I already mentioned I’m on my way to GDC 2010 to cover the iPhone panel, and that iPhone gaming is getting big, so it’s interesting to see CNET reenforce just how big it’s getting:

strikingly absent among those 18 [Mobile Gaming] panels are any that deal with game development specifically for the iPhone. And why? Because for the first time, the GDC advisory board decided that Apple’s smartphone is an important enough platform to warrant its own summit. And it filled quickly.

Simon Jeffrey, vice president of social applications for leading iPhone game developer Ngmoco says:

“The iPhone is now recognized as a leading platform that’s independent from the mobile. People are specifically naming the iPhone as a threat to their businesses. Nintendo said the iPhone is taking customers away from [its popular] DS handhelds.”

The cost of entry is lower than Microsoft or Nintendo, and it’s getting more and more popular while still maintaining its cool factor.

While Android and Windows Phone 7 Series will bring the competition (and perhaps Palm as well), right now the iPhone is riding high on its head start.

There’s so much going on in iPhone gaming right now, it’s almost as hard to keep up with that as with iPhone 3.0. Two large industry shows bookend much of the current news, iGames Summit and Game Developers Conference (GDC). With multiple awards, great discussions on the future, and a slew of upcoming product announcements, we figured we’d take a moment and round things up…

Apple Insider took a look at iGames, focusing on:

• “Lessons Learned: Why iPhone Games Work,” [a panel] with Neil Young of ngmoco, Andrew Lacy of Tapulous, Steve Demeter of Demiforce LLC (the developer of Trism featured in the iPhone 3.0 presentation held by Apple two days ago), and Keith Lee of Booyah

• “Where Do We Go From Here?” [panel with] Rebecca Lynn of Morgenthaler Ventures moderated a discussion about the future of iPhone gaming, involving Brett Seyler of Garage Games, Michael Chang of Greystripe, David Helgason of Unity Technologies, and Greg Yardley of Pinch Media.

• ["Building Gesture-Driven Games for the iPhone" where] Shervin Pishevar of the Social Gaming Network demonstrated the use of the iPhone or iPod touch as “virtual Wii Remotes” for interacting with PC games.

Macworld, meanwhile, tells us the iPhone dominated the Independent Game Festival (IGF) awards at GDC, taking back all but one of the trophies:

• Audio achievement: Zen Bound
• Technical achievement: Firemint Real Racing
• Art: Fieldrunners
• Innovation in mobile game design: Galcon
• Best iPhone game: Zen Bound
• Best mobile game: Fieldrunners

TUAW caught up with ngmoco’s Neil Young for his keynote where he declared the iPhone platform:

“better than the DS, better than the PSP,” he said, referring to Nintendo and Sony’s handheld gaming devices, because not only is tops in terms of usability (it’s “always on, always with you”), and not only is it easier than any other platform to develop for, but the market is gigantic and growing

We mentioned Facebook Connect with iPhone Scrabble, and id Software’s Wolfenstein (already out!) and Doom talk, but EA also made with the upcoming release announcements. According to Edible Apple, these included:

• SIMS 3
• Spore Creatures
• Command & Conquer
• Connect Four
• Clue
• RISK
• Mystery Mania
• Wolfenstein RPG
• American Idol
• Battleship
• Need for Speed
• Monopoly

Maybe Jeremy was right and there’s a future in all this iPhone gaming? What are you looking forward to most?