The Game Developers Conference is taking place this week and has been heralded as the kick-off for the road to the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) that takes place in June. If you just read this sentence and are a bit lost, don’t worry I got your back.
Originating in 1988 when I was but a wee lad playing with my Nintendo Entertainment System, the Game Developers Conference is a yearly event where approximately twenty thousand artists, programmers, designers, engineers and anyone else that may work in the gaming industry can come together to attend field related lectures, showcase new technologies or simply network with other like-minded individuals.
This conference is much different what you’d expect to find at E3 or even the Consumer Electronics Show in the sense that it doesn’t have the same “dazzle” that these shows do because it focuses on the creative and development process.
For example, there are several conferences taking place during the week-long summit that are based upon whatever development discipline you are part of. This includes:
The Audio Track: This course brings the industry’s top sound-crafting professionals together to share their knowledge and experience from the real world, addressing these unique problems: aesthetic, technical, business, logistical and more.
Game Design Track: Game designers need to understand and exploit the possibilities of new technologies such as realistic physics, facial expressions, and lighting techniques. They must also continue to master the traditional disciplines of drama, game play, and psychology.
Programming Track: As new platforms emerge and existing platforms evolve, programmers face an ever-increasing challenge to produce games that capture the attention of the public and the media.
Visual Arts Track: From stellar concept art techniques to post production best practices, this track serves to educate artists and technical artists about methods for producing game art and animations.
For those working on this side of the fence, GDC is a great convention for designers to congregate and learn, grow and develop new skills to hone their craft. For a company like Seagate, it’s an opportunity to engage with the companies and developers that are using our products and partner around upcoming products. While this is an industry event, the fans can rest assured that games developed coming out of seminars such as this will continue to “wow” and entertain us for years to come.
Game On!
If you’re gamer or work in the gaming industry, which of the above tracks are you most interested in? Leave a comment below, on Twitter or our Facebook page.
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