Google to Developers: "Have an Android phone, please make games"

googdc

The iPhone is indisputably on top of the mobile gaming heap, and even relative small fries like Palm are getting serious about it, but Google’s plan for this year’s Game Developers Conference marks one of their first steps towards making Android the next big platform for games on the go. Sure, they’ve committed to offering a number of sessions on Android game development, and members of the Android team will be on hand to answer questions, but we both know that’s not why you’re reading this. You just want to get the skinny on those Android phones.

Well, fine. Have it your way.

As you could probably tell by that header image up there, Google’s prepared to give qualified GDC attendees a free Motorola Droid or Nexus One to spark some interest in their little operating system that could. Getting yourself qualified isn’t the biggest deal in the world, either: register for either an All-Access or Summits and Tutorials pass by the early bird deadline (a.k.a. February 12), and you’re in the running. Now, while we don’t recommend registering and flying out to San Francisco to get your hands on a shiny new phone (though we’re sure some of you would actually do it), this is a great (if expensive) move by Google to build some good Android karma – after all, there’s no better way to turn normal people into devotees than showing them what they’ve been missing.