Some Post-GDC Thoughts
With another Game Developers Conference behind me I'm sitting here in my room trying to get back on my regularly programmed schedule. My brain still feels like it's recovering from having to go a million miles an hour for a week straight. I'm not really used to having a schedule for my day to day life, so when GDC comes around and I have to set alarms to wake up for things and make sure I'm getting to places at certain times, I get worn out pretty quick. In order to try and get back into the groove, I'm going to try to spit out some quick thoughts about GDC in my post-insanity haze.
You should definitely go to GDC. Especially if you live in an area where the game development community is small or non existent. GDC can be incredibly inspiring since it's usually non-stop hanging out with people that all want to make amazing games. I'm pretty sure that 100% of people return from GDC feeling inspired (or sometimes depressed.) I'm talking about the indies, at least. I don't know how it feels as a big game studio employee, but I imagine it's still similar.
GDC can be pretty expensive, but there are ways to keep the cost low. Hostels are a good bet for someone who doesn't mind sharing a room with other people. Usually the indies take over one of the hostels in the city, so you'd be safe rooming with a fellow game developer instead of a random stranger.
You can also apply to be a volunteer and help run the conference. They only accept a limited amount of volunteers each year, but if you manage to get accepted into the program you get an All Access pass to use through the week. You'll have to work the conference during the week to pay for the pass, but you can work around this and still have a pretty good time.
Some governments have programs that will help offset the cost of travel for events like GDC. I have a handful of friends from Australia that get grants to travel to promote their businesses, and end up getting their entire flights and conference costs paid for.
Airbnb can also help minimize the cost of staying in San Francisco for the week. You can split an apartment with a bunch of people, and it ends up being way cheaper than a hotel or even a hostel. Also just staying in an apartment instead of a hotel room or a hostel room just feels way better in general. Having a full kitchen at your disposal can help offset the cost of eating out for every meal during the week!
Actually now that I think about it, you don't even need a pass to go to GDC. To actually get into the conference you need a pass, but there is a crapload of stuff going on outside of the conference.
Parties, mixers, social events, and all that good stuff usually do not require any sort of GDC badge to get in. There was a huge turn out for Lost Levels which was an "unconference" that was organized by just a couple of people, and it turned out to be one of the best events during the week. Things like the Denny's Art Jam, and impromptu game jams in the Marriott lobby also didn't require a badge. If you're in San Francisco for the week of GDC without a badge, you're still in good shape! Just keep your ears and eyes open for events, and try to sneak your way into parties that require invites (it's easier than you think.)
Speaking of events during the week, there are a lot of mega crazy parties going on. Loud blasting music, drinking, dancing, flashing lights, dark caves, all that good stuff. In my experience, this is bad stuff though. Parties like this are just not my scene at all. I used to go out to every single party I could, but in the long run they just did more harm than good.
If you want to converse with people, then usually the super loud and dark parties are not the place to be. You'll find yourself shouting at people over the noise, which can work for a little while, but the next day your vocal chords will be destroyed.
Parties don't really make sense for me, especially because I don't drink at all, so the prospect of open bars and infinite alcohol doesn't do anything for me. Instead of going to any of the parties this year, I got a handful of people together with laptops and just did some work on my games. Eventually it seemed that every night there was a group of people hanging out at the Marriott lobby with laptops just jamming away. (The Marriott had outlets and public wifi, so it was the ideal spot.) I met a whole bunch of new people, and hung out with old friends, and I didn't have to destroy my vocal chords or be elbow to elbow with a thousand other people in a small room to do it.
Twitter is now a must have at GDC. A lot of people are coming from all over the world to the conference, so their cell phones probably don't work correctly while they're visiting. The best way to get in touch with people and to organize meet ups is Twitter. Having just any device on you that can tweet will help out immensely. There were a few jams that were organized with just a twitter broadcast about it, and a lot of lunch and dinner meet ups were organized via the twittersphere.
There's nothing wrong with taking some time during the week to be with yourself. During the week I can get incredibly exhausted by interacting with people, even if the people are like minded game developers. On more than one occasion I just chose a spot somewhere in the area and relaxed. I also slept in quite a bit during the week after my meetings and schedules were done with. Sleeping is key to not getting grossly sick during the week, which also happens to a lot of people.
Keep some medicine on you as well. Things like Halls can stop a sore throat from creeping in, and stuff like Emergen-c can help fight off the sickness for a little while. I was taking a lot of medicine by the end of the week to try and fight off the looming illness, and it mostly worked. I only felt pretty sick for one night of the entire week, which is pretty good!
My brain still feels like jello after GDC, but in a good way. After it rebuilds itself, it will be better at making games, and more inspired! My only regret about GDC now is that I just have way too many friends that I want to meet up with and hang out with, and there's only a single week to do it. I think in the future I might try and stay in the city for another week after the conference, which a handful of people did this year.
I hope that you, the person reading this, decides to go to GDC next year! It will be fun, I promise. If you can't make it to GDC though, then you should try another conference... maybe Indiecade? PAX? TIGJam? There's a lot of things to go to that are full of super awesome people, and you should become one of those awesome people!
Go to GDC!
You should definitely go to GDC. Especially if you live in an area where the game development community is small or non existent. GDC can be incredibly inspiring since it's usually non-stop hanging out with people that all want to make amazing games. I'm pretty sure that 100% of people return from GDC feeling inspired (or sometimes depressed.) I'm talking about the indies, at least. I don't know how it feels as a big game studio employee, but I imagine it's still similar.
Minimize the cost.
GDC can be pretty expensive, but there are ways to keep the cost low. Hostels are a good bet for someone who doesn't mind sharing a room with other people. Usually the indies take over one of the hostels in the city, so you'd be safe rooming with a fellow game developer instead of a random stranger.
You can also apply to be a volunteer and help run the conference. They only accept a limited amount of volunteers each year, but if you manage to get accepted into the program you get an All Access pass to use through the week. You'll have to work the conference during the week to pay for the pass, but you can work around this and still have a pretty good time.
Some governments have programs that will help offset the cost of travel for events like GDC. I have a handful of friends from Australia that get grants to travel to promote their businesses, and end up getting their entire flights and conference costs paid for.
Airbnb can also help minimize the cost of staying in San Francisco for the week. You can split an apartment with a bunch of people, and it ends up being way cheaper than a hotel or even a hostel. Also just staying in an apartment instead of a hotel room or a hostel room just feels way better in general. Having a full kitchen at your disposal can help offset the cost of eating out for every meal during the week!
You don't need a pass.
Actually now that I think about it, you don't even need a pass to go to GDC. To actually get into the conference you need a pass, but there is a crapload of stuff going on outside of the conference.
Parties, mixers, social events, and all that good stuff usually do not require any sort of GDC badge to get in. There was a huge turn out for Lost Levels which was an "unconference" that was organized by just a couple of people, and it turned out to be one of the best events during the week. Things like the Denny's Art Jam, and impromptu game jams in the Marriott lobby also didn't require a badge. If you're in San Francisco for the week of GDC without a badge, you're still in good shape! Just keep your ears and eyes open for events, and try to sneak your way into parties that require invites (it's easier than you think.)
Parties are optional.
Speaking of events during the week, there are a lot of mega crazy parties going on. Loud blasting music, drinking, dancing, flashing lights, dark caves, all that good stuff. In my experience, this is bad stuff though. Parties like this are just not my scene at all. I used to go out to every single party I could, but in the long run they just did more harm than good.
If you want to converse with people, then usually the super loud and dark parties are not the place to be. You'll find yourself shouting at people over the noise, which can work for a little while, but the next day your vocal chords will be destroyed.
Parties don't really make sense for me, especially because I don't drink at all, so the prospect of open bars and infinite alcohol doesn't do anything for me. Instead of going to any of the parties this year, I got a handful of people together with laptops and just did some work on my games. Eventually it seemed that every night there was a group of people hanging out at the Marriott lobby with laptops just jamming away. (The Marriott had outlets and public wifi, so it was the ideal spot.) I met a whole bunch of new people, and hung out with old friends, and I didn't have to destroy my vocal chords or be elbow to elbow with a thousand other people in a small room to do it.
Stay connected!
Twitter is now a must have at GDC. A lot of people are coming from all over the world to the conference, so their cell phones probably don't work correctly while they're visiting. The best way to get in touch with people and to organize meet ups is Twitter. Having just any device on you that can tweet will help out immensely. There were a few jams that were organized with just a twitter broadcast about it, and a lot of lunch and dinner meet ups were organized via the twittersphere.
Chill out.
There's nothing wrong with taking some time during the week to be with yourself. During the week I can get incredibly exhausted by interacting with people, even if the people are like minded game developers. On more than one occasion I just chose a spot somewhere in the area and relaxed. I also slept in quite a bit during the week after my meetings and schedules were done with. Sleeping is key to not getting grossly sick during the week, which also happens to a lot of people.
Keep some medicine on you as well. Things like Halls can stop a sore throat from creeping in, and stuff like Emergen-c can help fight off the sickness for a little while. I was taking a lot of medicine by the end of the week to try and fight off the looming illness, and it mostly worked. I only felt pretty sick for one night of the entire week, which is pretty good!
That's all.
My brain still feels like jello after GDC, but in a good way. After it rebuilds itself, it will be better at making games, and more inspired! My only regret about GDC now is that I just have way too many friends that I want to meet up with and hang out with, and there's only a single week to do it. I think in the future I might try and stay in the city for another week after the conference, which a handful of people did this year.
I hope that you, the person reading this, decides to go to GDC next year! It will be fun, I promise. If you can't make it to GDC though, then you should try another conference... maybe Indiecade? PAX? TIGJam? There's a lot of things to go to that are full of super awesome people, and you should become one of those awesome people!
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