If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.

This week, the 2013 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) summit took place in Las Vegas, Valve founder Gabe Newell argues for PC gaming in the living room, Journey dominates the D.I.C.E. awards, and Star Wars director J.J. Abrams and Valve announce they’re working on a game.

You’ll also find a breakdown of game investments for 2012 from GamesBeat’s Dean Takahashi, reviews of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, and Dead Space 3.

D.I.C.E.:

• Journey dominates the 2013 D.I.C.E. Awards (full winner list)
• An interview with Jenova Chen: How Journey’s creator went bankrupt and won game of the year
• Qualcomm is ready to deliver mobile users a real gaming platform (interview)
• Gearbox Software’s Pitchford on being a magician & the importance of offering choices
• Borderlands 2 developer: Raising the level cap could break our game (interview)
• Valve’s Gabe Newell argues for PC gaming in the living room — but Apple is scary
• Ubisoft’s Xavier Poix spells out lessons from Wii U launch games (interview)
• Words With Friends co-creator Paul Bettner starts a studio to focus on Ouya console games (exclusive interview)
• Why the creation of ‘transmedia project’ Defiance terrified game developers and TV show makers
• Heavy Rain maker argues that games need to grow up — and offers nine ways to make that happen
• Sledgehammer Games’ Glen Schofield on using everyday inspirations for making games
• ‘Star Wars’ director J.J. Abrams and game maker Gabe Newell: We’re working together on a game
• David Ko puts up the ‘guard rails’ at Zynga to keep costs under control (interview)
• Zynga to close CityVille 2 as it shows no mercy for weak games

News:

• The DeanBeat: After Zynga’s crash, game investments dive 42 percent in 2012
• Never-ending Xenomorphs — Get the Aliens: Colonial Marines Season Pass for $29.99
• Ouya planning for yearly updates for its Android-based console
• The ECA names troubled HipHopGamer as the ‘voice’ of gamers
• Director Brett Ratner (the anti-J.J. Abrams) adapting Farmville for television
• Activision CEO: Slow Wii U sales a ‘challenge’ for Skylanders
• Activision Blizzard beats earnings expectations as Call of Duty and Skylanders blast rivals
• Shocking: Ubisoft releasing new Assassin’s Creed this year with hero and setting
• Ubisoft now bringing Rayman Legends to Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3 — Wii U version delayed until Sept.
• Assassin’s Creed III ships 12M, Far Cry 3 ships 4.5M — Ubisoft has $1B quarter
• Steam quietly fixes bug that makes your private game info public
• Game industry pros list their most-wanted games of 2013
• Analyst: ‘Highly unlikely’ that Microsoft blocks used games on next Xbox
• Bethesda update adds HD textures to Skyrim’s three expansions on Steam
• Goodbye, Zaeed: Mass Effect voice actor Robin Sachs dead at 61
• Ex-People Can Fly developers reveal their new horror game, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
• Chumba World Kickstarter wants to bring online gambling to the MMO crowd (exclusive)
• Jon Shafer’s At the Gates: New strategy studio Conifer Games is starting small but has huge ambitions
• Take-Two CEO confident about publisher’s outlook despite industry obstacles
• New physical video game sales account for less than 50% of a $14 billion market in 2012
• Take-Two boss claims the Grand Theft Auto V delay has nothing to do with the next-gen consoles
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown leads publisher Take-Two to strong fiscal third quarter
• EA (‘the worst company in America’) was the best-reviewed publisher of 2012
• Zynga gets its mojo back with higher-than-expected sales and a small Q4 profit
• Sony ditches ad agency responsible for ‘Michael’ commercial — hires Google Chrome marketers
• Atari secures financing to stay afloat while it evaluates strategic options
• The biggest game releases of 2013
• Exclusive: Minecraft’s Notch no longer funding Psychonauts 2
• Pikmin 3 will let you play while your significant other watches TV (updated)
• Madden NFL 13′s prediction for the Super Bowl was scary accurate
• IGN gets a new home under new owners Ziff Davis
• In the nick of time, American McGee’s Akaneiro hits Kickstarter funding target

Mobile News:

• Educational app dev Intellijoy finds success in casual gaming with Rescue Roby (exclusive)
• Green Throttle makes it easy for developers to add controller support to Android games
• Wikipad’s 7-inch Android gaming tablet will hit retailers in spring for $249
• The Force in your flippers: Star Wars Pinball coming soon for iPad and Android tablets
• Amazon launches its own virtual currency for Kindle Fire: ‘Amazon Coins’

Interviews:

• Can live speedruns compete with e-sports? (interview)
• Veteran designer returns to online games with Camelot Unchained (interview)

Reviews:

• Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time saves this capable raccoon from becoming history (review)
• Dead Space 3 is a disturbing ride from beginning to end (review)
• Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch: Stupid combat mars a poignant tale (review)

Previews:

• Skylanders: Swap Force is Activision’s next big bet on hybrid toy-games (preview)
• Brave female survivors break stereotypes in The Last of Us (hands-on preview)
• Mirror of Fate brings some humor back to the Castlevania series (hands-on preview)

Pieces of Flair:

• You forgot Luigi’s birthday (again), but this one’s a 30-year milestone
• All-new images from The Art of Dead Space

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