The Game Developers Conference got off to an exciting start on Monday. Here's what you may have missed. 

There's a new shield in Battlefield 4. A two-handed ballistic shield will soon be part of the Dragon's Teeth expansion pack, according to Polygon. The shield still doesn't let players use a gun at the same time, which generated resistance, but the team eventually decided that it was a necessary feature. "It turns out that stopping bullets in a first-person shooter is a ton of fun" said animator Ryan Duffin. "We're confident that it will create a new dynamic for the game."

Epic Games, the makers of Gears of War, are working on a new game. Jay Hosfelt, lead animator for the company, said it would be working without a publishing partner. Not many details were provided, but the character will look like, or at least will be dressed similarly to, the character in Samaritan, Polygon reported. The company also explained that it had a new design philosophy.

Tom Abernathy and Richard Rouse's chat was titled "Death to the Three Act-Structure." They explained how players may remember characters, but they don't remember plots. "When they were asked, 'tell me the plot of your favorite movie,' they did it at length, and very accurately. When they were asked, 'tell me the plot of your favorite TV show,' they did at length, and very accurately. 'Tell me the plot of your favorite game.' Not so much length, not so accurate," IGN reported. The two said that players usually don't finish games, so the last part doesn't even matter very much.

Google's "game gifts" were also announced. This gives you the ability to gift in-game items to anyone in your Google+ circles, Phandroid reported. Players will also be able to send multiplayer invites, and there will be 18 more game categories to make it easier to find what you're looking for.

Sony will also present its Driving the Future of Innovation at Sony Computer Entertainment panel on Tuesday, where it's rumored to talk about the company's new virtual reality headset. Tune in this IGN's webpage at 8:45 p.m. EST to get up-to-the-minute updates.