@UNITE11: Last Wednesday, the folks at the lobby of the Masonic Center were packed like wifi-toting sardines, a scene reminiscent of a sellout rock concert at the Masonic Center. The headliner? Unity CEO David Helgason's keynote speech to kick off Unite11, its annual game developer conference (Unity is a popular game development engine that publishes across different platforms). Game geeks writhed in delight as a slew of features and support were announced (If this stuff is up your alley, Gamasutra has you covered.) Tony had a chance to sit down with David and Davey Jackson (previously Unity's Education Outreach Director). The Unity engine is worth a close look if you're building games for K-12 classrooms. Let the platform wars rage. Unity compiles for everything--PCs, Macs, iOS, Androids, Playstation, Xbox, Wii, and the web. (The rumor mill adds Flash and Chrome OS and browser to this list.) Unity games built for the web are also backwards-compatible and so support a hodgepodge of old clunky hardware--a handy way to reach those machines often relegated to the dusty corners of classrooms. And best of all? It's free--no matter how many games you make and how much dough you make from them (although they'd certainly appreciate it if you paid a little once you make it big).
