Michael Filipek's GDC Recollection

Post date: Mar 17, 2017 12:24:34 AM

During the first day of GDC, I was pretty overwhelmed by the sheer number of companies and booths all with spokespeople waving you over to talk about their products. This brings me to my first observation, GDC is a trade show meant for business. Being at Ringling for so long - I've focused so much on the art side of the industry, that I've forgotten just how small it really is. Most of the booths at GDC were tech companies showing off their new products and services, meant for companies - not artists. Sure, there are some companies like algorithmic that cater to the art side, but for the most part, its all tech. Especially this year, tons of companies were trying to break in to the VR market with crazy prototypes. This made me realize just how important technology is for the game industry, and also just how many companies offer free tools for students. Having prepared both a tech art and a character art portfolio, I decided that I needed to take advantage of more of these tools (namely Intel's GPA tools, as well as Nvidia's new photo to material deep learning tools) to strengthen my tech art portfolio.

The following day, I actively went to booths hiring artists, and found that there are no lines for tech artists! (Either that or I was very lucky) But for the most part, unless there was no tech artist to talk to, I was whisked ahead of a line to talk to the resident tech artist. I got positive feedback from the tech artists I talked to, which was making it harder to commit to character art. I love making characters, but just physically seeing the competition lined up vs an instant and insightful talk with tech artists makes it seem like tech art is definitely the best way for me to break in to the industry at least. This is why I'll be looking in to learning Houdini for my personal project in 3D.

On the final day, I went to the independent games area, and realized that that area might have been the best for learning, as it was much more informal and genuine because the developers themselves were there talking about the games they slaved over and spent hours hunched over at a computer for - just like us! Most weren't even really trying to sell their games or anything, they just wanted honest feedback and wanted to sit back and watch people try their creations. Then there was the whole alternate controller area, which brings me to my final point - there is no formula for a game. Games essentially boil down to fun experiences, and don't always come on a console. Keyboards, mice, and controllers may be the best ways to interact with our UE4 projects, but people are still discovering new mechanics and methods of interaction that make more memorable experiences. Therefore, I definitely need to research and play more independent games, as they are all about experimentation and finding clever ways to do more with less.