GDC Observations- Chelsea

Post date: Mar 25, 2016 4:51:3 AM

GDC is definitely a learning experience! This year was my first GDC, and while it was fun, it was very overwhelming. I found it useful to have an itinerary to tackle! However, I also tried not to stress it too much and see what excited me in the moment. That involved trying out a lot of the expo floor stuff. Unfortunately/fortunately, GDC is so big that it's still hard to get to everything!

Observation 1/Wednesday:

It's often worth it to wait in lines, but waiting in lines takes a long time! I wish I had more patience to try out more booths. One portfolio note I had gotten was that Speedtree is the way of the future, and no one in the industry bothers to make their own tree, unless it absolutely can't be made in Speedtree.

I also learned a little bit more about Houdini, and although the talk I attended wasn't specifically about the effects, I saw how easily very convincing clouds were accomplished! It makes me want to learn Houdini, especially when the VFX skill is in demand.

I did a lot of demos and tried out a lot of different booths, just trying to get a feel for the Expo Floor. I entered a lot of raffles too! One of my favorite demos was a bow and arrow VR game. It was short, but cute and had a few surprises in it, which I think added dimension to it. For example, you could set your arrow on fire, shoot explosive barrels, and occasionally, when you go to restock your arrow, you'll get a surprise! It makes me want to think a little bit more about my game design attempts.

Observation 2/Thursday:

On Thursday, I learned that game devs are people too! And it's worth it to try to talk to them! And even if you are embarrassing or awkward, the worst that can happen is an awkward silence. I got to talk to the lead artist on a game I had recently played called Oxenfree, and it was super fun talking to her and learning about her experience making it! I also got to talk to someone who worked on Firewatch. It was fun just learning about their experiences!

The second thing I learned is to keep good track of the business cards you receive and try to keep them in one place, especially if you are foolish like me and lose things constantly.

The third thing I learned is that it helps to be 21.

Observation 3/Friday:

I learned a lot on Friday from one especially good and informative talk called "Killer Portfolio or Portfolio Killer," where I learned a lot of little/big things to consider when making my portfolio. For example, presentation is important, and showing thought process is important, and that you should really, really only put your best work in your portfolio, not just to "hide" your bad work, but to show you have taste and know what looks good and what looks bad.

I also managed to go out for a get together/mixer and met some nice people.

My goals for next GDC are to be more focused, to be more social, to take advantage of more events, and to bring comfier shoes. I can do it!