GDC 2004
by Cory Osborn · in General Discussion · 02/15/2004 (6:13 pm) · 36 replies
The conference is 5 weeks away, so I thought I'd see what members of the community planned on being there. It would be great to meet some of you in person (since I didn't go to IGDC) and hang out.
Funny that, although I've never technically "worked" in the industry, this will be my fifth trip to the GDC, albeit the first since 1999. I'm a part of the Conference Associates program (volunteer security detail), so I don't know what my schedule will look like, but I'll be around the whole week.
So who plans on being there? Will GarageGames have a booth?
Funny that, although I've never technically "worked" in the industry, this will be my fifth trip to the GDC, albeit the first since 1999. I'm a part of the Conference Associates program (volunteer security detail), so I don't know what my schedule will look like, but I'll be around the whole week.
So who plans on being there? Will GarageGames have a booth?
#2
02/16/2004 (2:41 am)
We'll have a total of 4 people representing DIY Games.com at the show. I haven't looked at the various tracks yet, but I usually just wind up hanging around bugging people anyways. Should be a great time. It would be nice for GG to have a booth again, but from what I heard they're going to be sharing space with someone else this year (forgot who).
#3
Joe
02/16/2004 (3:10 am)
I have not decided yet. I am looking for a good reason to go. Every year it seems (to me) to become less of a gathering of developers and more of a Hype festival. Joe
#4
02/16/2004 (3:23 am)
Yeah, thats what I gathered too Joe. I don't have much complaint against the developers... its the friggin OEMs, carriers and hardware vendors.
#5
02/16/2004 (3:38 am)
Heh, if you went last year, you would have left swearing that the n-Gage was the greatest thing since sliced bread that doubled as a better mouse trap (if you bought into the hype).
#6
A note to Verizon: BREW, J2ME and Java suck ass. The hardware simply isn't at the point that it can support an interpreted language. It basically makes already slow hardware even slower. Look assholes, there is a REASON Gameboy games are not written in Java. They need all the performance they can squeeze out the hardware, typically requiring ASM. Quit trying to hype and oversell Java like its the next best thing. Christ, I get better performance with FLASH games on my PocketPC.
This could be an interesting topic. However, Asia simply kicks our asses in this area. This really isn't a topic for GAME DEVELOPERS, this should be a wake up call to carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, Cingular, etc. Our phone networks are pitiful and fragmented, and our phone hardware is all over the board.
So we really have no choice but to target ASIA, if we want our games to get recognition. Buh-bye Verizon.
This should be retitled "Building games for NGage- the dead market". I feel really sorry for those developers that fell for their scam and built games for that deck. Note to Nokia: How about building a REAL gamedeck that people actually want to use?
There is only ONE mobile game market that a publisher can survive in: Gameboy. Thats a closed system, and Indies can't get in to show them how its REALLY done. Publishers simply cannot survive in the PDA and Cellphone markets- the money isn't there. Indies are doing fine and own the industry because they figured out how to work the system. Plus they have low overhead. Sorry to say, but we've kicked Activisions and Eidos' asses in those markets already.
Once again, our networks are pitiful. They can barely sustain turn-based gaming at this point. Lets talk about universal standards, that REQUIRE Bluetooth and Wifi. When every cellphone and PDA is equipped with those, we can start seeing some serious online play. At this point, Carriers want "connected" games simply so they can rack up billable hours.
And these stupid ass discussions go on and on. Who the hell organised this tripe, because I want THEIR job next year.
02/16/2004 (5:17 am)
Here is what I would get to look forward to, regarding the GDC Mobile. I notice that there aren't any real Game Developers involved in too many of the discussions (I don't recognise a single name), this seems to be the one-sided hardware hype machine:Quote:The Princes and the Pipeline: The Mobile Games Market in 2004
Paul Palmieri, Director, Business Development, Verizon
A note to Verizon: BREW, J2ME and Java suck ass. The hardware simply isn't at the point that it can support an interpreted language. It basically makes already slow hardware even slower. Look assholes, there is a REASON Gameboy games are not written in Java. They need all the performance they can squeeze out the hardware, typically requiring ASM. Quit trying to hype and oversell Java like its the next best thing. Christ, I get better performance with FLASH games on my PocketPC.
Quote:
Mobile Games in the Asia-Pacific Region
Speakers: Vishal Gondal, IndiaGames (India), Kyu. C Lee, GameVil (Korea), Stefan Rust, Sun Microsystems (Hong Kong/China)
This could be an interesting topic. However, Asia simply kicks our asses in this area. This really isn't a topic for GAME DEVELOPERS, this should be a wake up call to carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, Cingular, etc. Our phone networks are pitiful and fragmented, and our phone hardware is all over the board.
So we really have no choice but to target ASIA, if we want our games to get recognition. Buh-bye Verizon.
Quote:Building Games for Mobile Devices: the Market, the Platforms, and the Sales Opportunity
Speaker: Chris Lovejoy, Forum Nokia
This should be retitled "Building games for NGage- the dead market". I feel really sorry for those developers that fell for their scam and built games for that deck. Note to Nokia: How about building a REAL gamedeck that people actually want to use?
Quote:Big Game Hunting: Console Game Publishers Join the Mobile Fray
Moderator: Stuart O'Brien, Mobile Game Analyst (UK)
Speakers: Jon Estanislao, Activision, John Greiner, Hudson Soft (Japan), Simon Protheroe, EIDOS
There is only ONE mobile game market that a publisher can survive in: Gameboy. Thats a closed system, and Indies can't get in to show them how its REALLY done. Publishers simply cannot survive in the PDA and Cellphone markets- the money isn't there. Indies are doing fine and own the industry because they figured out how to work the system. Plus they have low overhead. Sorry to say, but we've kicked Activisions and Eidos' asses in those markets already.
Quote:The Network is the Game: Social Trends in Mobile Entertainment
Speaker:Amy Jo Kim, Socialdesigner.com
Once again, our networks are pitiful. They can barely sustain turn-based gaming at this point. Lets talk about universal standards, that REQUIRE Bluetooth and Wifi. When every cellphone and PDA is equipped with those, we can start seeing some serious online play. At this point, Carriers want "connected" games simply so they can rack up billable hours.
And these stupid ass discussions go on and on. Who the hell organised this tripe, because I want THEIR job next year.
#7
About the GDC, I'd like to go sometime, but atm I'm far more interested in going to IGC then GDC. I can't wait to meet the rest of the indies and hopefully present our next game there.
Indies rule!
02/16/2004 (6:57 am)
LOL@Randall!About the GDC, I'd like to go sometime, but atm I'm far more interested in going to IGC then GDC. I can't wait to meet the rest of the indies and hopefully present our next game there.
Indies rule!
#8
02/16/2004 (1:07 pm)
I'm not certain how much of the actual conference I'll make but I will be in the area all week so could hang out and what not =)
#9
Randall, you were wondering who organized it - well the majority of presentations are done by people volunteering to speak. Obviously you've done more than a lot of people with mobile games. Perhaps you would be interested in presenting next year. Typically they look for abstracts to be sent by the August-September timeframe.
Gregory and Matthew, maybe there would be someone willing to plan some type of get-together over the course of the week. I'm not a good candidate to plan it, because part of being a Conference Associate means I have to do up to twenty hours of work (checking badges at doors to make sure only the paid attendees get into the sessions or meals etc) and I won't know my schedule until I get there.
02/16/2004 (3:35 pm)
Well, it wasn't my intention to start something as to what's wrong with the GDC. I haven't been there since 1999, but I guess I've never gone expecting to get much out of the actual lectures and tutorials. For me, its always been about meeting new people, having a good time on the vendor's dime, and seeing how much schwag I can get. The fact that I've never had to actually pay to get into the conference may play into my having lower expectations, but I've always had a good time.Randall, you were wondering who organized it - well the majority of presentations are done by people volunteering to speak. Obviously you've done more than a lot of people with mobile games. Perhaps you would be interested in presenting next year. Typically they look for abstracts to be sent by the August-September timeframe.
Gregory and Matthew, maybe there would be someone willing to plan some type of get-together over the course of the week. I'm not a good candidate to plan it, because part of being a Conference Associate means I have to do up to twenty hours of work (checking badges at doors to make sure only the paid attendees get into the sessions or meals etc) and I won't know my schedule until I get there.
#10
But you are right... the problem is (to me) that GDC lost one of its purposes as a "meet and greet" conference. The "Hospitality Suite" night thing was in (I thought) full glory in '94, but two or three years later had faded to nothing - sponsored parties, I guess. It just got too big.
I always loved the exhibitor's booths, though. That's one thing that seemed to improve as the conference got bigger. I worry if the smaller vendors / companies have gotten squeezed out as the thing starts looking more and more like E3 / Comdex. But it was always a lot of fun to see what kind of new hardware was coming out, what middleware was doing, and to get an inkling of what everyone else was working on.
The lectures are hit-and-miss... sometimes they are great and very inspirational. Other times... well, how many times have you gone to a game design session where someone you never heard of is talking about this great design technique... but admits at the very beginning that he's never actually worked on a published game before, but he's so certain his great idea with a 5,000 page design doc is going to be THE KILLER GAME...
The roundtables used to be pretty good, though. Those were some of my favorite sessions... but the good ones got packed very, very quickly. That's an opportunity to really learn from the old hands who've had a lot of experience - both good and bad.
One day I'll go back. But this year, if I can go to a conference at all it will probably be IGC (or XGDC, if they actually do that again this year).
02/17/2004 (12:38 am)
Heh - I'm in the same boat. My last GDC was 1999... I went every year from '94 - '99... and '94 was IMO the best. '99 was better than '98 though, so it wasn't a constant downhill slide.But you are right... the problem is (to me) that GDC lost one of its purposes as a "meet and greet" conference. The "Hospitality Suite" night thing was in (I thought) full glory in '94, but two or three years later had faded to nothing - sponsored parties, I guess. It just got too big.
I always loved the exhibitor's booths, though. That's one thing that seemed to improve as the conference got bigger. I worry if the smaller vendors / companies have gotten squeezed out as the thing starts looking more and more like E3 / Comdex. But it was always a lot of fun to see what kind of new hardware was coming out, what middleware was doing, and to get an inkling of what everyone else was working on.
The lectures are hit-and-miss... sometimes they are great and very inspirational. Other times... well, how many times have you gone to a game design session where someone you never heard of is talking about this great design technique... but admits at the very beginning that he's never actually worked on a published game before, but he's so certain his great idea with a 5,000 page design doc is going to be THE KILLER GAME...
The roundtables used to be pretty good, though. Those were some of my favorite sessions... but the good ones got packed very, very quickly. That's an opportunity to really learn from the old hands who've had a lot of experience - both good and bad.
One day I'll go back. But this year, if I can go to a conference at all it will probably be IGC (or XGDC, if they actually do that again this year).
#11
www.clownkeep.com (the screenshots are with the 3dgs engine.. our project looks WAY different now)
02/17/2004 (1:27 am)
We have a group of 5 going from Clownkeep to show off our torque-built demo. Can't really say more than that, but we should all be in red shirts with our logo. Our FIRST GDC.www.clownkeep.com (the screenshots are with the 3dgs engine.. our project looks WAY different now)
#12
Hope to see some of you guys there. I worked the GDC last year and 2001 as well.
I'll be pushing my game and talents to potential employers and companies, as well as taking in as much as I can from the sessions I'm working or attending and the people I have to meet up with.
I hope to meet up with some of you, and perhaps swap business cards and at least know someone kinda during various events.
Advice to those first attending: Be polite. Realize you are NOT the shiznit. Bring about 250-500 business cards (vistaprint.com is AWESOME). Don't be afraid to go up to someone well known or you like, introduce yourself and be brief about it if you ask a few questions and swap info or at least give them your card and go on about your business, don't be paranoid about protecting your IP, don't sign ANYTHING at the GDC relating to your game being published without having a legal person or someone you know that understands these contracts go over them(say something like "we'll have our legal advisor go over these ASAP"), network with people like crazy, be aware of your surroundings, attend or work sessions related to what interests you or can benefit your goals, follow up your deals or meetings, and thank people who do you favors and remember them!
Those of you who are going, email me at thexhadoe@yahoo.com and maybe we can hang out or at least plan to meet and greet.
-Joseph
02/29/2004 (12:10 am)
Hey, I'm a conference associate again this year too!!!Hope to see some of you guys there. I worked the GDC last year and 2001 as well.
I'll be pushing my game and talents to potential employers and companies, as well as taking in as much as I can from the sessions I'm working or attending and the people I have to meet up with.
I hope to meet up with some of you, and perhaps swap business cards and at least know someone kinda during various events.
Advice to those first attending: Be polite. Realize you are NOT the shiznit. Bring about 250-500 business cards (vistaprint.com is AWESOME). Don't be afraid to go up to someone well known or you like, introduce yourself and be brief about it if you ask a few questions and swap info or at least give them your card and go on about your business, don't be paranoid about protecting your IP, don't sign ANYTHING at the GDC relating to your game being published without having a legal person or someone you know that understands these contracts go over them(say something like "we'll have our legal advisor go over these ASAP"), network with people like crazy, be aware of your surroundings, attend or work sessions related to what interests you or can benefit your goals, follow up your deals or meetings, and thank people who do you favors and remember them!
Those of you who are going, email me at thexhadoe@yahoo.com and maybe we can hang out or at least plan to meet and greet.
-Joseph
#13
Hope to see some of you guys there. I worked the GDC last year and 2001 as well.
I'll be pushing my game and talents to potential employers and companies, as well as taking in as much as I can from the sessions I'm working or attending and the people I have to meet up with.
I hope to meet up with some of you, and perhaps swap business cards and at least know someone kinda during various events.
Advice to those first attending: Be polite. Realize you are NOT the shiznit. Bring about 250-500 business cards (vistaprint.com is AWESOME). Don't be afraid to go up to someone well known or you like, introduce yourself and be brief about it if you ask a few questions and swap info or at least give them your card and go on about your business, don't be paranoid about protecting your IP, don't sign ANYTHING at the GDC relating to your game being published without having a legal person or someone you know that understands these contracts go over them(say something like "we'll have our legal advisor go over these ASAP"), network with people like crazy, be aware of your surroundings, attend or work sessions related to what interests you or can benefit your goals, follow up your deals or meetings, and thank people who do you favors and remember them!
Those of you who are going, email me at thexhadoe@yahoo.com and maybe we can hang out or at least plan to meet and greet.
-Joseph
02/29/2004 (12:22 am)
Hey, I'm a conference associate again this year too!!!Hope to see some of you guys there. I worked the GDC last year and 2001 as well.
I'll be pushing my game and talents to potential employers and companies, as well as taking in as much as I can from the sessions I'm working or attending and the people I have to meet up with.
I hope to meet up with some of you, and perhaps swap business cards and at least know someone kinda during various events.
Advice to those first attending: Be polite. Realize you are NOT the shiznit. Bring about 250-500 business cards (vistaprint.com is AWESOME). Don't be afraid to go up to someone well known or you like, introduce yourself and be brief about it if you ask a few questions and swap info or at least give them your card and go on about your business, don't be paranoid about protecting your IP, don't sign ANYTHING at the GDC relating to your game being published without having a legal person or someone you know that understands these contracts go over them(say something like "we'll have our legal advisor go over these ASAP"), network with people like crazy, be aware of your surroundings, attend or work sessions related to what interests you or can benefit your goals, follow up your deals or meetings, and thank people who do you favors and remember them!
Those of you who are going, email me at thexhadoe@yahoo.com and maybe we can hang out or at least plan to meet and greet.
-Joseph
#14
(ps) if you think i'm just plugging sprint, my personal cell outside of work is tmobile.
02/29/2004 (12:46 am)
Hmmm.... All of the above are very good points. I'm a trainer for Sprint PCS, and I know more than a little bit about thier networks. Guys, don't give up on the US networks, atleast not Sprints. There are some major changes in the works, and thier network speed is incredible. Testing in the end of 2003 topped the customer-accesible network speed at a little over 1500 kbs. That is pretty decent. That speed could support around 75-80 % of sprint customers at one time. By the end of july, your looking at almost 100% penetration. But, thats just a thought of a trainer..(ps) if you think i'm just plugging sprint, my personal cell outside of work is tmobile.
#15
I love the networking opportunities abound at shows such as these which puts an actual face with a name/email address.
My goal is to push the games I rep with the OEM's, meet potential new clients and learn more about what is happening all over in the world of gaming.
For those attending that want to meet up - please jet me an email andie@planetschnoogie.com - or look for one of the only women in attendence - what is the ratio 5000/1 :)
Cheers, Andie
http://planetschnoogie.com
coming soon: http://whatevergames.com
03/06/2004 (5:18 pm)
Hello Everyone - Yes, I will be attending the GDC for the Exhibits only. I love the networking opportunities abound at shows such as these which puts an actual face with a name/email address.
My goal is to push the games I rep with the OEM's, meet potential new clients and learn more about what is happening all over in the world of gaming.
For those attending that want to meet up - please jet me an email andie@planetschnoogie.com - or look for one of the only women in attendence - what is the ratio 5000/1 :)
Cheers, Andie
http://planetschnoogie.com
coming soon: http://whatevergames.com
#16
I'm going to the GDC this year, got a motel 6 hotel room for 55 a night. (3 miles from the conference center.)
I am debating about throwing a party there. I have the sound system and music, 4400 watts total peak peavey cabinets and Behringer amp that powers it. Not a corporate party mind you, more of an afterparty party.
I just grabbed an Expo pass and I'm going to buy the audio and presentation slides instead of the giga pass.
I am currently cramming in more stuff and refining my demo reel game http://www.johnaho.com/torque.htm
I don't really have high expectations of learning a whole lot, I view it more as an opportunity to make friends and connections.
If anybody wants to get together at the GDC let me know, John@JohnAho.com
03/08/2004 (9:56 am)
Thanks Joseph for the advice...I'm going to the GDC this year, got a motel 6 hotel room for 55 a night. (3 miles from the conference center.)
I am debating about throwing a party there. I have the sound system and music, 4400 watts total peak peavey cabinets and Behringer amp that powers it. Not a corporate party mind you, more of an afterparty party.
I just grabbed an Expo pass and I'm going to buy the audio and presentation slides instead of the giga pass.
I am currently cramming in more stuff and refining my demo reel game http://www.johnaho.com/torque.htm
I don't really have high expectations of learning a whole lot, I view it more as an opportunity to make friends and connections.
If anybody wants to get together at the GDC let me know, John@JohnAho.com
#17
Seriously. I'm not sure what I'm going for most, to meet some friends, do some schmoozing, learn something or just for the experience.
Randall, one thing of note that Ive heard on the grapevine, is that Nokia ARE releasing another NGAGE type thing, but that they are aware it was a complete and utter bomb. Of course, that doesnt mean to say that theyve learned thier lesson, but still.
See yawl there if youre going. I'm gonna have to get a british flag or something arent I :)
03/08/2004 (10:56 am)
I'll be there. If you can get anything organised thats not a wednesday or a friday, I'm in :)Seriously. I'm not sure what I'm going for most, to meet some friends, do some schmoozing, learn something or just for the experience.
Randall, one thing of note that Ive heard on the grapevine, is that Nokia ARE releasing another NGAGE type thing, but that they are aware it was a complete and utter bomb. Of course, that doesnt mean to say that theyve learned thier lesson, but still.
See yawl there if youre going. I'm gonna have to get a british flag or something arent I :)
#20
03/08/2004 (9:17 pm)
Would be nice if I could go
Torque Owner Randall
Although I *hope* the rest of the GDC isn't established in the same manner.