Published February 20, 2008
The Game Developers Conference has come a long way since the first conference was organized in 1987, in Balance of Power developer Chris Crawford's living room. When I first attended in 1991, back when it was called the Computer Game Developers Conference, there were a few hundred people in attendance, and an attendee could easily approach well-known developers from companies like Electronic Arts and LucasArts.
Sessions include one on storytelling in BioShock.
Those days are long gone. Today the "Computer" is gone from the name, as developers at the conference are creating games not just for Windows, but for everything from Xbox 360® to your cell phone. And the entire population of that 1991 conference would fit in one of the larger sessions at the 2008 Game Developers Conference, with recent GDCs attracting over 12,000 attendees.
What's It Like?
So what happens at GDC? There's an Expo floor, just like at E3. But instead of seeing the hottest upcoming games, you'll see the latest in 3-D editing tools, artificial intelligence libraries, sound packages, programming suites, and game hardware. That's not to say there's nothing for the gamer to see on the floor, as peeks at the latest upcoming games are often side benefits of companies hawking game engines or new 3-D hardware.
There's also the usual keynote sessions you'd find at any professional conference. The lead keynotes this year include one from the Corporate VP of Xbox LIVE®, who'll speak on "A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community," and "The Next 20 Years in Gaming" from noted inventor/entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil. If there's any big news from the keynotes, you'll find it right here on Xbox.com.
Attending a session on multiplayer in Halo 3 is just slightly less fun than playing.
The meat of the conference for attendees are the sessions. These cover topics ranging from game design and programming to visual arts and even business management. (Yes, the suits invaded GDC a number of years back.) Among the sessions this year: Ken Levine's "Storytelling in BioShock: Empowering Players to Care about Your Stupid Story" and "E Pluribus Unum: Matchmaking in Halo 3." Don't you wish you could be there?
I Wanna Go!
Actually, even if you're not a professional developer, you could be there. Many hobbyist or student developers attend GDC to hone their skills and maybe, if they're lucky, even land a job in the industry. The show has a job fair, attractive not just to newbies but to seasoned pros looking for a change in scenery. (You can't just drop in, though—tickets range from $175 for an Expo pass to $1,495 for the All Access Pass.)
There's a lot more happening at GDC. One of my favorites is the Independent Games Festival, where small developers show off some amazingly creative works. One of the previous IGF winners, Braid, will be appearing this year on Xbox LIVE Arcade.
Party Time
Then, of course, there are the parties. I'd tell you more about those, but my memory of past GDC parties is a bit … fuzzy … for some reason. We'll make sure TriXie brings her camera this year to record them for posterity. Perhaps the most fun of those is Suite Night, where the GDC exhibitors take over an entire hotel and ply attendees with food and drink while mingling and showing off their wares.
GDC has come a long way from the small gatherings of the earliest shows. With sessions and gatherings covering everything from women in gaming to future gaming platforms to developing games for the military to kickass A.I. for 3-D shooters, the conference is an amazing reflection of how gaming has infiltrated every part of our culture.
However, you don't have to fly down to San Francisco to join the fun. The Xbox.com crew will be attending in force, and we'll have all the hot news and daily reports both here and in Inside Xbox, right on your Xbox 360.
Article by Denny Atkin
