My first time at the Game Developer’s Conference was a whirlwind tour.  My schedule only permitted me one day up at the annual San Francisco convention, but I was determined to make the most out of my short visit.

The flight up from Los Angeles was comfortable, quick and the plane was the emptiest I’d seen a flight in a very long time.  Most people don’t fly at 6:00 in the morning, I guess.  The BART transit system took me to the Moscone Center in a short time and my eyes beheld a super long line of people waiting to enter one of the halls.

I found my way to the West Hall, where registration was located and picked up my badge and program guide.  I went back to that long line and waited in it.  It seemed like it was going to be a great day!  Unfortunately, during the first hour of my first time at GDC, I encountered some bad karma.  The man standing in front of me apparently did not care to bathe before showing up.  And a couple of guys brazenly cut in line.  When the line snaked into the building and I finally made it to the door, the ushers informed me that I was in line for the Keynote speech, one that I did not have the right pass for.  And this whole time I thought I was in line to get to the Expo floor.

Not to be discouraged by this, I decided to take the opportunity to explore what GDC had to offer, before the Expo was to open in an hour.  That’s when things started to turn around for me.  I was able to locate the different Expo areas, check out the GDC store filled with books, music and GDC gear. And take some close-up photos and a video of the new XNA Xbox 360 Dev Kit, several of which were located up at the XNA Lobby Bar.  Also at the XNA Lobby Bar were Xbox 360 and Games for Windows stations running various titles such as Resident Evil 5 and Loderunner.

It was nearing 10 AM, when the Expo floor doors would be opened up to the masses, so I planted myself near the doors.  It was then that I ran into my first friend at GDC, Megan Perry (Mechangel).  We chatted for a bit then she was off to take care of business as the Expo floor doors opened.

There were two main halls for the Expo and the one I was at, the West Hall, was mostly booked as a career center, with developers and publishers at their booths, conducting interviews for a variety of positions.  Pretty much all the big names were there, but smaller dev houses represented as well.  It was an collegiate vibe in the air and it was fascinating to get a glimpse into the world behind the games that I so enjoy.  Little did I know that even in the other hall, where more games are on display, I would delve deeper into the world of game development.

The Career Pavilion was not as huge as I anticipated and I walked through the aisles in no time.  Most of the folks in here were recruiters and human resources personnel – they had business to attend to, so I left for the North Hall.

On my way to the North Hall across the street, I ran into Jennie Sue, a friend who I first met when she was working at Eidos.  She was now working on Space Invaders Extreme for the Xbox 360 and PS3.  I had not seen her in a bit so it was great talking with her and catching up.  I left for the North Hall after promising to return to check out her game.

The North Hall was the main area for the Expo floor and while it was substantially bigger than the West Hall, it was still much smaller than the gigantic venues I’ve been accustomed to at E3 and Comic-Con.  One of the first things I learned was that GDC was a much more intimate affair.  Nintendo and Sony both had nice-sized booths, but they kept in line with the low-key nature of GDC.  Microsoft was surprisingly absent in the North Hall.

As I walked by the booths I realized that there were really few marketing and PR reps – the booths were instead manned by developers themselves!  Those marketing folks that were in attendance were extremely friendly and laid back.  The contrasting natures between GDC and E3 go beyond the glitz and glam (or lack thereof).  Attendees were primarily developers as well and while E3 seems more like a show where handlers sell products to buyers. GDC was more about developers looking to share and showcase them, inviting other developers to work with them.

I was able to get my hands on with some really great technologies, including OnLive, the motion remote called Gametrak Freedom, the brain control device, Mindset and yes, even the Nintendo DSi.

There were several developer schools represented in the North Hall – including one whose students designed a Banjo Hero.  They created a controller AND a game.  Apparently they surprised their instructor with it, knowing he was an avid banjo player.

After scarfing down a banana and a diet Pepsi for nourishment, I finally met up with my old pals from Microsoft.  Well, they used to be Community Managers at Microsoft until very recently.  Tony Hynes, Chris Paladino and Nelson Rodriguez are some of the best people in the business and I was really happy to be one of the first recipients of their new business cards!  They surprised me with the announcement that they formed Promethium Marketing.  It was really exciting to hear them talk about their business philosophy and vision.

So after hooking up with the Promethium guys, I went back to the West Hall to meet up with Jennie again and to check out Space Invaders Extreme.  Jennie was kind enough to let me spend some time with the game and she even gave me a tasty treat (honestly, it was a really good cookie).  I’ll write another post on my impressions of Space Invaders Extreme – I had to remind myself after playing for some time that I couldn’t hog the controller while people waited to play.

It had been an extremely enjoyable day at GDC, but it wasn’t quite over.  When a friend on Twitter told me that GDC was about drinking, I thought she was joking.  Then at around 4:30 pm, stations just popped up out of nowhere all over the hall, with buckets of ice-cold beer.  Suddenly, I found myself with beer in hand, watching a demonstration by Ubisoft of their upcoming multi-platform title, Ruse.  The endless beer was really a welcome surprise.

Not long after going through the North Hall one last time, it was time to meet up with Tony, Chris and Nelson once again to attend a Tweetup, sponsored by GamerDNA.com, at the stunningly classy Palace Hotel.  I met some new friends and decided it was time for me to head out to catch my plane home.

The day went by so quickly and I enjoyed every minute of it.  If I have the chance to attend GDC again next year, I’ll have to make it a longer trip.  I hope you enjoyed the read – just a n00b’s perspective on GDC.

Additional photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15946013@N07/sets/72157615998862028/

written by Rick Kim \\ tags: GDC