

Drawing from his work on party games like B.U.T.T.O.N. and Johann Sebastian Joust, as well as a slew of offbeat case studies, Wilson described how game designers might recapture the festivity and carnival atmosphere that have long been a hallmark of play culture. He argued that folk games offer useful precedents for developers working on physical games, and explained why he finds it fruitful to think about motion-controlled games in terms of slapstick and subversion.

Now you can watch (or rewatch) the whole thing for free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.