The GDC 2024 Experience
Preface
This is my first ever blog! I will probably be really bad at this to start and will get better over time. I’ll be talking about my personal experience attending GDC this year and comparing it to last year, my interactions as I join the game audio community, and some tips for those who might be starting the same journey I am currently embarking on, even though I still consider myself very new to all of this.
What is GDC?
For those who don’t know, GDC is the annual Game Developers Conference. According to the About page on their website:
“GDC brings the game development community together to exchange ideas, solve problems, and shape the future of the industry across five days of education, inspiration, and networking. Attendees include programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, and business leaders.”
Since I attended with the Audio Pass, I guess that makes me an audio professional!
This was actually my second time attending since I attended last year as well.
From Fan to Friend
My first time attending the Game Developer's Conference was last year in 2023, which was an interesting time to attend since it was GDC’s full force comeback from the COVID-19 Pandemic.
I attended both conferences completely alone without any contacts within the game industry. Other than a couple of game jam projects along with my compositions from my work in music education, I felt like I didn't have much experience nor expertise to offer. Worst of all, I didn't have a business card.
Don’t make the same mistake I did. Get some business cards printed before you go.
So I definitely felt more like a tourist than a professional my first time around. That, combined with constantly getting starstruck by meeting some of the biggest names in the industry, made for a very overwhelming experience. It took a solid couple of days for me to realize that the names that I read in the end credits of the video games I grew up playing were real people. The very same people I'm now shaking hands with and introducing myself to. I didn't feel like I was worth their time. Fortunately, I was convinced otherwise.
It blows my mind how much of a breath of fresh air it is interacting with the game dev community, especially when it seems like the community it serves can be so unwelcoming. And inside the oasis that is the game dev community is another oasis known as the game audio community! It’s been a blast talking to some of the sound designers and composers of some of my favorite games, and being able to interact with them at a level where I can comfortably refer to them as my colleagues has given me so much more confidence that I’m able to do all of this. From going bouldering with Kevin Regamey, to running into Mason Lieberman at a local instrument store, to being tasked with taking Austin Wintory to his first ever DCI competition; it’s just nice to see and talk to these folks as the people they are.
Tips from a beginner to other beginners
I honestly felt weird when people were coming to me for advice during the conference, as it was only my second year attending and I still have a lot of room to grow within the profession. At the end of the day, everyone is going to navigate this landscape differently, but there are some general guidelines that, at the very least, will make the experience of going to GDC much more fun!
ASK QUESTIONS - It’s a rare opportunity to be surrounded by the literal leading experts in this industry, and the best part is that they all are here explicitly to share their knowledge, celebrate success in solving difficult problems, or are reflecting on how to do better in places that they’re struggling in. Obviously you’ll have to read the room a bit to know when is a good time to ask something, and as you learn more and talk to more people you’ll also figure what questions you should be asking, but overall, my naturally introverted self can instinctively become a wallflower in situations like these, and that’s when I’ve felt the most like an outsider looking in, rather than as an active participant of the community. Trust me when I say that virtually everyone at a conference like GDC will be happy to chat!
HAVE FUN - We’re all here because we love video games! I have seen people come in with the mindset that, since this is a professional conference, that they have to min-max their networking and business chops in order to “make it big” in the industry. Maybe certain pathways need that, but from what I’ve seen firsthand, that “grindset” comes off as disingenuous to a lot of people. Unfortunately, on top of that, it’s easy to get in your own head about trying not to be awkward. You’re at a video game conference, so if all else fails and you have no idea what to talk about, ask people what games they’ve been playing! I guarantee you that you’ll get an enthusiastic response from just about everyone in the room. For the record I’m currently playing way too much Helldivers 2.
BE CARING - This might sound cliche, but I mean this in a myriad of ways. First off, take care of yourself, especially if you’re attending on your own. Make smart and healthy choices, and you’ll be able to have much more fun at the conference! With a conference as big as GDC, there’s a lot of external functions that happen within proximity of the convention center, and those are great places to meet more awesome game devs! Just be careful not to party too hard! Care about others. Genuinely have an open mind and open ear to listen and talk to people and they will remember it. A large majority of GDC attendees are going with the desire to find work, especially with the current state of the games industry. That’s fine, just don’t let that get in the way of finding a place within the community. At the end of the day, people are looking to hire a person, not just a set of skills, so be yourself. I was honestly surprised that some of the people I had short encounters with remembered me a whole year later (or half a year if I ran into them at GameSoundCon.) We’d say hi to each other and they’d say something like, “Hey you’re the guy that asked that interesting question!” and we’d have more awesome conversations. So like I said earlier, have fun when talking to people!
SHARE YOUR WORK - Honestly this is advice for me more than anyone. My first time around, I had the weird mindset that I should find projects first to build up a portfolio to show off my skills, and even now, I find myself being much more productive when prompted by others on what to work on. The reality is that the best demo reel is the one you’ve already had finished months before you even bought your ticket to GDC. Share it with the community and listen to the feedback they provide to further improve your work. The worst-case scenario is that someone points you in the right direction to learn how to get better at what you love doing! The demo derbies by the Game Audio Networking Guild was a huge boon for me and has been for many others, but there are a million other ways to share your work and receive feedback. Don’t wait for someone else to give you permission to get better at this! SHARE YOUR WORK NOW.
What’s next for me?
First of all, if I’m going to be giving advice I should probable try it for myself. So I’ll be sharing the work that I submitted for the GANG Music Derby (the Sound Design Derby submission is the same one that’s already on my portfolio,) followed by a write-up on the feedback I’ve received on my work, and how I’ll implement changes in order to “git gud.” If anyone wants to reach out to me with questions, you can scroll back up to my business card and email me there.