20 years of the Game Developers Conference

I’m back at GDC again this year, and it’s hitting a little differently.

I think the first time I went in person was 2006. Back when it was in San Jose. Gosh, 20 years is a long time ago, isn’t it?

I didn’t make it every single year over the last 20, but I believe I had at least 13-year unbroken streak there. I don’t remember if I missed 2018 or 2019, but then I stopped going for a few years because of the pandemic of course. Watching the recorded talks is not the same. GDC is one of those events that lives in the hallways as much as it does in the talks. You miss the accidental run-ins, the “Oh my gosh I haven’t seen you in forever!” moments, the late-night conversations that range from a total waste of sleep to life and career-defining moments.

There used to be multiple GDCs. I went to GDC Austin and GDC Next in LA when those were still around. They had a different vibe but still had everything I loved about the event. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of speaking at GDC multiple times. One of the highest honors I’ve had as a conference speaker. I will always remember those talks. It was so surreal to stand on a stage at a conference you’ve been attending for years, looking out at a room full of developers, and realizing you’re shaping their conference experience. Every time I’ve spoken, I’ve learned more than I’ve taught.

My favorite GDC memory might still be when a side project of mine was featured in the Experimental Gameplay Workshop. That session has always been one of my favorites. Pure creativity, risky ideas that might not “scale” but absolutely matter. Truly games as a medium for exploring art.

This year, though, you can feel a shift. Things are different already, and it is only the first day. The branding is new: “Festival of Games.” Some of it is a cosmetic change, and I’ll see this week how much the audience feels different. There has certainly been a big change on exactly who GDC was for over the years, and who seems to be the intended target audience.

It has always been the case though, if you are learning about something for the first time at GDC, you are probably behind. Back when I ran a game studio, we would always remind each other of that. In an industry has had so many fundamental shifts, one should always learn what they can about what has been done, but take it with the grain of salt knowing the future is likely to be different and unpredictable.

I’m proud of being “old” here. Proud of being someone who’s been a regular for two decades. There’s something meaningful about continuity in an industry that changes so much. I’ve seen trends rise and fall, entire platforms come and go, business models reinvent themselves. Through all of that, GDC has remained this yearly checkpoint. A place to recalibrate.

If you’re here this week, please come say hi. I love the random hallway chats more than almost anything else about this conference. Reach out to me on social media, grab me between sessions, interrupt me mid-break. I’d genuinely love to talk.

Here’s to twenty years of GDC. And to whatever this “Festival of Games” era becomes next.