Cessia Castillo @ GDC2018

Post date: Apr 06, 2018 6:22:15 AM

    As a first timer at GDC and the west coast in general my experience overall was insightful. I went to the convention with an Expo pass and felt as if it was a decent enough entry pass for a first timer. I had access to roundtables, which I felt were the most worthwhile panels to attend due to networking opportunities and an inside look at issues in the game development industry. 

    As part of a group that missed out on day 1 and most of day 2 of the GDC expo, making the most of the full day we got Thursday was of top priority. My first observation was the fact that there is a higher chance of you getting to connect with someone at the roundtables and panels than some hidden recruiter noticing you on the expo floor. I along with a couple classmates attended the LBGTQ+ Game Developer Community Roundtable presented by the IGDA on the second expo day of GDC. I was impressed by the overall turnout of this roundtable since the room was completely filled by members of the community both students and company representatives. It was enlightening  to see how everyone presented huge issues faced in the industry and how other companies dealt with them or what steps were being taken to fix them. I found it very easy to network at this roundtable seeing as everyone attending felt like an actual person I could relate and talk to rather than someone on the expo floor demoing a game or selling a product. The represented companies at this roundtable included employees from Six-Foot games, Harmonix, and Bungie. This same day I also attended the Latinx in Gaming Roundtable which honestly was a very comforting experience to be a part of. There is a large level of diversity making its way into the industry and a high level of positivity pushing it forward. It was, again, very easy to communicate and network with panel members. We even met and connected with Ringling alumni who work in animation for games. A pro tip I can give from these experiences to anyone attending GDC for the first time is to attend the panels they can relate to or feel passionate towards.

    The second observation I made was the stark difference between Ringling students and those from other colleges and universities. Being introverted and talking to industry professionals was difficult but finding and speaking to fellow students made for easier and simpler interactions. One of the students I personally met was from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He was a senior in Game Design and all he had to show visually was a video of a temple runner style game for mobile made on Unity. Mind you it wasn’t even a playable version just a video so it’s hard to trust the functionality of the actual game. The artwork wasn’t impressive but the gameplay and programming didn't make up for that either in my opinion. Another student who presented their work to us showed us a mock Kickstarter trailer which was another Unity created game with poor lighting, modeling, graphics. Their school encouraged presenting a mock trailer as they were told to sell their game as if it were ready. Most of what I saw from others was also lackluster and just low fidelity work. Granted I didn’t speak to every student attending GDC but the those I did failed to impress and even their attitudes in attending or presenting themselves was poor. A few voiced regrets in becoming part of the game industry or committed the uncomfortable act of running portfolio first into any employee in sight. Yes, sometimes we have our qualms and complaints over the Ringling Game Art curriculum but it’s only to improve the already high quality of education being given.

    The final observation from my GDC experience was the fact that no, chances are likely you will not be getting an internship right then and there. There is no recruiter booth where you can just walk up and get hired on the spot. There is no company with a giant sign saying “we’re hiring!!” none of that. The expectation of going in and finding an instant job is a hopeful dream at best. Walking on the expo floor is a real eye opener for this. You go in seeing all these big company names, Amazon, Unreal, Google, Facebook, but none of them are there to hire people. Their purpose is to sell their already made products, not fund your internship needs. Granted, yes, a few booths did have a recruiter or two hidden amongst them or would do portfolio reviews but honestly unless you already had a connection to someone wanting to interview at GDC you weren’t going to find much. The indie floor was similar, people there selling already finished products. That’s not to say that speaking to indie developers was helpful, I personally got to speak with the creators of Night In The Woods which I felt like I gained good advice on where to move forward in thesis. But like I said prior, no one presenting themselves there were outright ready to hire interns. This is where I think the most important place to be at GDC was the roundtables, a place where you find relatable individuals from companies who are easy to talk to and can give you just a bit of a push in the right direction. My thesis partner and I had the opportunity to talk and have lunch with Brian McDonald, a lead designer at Harmonix, because we attended so many similar roundtables. He wasn’t selling his company’s product, he was just genuinely interested in our school work and gave advice for being a part of the game industry. This information and connection was more than I would ever get from spending a week on the Expo floor hunting down recruiters.

    At the end of this trip I left knowing that it was a worthwhile experience. It was definitely a reality check to whats up in the game development industry. I hope to have the chance to attend GDC again next year and hopefully avoid any flight delays this time.