Week-long conference showcasing the best indie games have to offer.
The Game Developers Conference or GDC has started and it’s a real scene to be sure. It is the longest running and world's largest serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, runs all this week, ending on March 21st. The event has everything a gaming/developing person would want. There are lectures from some of the more respected people in gaming. There are roundtable discussions and networking events, together with the Independent Games Festival (IGF) and Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs).
The main portion of the conference doesn’t begin until March 19th (Wed) with the GDC Flash Forward. Long story short, the Flash Forward is basically a brief idea of what each session will be about. There will be various discussions/talks going on as well that range from Classic Studios to Lucasfilm Games. There will also be more progressive discussions this year that will focus on social issues like women in gaming and disabled gamers.(just examples, there will be more like these) The IGF is one of the biggest awards indie game developers can achieve and the GDCA will recognize the leading games over a wide range of genres.
GDC Play gives developers a chance they might not normally receive for a number of reasons. They can show off their games/network to a wide array of people. That group of people range from distributors, publishers, press and investors. Interactive Spaces will showcase the historical aspect of the gaming world and well as showing off engrossing events. My friends over at the Video Game History Museum will be showing off the “History of Nintendo” exhibit and MADE (Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment) will be showcasing the history of Lucasfilm games.
"For 28 years, the games industry has matured in technology, size and complexity, and GDC has evolved with it. But more importantly, the event is working to become more inclusive, giving rise to the Advocacy Track to raise awareness for social issues and diversity within games, development teams and fan communities," says Meggan Scavio, general manager of the Game Developers Conference. "We're honored to set the stage for developers of all stripes to make their mark and further the craft, art and science of making games, which has always been the legacy of GDC."
