Daniel Pertegaz-Jergovic: GDC 2018

Post date: Apr 07, 2018 3:20:5 AM

I have been to GDC exactly twice in my life. Once, in 2016 and now, in 2018, and one of the biggest changes I can tell from my immediate observation is this: Blockchains.

Never have I seen the excitement for Blockchains and Crypto-currencies actively affect and change the conference on an almost fundamental level, in just two short years. Before, where studios and other relatively large corporations having to do with games sat within the main expo floor, instead now lies several booths, of sizes that rival that of Google and Facebook’s booths, strictly dedicated to the integration of Blockchains and cryptocurrencies within the games industry.

This signifies a worrying trend that does not inspire confidence with, at best, the conference itself, and at worst, the entire industry as a whole. The main expo floor was not the only one with larger Blockchain corporations looking to give out their expertise and advice. The indie hall, with much smaller companies, found themselves to have, even more, smaller blockchain startups, trying to convince other developers into bringing in their respective currencies into their games. In fact, it was slightly insidious in the way that they disguised themselves as developers, presenting lackluster, and simple games, in an effort to lure others into asking about them, only to be caught in a sales pitch about how cryptocurrencies could be used to bring much more money to a studio or company.

While the integration of cryptocurrencies and their respective benefits is admittedly lost on me, one thing is clear: with the rise of currencies like Bitcoin, the idea of making more money has allowed blockchain corporations to invade our spaces in the chance that they might maximize profit, but bring little promises of actual results.