What This Student Gained at the Game Developers Conference
For the past thirty-nine years, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) has brought together thousands of developers to learn, grow, and connect. Leaders in the game industry designed the GDC to empower attendees with the knowledge and skills they need to grow. Here, an attendee can experience awe-inspiring talks, great networking opportunities and the latest technological achievements in games and technology (gdconf.com).
Seniors in the Game Studio at Champlain College may apply for a scholarship opportunity to attend GDC. This scholarship is $500, which can cover an entire Expo Pass and leave $200 to put toward your flight. GDC also has their Equal Opportunity Attendance Program (EOAP) in which 300 people are given a complimentary Expo Pass if selected. Game Production Management Senior Evan Gartner ¡¯25 was a recipient of this pass. He¡¯s here to share his experience at the GDC with you, an enlightening chance to network and grow his skills!
Pre-GDC & Exploring San Francisco
My GDC experience was nothing short of inspiring, fun, and unlike anything I had ever experienced.? Upon landing in San Francisco, I didn¡¯t go right to GDC. Instead, my Airbnb group ventured into the Muir Woods National Monument, although many refer to it as the Redwood Forest. Seeing the tall sequoia trees and learning about their resilience reminded me of how resilient many of us are for taking advantage of this opportunity. After seeing the forest, we decided to register at the Moscone Center and tour more of San Francisco. China Town provided us with some delicious early-dinner options and nice markets that provided us with cheap food to last us in our Airbnb for the duration of the trip.
The GDC Experience
Initially, I was intimidated by the amount of people that were there. Who should I meet? What should I say when I did meet someone? However, once I got used to it, I started to become more comfortable talking to new people I¡¯d run into!
All of the talks I attended were insightful and gave me a lot to think about when trying to break into the video game industry. They had something for anybody, from tips into working in a large AAA studio or in indie game production. As a producer who also is interested in running a studio of my own, I attended talks that had to do with getting funding for a studio, navigating the business and marketing side of the video game industry and utilizing community management to grow a playerbase for a game. The biggest takeaway I got was that the business side, like every other aspect of a game, needs to be thought of as early as possible in the game development cycle. If it¡¯s thought of too late, the game may not have a good marketing direction or a strongly defined target audience.
Networking Opportunities
One important meeting I had was with Rory McGuire, president of Blackbird Interactive, and his wife, Zoe Curnoe. Rory had been providing feedback on my senior capstone game, Booklet¡¯s Big Story, since my fall semester and when he told us that he was going to GDC, we knew we had to set up a meeting. Since he is based out of Vancouver, BC, Canada, we¡¯ve only been able to meet with him via Google Meet. Zoe was my Advanced Seminar in Game Development professor in my final spring semester. She inspired me to take what I learn here at GDC and apply it to what I am learned in her class, which is all about starting and running your own game studio!
Meeting Rory and Zoe with my capstone team members that also attended GDC made it even more memorable! This was sure to be something I never forget.
Extra Tips for Future GDC-Attendees
Overall, my advice to anyone thinking about going to GDC is to plan, plan, plan and do it early. This trip is not cheap, so save some money and take advantage of any opportunities that are thrown at you to reduce the cost. Sit down with some friends and plan out where you¡¯re going to stay and how you¡¯re going to get around. The San Francisco bus system and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Line are both reliable and affordable forms of public transportation. Don¡¯t forget to figure out flights as well. It¡¯s okay if your whole group doesn¡¯t fly out of the same airport or is on the same flight!
After your planning, download the GDC app and start looking at what talks and events you want to go to. You should only need the Expo pass for many of the talks and events that are within your interests. If you¡¯re planning on attending GDC Nights (a night full of more networking opportunities, karaoke, and game testing) that will be an extra $50. I recommend it as this is where a few friends and I met the Senior Business Development VP, Dan McLaughlin, of Mob Entertainment, and developers of the hit survival-horror game Poppy Playtime.
So, step out of your comfort zone and take the leap! Take advantage of any opportunity presented to you, like my time at the GDC.
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