The DeanBeat: The new golden age of gaming

LAS VEGAS — The Golden Age of Gaming was the big theme of the annual Dice Summit, the game conference here where the important names in the industry gathers each year. The event’s organizer, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, named it so because of the big expansion under way across all platforms and territories.

“It’s a testament to all of the changes happening,” said Martin Rae, the head of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, in an interview on the red carpet before the Oscars-like Dice Awards on Thursday night. “We are on the cusp of some really incredible stuff. Virtual reality will become a reality over the next few years. Fifteen years ago, you needed a big staff to build games. Now we have the Unity engine and the App Store. We can build games with small teams. We’re entering an age where the cost of building games will go down. It’s also where we will a big new blossoming of creativity.”