It’s that time of year again: hordes of game developers congregate - in San Jose, this year - and talk about making games. The annual Game Developers Conference will happen next week. It’s a fun experience, but it’s also quite expensive. Some of us are lucky and have the company pick up the tab, and many go on their own dime.
In any case, you’ll want to get maximum results out of this. To do that, there are a few things you need to know about GDC.
It’s not about the talks. If it were strictly about the talks, you could just order the session papers and be done with it. What it is about is about the energy of the presenters (or the roundtables) sparking discussions. It is about the exchange of ideas with your peers.
It’s not a good place to job hunt. Yes, there’s the job fair - which is a glorified inbox for resumes. And if you’re new to the industry, and your college has trained you on “how to interact with industry members” - forget that. Every non-HR person I know that’s ever been to GDC is sick and tired of tons of fresh graduates milking them for an “in”.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t contact them. But don’t talk about jobs. Talk about interesting problems you’ve had. Things that you’re curious about. Ideas that you’d like to try. As I said above - it’s about the experience exchange, and that’s why we all go there. If you know about your field and contribute to a discussion, people will remember you. (It helps to have a business card, though!). If you just want to drop off your resume, HR is a better contact.
With that out of the way, here are a couple of survival hints.
Meeting people
It’s about the people. So make sure you meet them. Go to the parties. Participate in roundtables. Introduce yourself to your seat neighbors. Talk to people at breakfast and lunch. (OK. If you’re a programmer, make that lunch only - most programmers only grunt at breakfast). Don’t hang only with the ones you know. You want to hear fresh ideas.
Also, plan ahead who you want to meet. Contact the people you’re interested in meeting, schedule a quick get-together. GDC is a busy time, and most calendars are full enough that you usually don’t meet by chance.
Oh, and bring business cards. If GDC is going well, you’ll meet tons of interesting people. They will meet tons of interesting people, too. If you exchange business cards, it’s easier to remember all those names.
Session Planning
It’s important to pick the right sessions, because many are dull enough to numb you before you go to the dentist. There are a couple of hints that might help you pick the right one, but be warned - there’ll always be a few sessions that make you feel like you want that time of your life back. (To minimize those, use the review forms. Make sure the bad presenters are weeded out)
Choose by Speaker
There are people that will always be interesting, no matter what. It doesn’t even matter what they talk about. If Will Wright is speaking (Or Chris Crawford. Or Brian Moriarty, or whatever your speaker of choice is…), go there. You will enjoy the talk, and you will take many ideas and inspirations out of it, no matter the topic. In general, it benefits you to keep track of the speakers you like and dislike - chances are this isn’t your last GDC
Skip the readings
If something sounds like it’s going to be the reading of a paper, and not much more, forget about it. Get the paper and read it at home. You’ve had enough of that at college, right?
Choose by experience level
If you’re an artist interested in programming, don’t go to the advanced talks. If you’re a programmer interested in programming, skip the introductory programming talks. Choose by your level of experience.
Add some spice
Go see some (introductory!) presentations of a field you don’t usually work in. It will help you communicate better with other team members, it’ll give you new insights, and it has a good chance of being quite interesting. Don’t skip all the talks in your field, but broaden your horizon.
Make a plan
You will not be able to choose sessions on the spot, and be happy with it - there’s too much going on. Plan out where you want to go (why else would this be called session planning?). Make sure you have backups - sometimes, a talk is not what you expect it to be, and you’re better off switching sessions. Sure, it is somewhat rude, so don’t overdo it. But the point is, you want to learn something.
And plan the roundtables last. They’re usually repeated several times, so you can find an empty slot without shuffling things around too much.
Parties
GDC after six is all about the parties. There are the official parties, and there are lots of “invitation only” ones. Usually, you just have to go and ask for an invitation on the expo floor, though - it’s PR, after all.
If that’s your kind of thing, have a blast. They’re fun, the drinks are usually free - what’s not to like? Just don’t expect to make interesting contacts or have deep conversations. It’s, at its core, a bunch of geeks having fun. So you’ll mostly hear slightly drunken repeats of old slashdot standbys. But, as I said, if that’s your thing, it’s quite funny.
That’s all, folks!
So that’s it, pretty much. Make sure you’re well rested when you get there - you won’t be when you leave. It’s physically and mentally draining - but extremely rewarding. It’s the one chance for us all to meet during the year. So go there, have fun, meet new people, and maybe I’ll see you there. (I’ll be posting my schedule Sunday)
I’m hosting a GDC networkings/cocktail party for mobile game developers (but all GDC attendees are welcome). RSVP online: http://fiercedeveloper.com/events/shakennotstirred/