Today marks the first day of my adventure in San Francisco, and I couldn’t be more excited. No, I’m not here simply to go sightseeing. I have purpose and that purpose is to attend the Game Developers Conference!
As a student trying to break into the video game industry, I quickly picked up on this little known fact: GDC is the event to attend for anyone in the game industry. There are a couple reasons for this. GDC is a great way to learn more about the game industry and pick up on the latest trends directly from people who are working in the industry. Even more importantly, this conference is a great way to meet and befriend professionals in the field. The networking potential is priceless. One more thing to add, Darius Kazemi mentioned in his blog that GDC is a great way to build confidence.
To even make this more special, I’m one of only 430 volunteers known as Conference Associates to be selected to help run GDC! Hundreds of people apply to volunteer at this event, so it’s very tough to get chosen to be a part of this elite team. In fact, I was initially placed on a waiting list, so you can only imagine my excitement when I received an email saying there was an opening for me!
Of course, being a CA comes with perks. In exchange for 20 hours of work, a CA gets an All Access Pass (which is selling for $2,100 right now and includes lunch vouchers) and hotel discounts. Even better is the accessibility being a CA gives you to connect with other people at this event. I can’t wait to meet new faces and make new friends!
I start my work as a CA tomorrow morning, and I’ll be at the conference until March 30. Starting today, I will be writing a short blog each day summarizing my GDC experience. If you’re interested in seeing a SPSU New Media Arts student perspective on GDC, you’re welcome to follow me along on this adventure. I’ll be updating these posts with photos and videos as I see fit, and I’ll include links to make navigation easy. Ciao for now!
GDC blog entries: