2019 GDC Observation Report

Post date: Apr 05, 2019 1:54:4 AM

== WORKING THE BOOTH ==

Being at the booth itself and having the trip paid for was really good. The variety of people that come up to the booth are much more different than I thought there would be - there are high school students, college students, recruiters, people there just for fun, etc etc etc. It exposed me to the idea that talking to the various people of GDC is something that would benefit everyone, but many people are not particularly exposed to the idea and the booth was a great option for that. It was good for self promotion as well as promoting the school. Depending on the Student, a lot of different things could have been said to - about themselves or the school. Many people walking up to booth asking about the projects did not know the background of the projects - the amount of people working on it, how the projects were done or how long each project took to get to that point - and many people seemed to be shocked when told that the projects at the booth were, at max, 3 people with most of them being solos, yet producing great work comparable to group projects made by other people. The booth leads to many discussions that could benefit the people representing the school - both socially and professionally. The position is more than just promoting the school.

== TALKING TO THE PROFESSIONALS ==

I’ve come to learn that many people go to GDC expecting that they’ll know exactly what they’ll get out of it and the type of people that they’re going to talk to but the results are always unexpected. Going to GDC is, sure, a chance to network but many people can be put off by the idea of getting portfolio’s shoved in their face. I know this type of thing is said in the presentations leading up to GDC, but I don’t think many people understand what it truly means and are disappointed when their way of showing off their work doesn’t land them a job winning connection. Unless you’ve made plans to meet up with people beforehand and/or have the opportunity by chance when talking to your “idol,” most of the time you may not even have a chance to show off your work the way you would have wanted to. Use GDC as a chance to make friends - that’s how you make the network work. They don’t even have to be people working for fancy AAA studios - you can find your opportunity talking to anyone. It may seem like the man with the gray hair, Hawaiin vacation getup and the “Senior [JOB]” title would be interested in looking at your work and giving that sweet $80k salary but, unless you know the audience, you’re probably going to be disappointed by what they have to say (that is not to say that they don’t say great things, because they generally do! The conversation may just go down a different path is all). 

== RINGLING IS EVERYWHERE ==

Another topic that is discussed before going to GDC. So what’s the point of bringing it up? The point is, simply just being a Ringling student gives you a step up above a lot of other people that you will inevitably be competing with simply due to the reputation the school holds in the art world. Linking back to my point in the “WORKING THE BOOTH” chapter, being able to make it through the gauntlet of Ringling course load successfully means that you’ll have a lot of good qualities that make you hirable. These effects may not be seen on per se by the Ringling Individual, but they are seen by the people who will potentially hire you.