GDC06 Student Scholarship Reports

GDC06 Student Scholarship Reports

Each scholarship recipient was asked to compile a report of their adventure to GDC. Here are the submitted reports, which describe their favorite sessions and advice to others heading to GDC for the first time. Enjoy!

 

Student Report Index

• Gillian Andrews - Teachers College, Columbia University
• Anouk Bachman - San Francisco State University
• Ashley Bennett - Full Sail
• Matthew Raymond Billock - DePaul University
• Eric Webster Brown - Carnegie Mellon University
• Elizabeth M. Chung - Pennsylvania State University
• Julia Detar - Cleveland Institute of Art
• Robert Matthew Florio - The Art Institute Online
• Eric Peter Foster - University of Advancing Technology
• Eric Francksen - Viterbo University
• Leo Galway - University of Ulster (Northern Ireland)
• Matthew Griffin - Columbia University School of the Arts
• Michael James Haka - Michigan Technological University
• Vitaliy Hamuha - Lviv Polytechnic National University (Ukraine)
• Morgan Allen Hill - Academy of Art San Francisco
• Travis Weiren Ho - National University of Singapore (Singapore)
• Juergen Musil - Vienna University of Technology (Austria)
• Mansur Ahamed Nazimuddin - Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (India)
• Danielle Oprean - East Tennessee State University
• Megan Perry - Rensselear Polytechnic Institute
• Michelle Pun - Carnegie Mellon University
• Emily Carol Scrivner - Full Sail
• Gabriel Smedresman - Yale University
• Courtney Soest - Art Institute of CA Orange County
• Duncan Thum - University of Southern California

 

Student Reports

Gillian Andrews - Teachers College, Columbia University

GDC was very different from the academic conferences I usually attend. It was HUGE, well-funded, and I felt very small and inconsequential! Nonetheless I learned a lot and made a ton of connections both in terms of people and ideas. It was a fantastic opportunity.

Instead of writing about three sessions, I'll describe three things I learned throughout a bunch of sessions and activities:

1) Learn to communicate visually. The most striking thing about the EA tour, prototyping sessions I attended (one by folks at Firaxis, one by folks from Spore), and my visit to my mentor Chris Bretz's company Secret Level was how game developers communicate through non-verbal media. Maybe this was obvious to scholars in art or programming, but for me, trained as a writer and hardcore academic, it was a revelation.

Hand-sketched storyboards, stop-motion movies, flash animations, art demos, Maya models, photographs, and applets all served as prototypes. You get a much better sense of a game when you can see it -- especially if you use moving images! My game design team at school has had trouble communicating in writing; I wish we'd been encouraged to do more visual prototyping.

2) Prototype early. Again, something I learned at the Civ and Spore prototyping sessions, EA, and Secret Level. It came through in a couple different ways:

Don't go into production until you're ready. Jeff at Secret Level explained they spend at least as much time on proof of concept as they do on development and debugging. It's much easier to fix problems early. The further you get in development, the more systems could be messed up by changes.

Similarly, the Spore panel said get to a point where your ideas can be proven or disproven quickly. I wish I'd heard this much, much earlier. For student game designers, being able to mock up your systems using pen, paper, dice, etc. can be critical to understanding your mechanics before they've been committed to code.

Think about when to change what. The Civ talk graphed out which parts of Civ 4 had changed at which point in the process. Gameplay changes came early, tapering off toward the end of prototyping (though gameplay tweaking didn't begin until about a year into prototyping). Interface changes happened mostly at the beginning and end of the process. Most graphics changes came at the very end of prototyping. This may be specific to Civ -- which uses its existing player base extensively when prototyping -- but it's worth considering how these patterns might play out in development elsewhere.

Remove distractors. Also a note I took at the Civ session. They emphasized the importance of a clear, non-distracting interface and world map early in prototyping. Testers are less likely to get hung up on superficial elements when giving feedback this way, and more able to understand the underlying systems and say whether essential parts of the game are fun.

3) Prototype often. Different prototypes communicate different ideas to different audiences. Spore panelists discussed how certain prototypes became reference points for their whole team. (In the education school where I'm studying, we call these points anchor texts . A lot of research has been done on how effective they are.) Since game design is a young field which has not developed a common language yet, it's important to have examples for people to refer to so everyone's on the same page. Having common texts -- especially pre-existing games -- has been useful for the team I'm working with at school. When everyone sat down and played Pikmin, we were suddenly able to discuss mechanics we had struggled to describe.

However, what you communicate to marketing/ executives/ other outside audiences is not what you need to communicate to your team members about your goals. Using the same prototypes for inside and outside groups is confusing. Take less time on inside prototypes. As long as you're prototyping for your team members it wastes time to prettify things which may be abandoned.

Murder your darlings, as someone once said (Woolf? Twain?). You may need to ditch your best ideas. Will Wright said not every prototype ends up contributing to the game; developers throw many ideas on the table before picking one. This may be hard for those of us who want to be the Spielberg of games to wrap our heads around. While there is certainly room for one person to have a vision, it's unreasonable to think the first mechanic and aesthetic you come up with is going to be gospel. As a designer, the Civ guys pointed out, you should expect you'll be wrong.

Aside from what I learned at panels, here's my advice for getting the most out of GDC:

Talk to developers at smaller companies. Lots of people told me small companies are more likely to have interns do real work, let staff members wear a lot of different hats, and give you higher-level experience. Chris suggested that 10-15 people is a good size; numbers up to 50 are more unwieldy.

Get to know local public transit. It's cheeeeeeap and more convenient than cars. We took the bus daily and it went well. San Francisco's gonna be better than San Jose -- BART, CalTrain, buses and other local systems are coordinated, and should be convenient to the convention. Further, Know where your lodgings are in relation to the convention center . CA distances are hella far ; there's no walking . San Francisco has many cheap hostels which you might try. Check Oakland and Berkeley if you can take a slightly longer commute. Oakland's not that scary, I promise.

Line up hella early for keynotes. I missed Nintendo's -- just a few people too late in line! Maybe with the move to SF the keynote space problem will be solved, who knows.

Don't talk smack about nobody. It gets around. You may think you're a lowly student and nobody's listening, but boast or belittle or badmouth and you may get a reputation for being difficult to work with. It's corporate, it sucks, but it's the way of the industry and until we're Will Wright we're not changing it. If you need to speak your mind, come hang out with us in academia instead ^_^

Hang out with the other scholars! Each of the incredible people on scholarship had something amazing they were doing on top of being students -- organizing conferences and IGDA chapters, working for social change, making art or music. The energy on the bus back from EA was positively electric. If you're chosen as a scholar you'll find yourself in the highest concentration of brilliant people you'll encounter this year. Enjoy them, get to know them, scheme with them!

Anouk Bachman - San Francisco State University

The GDC was everything I thought it would be, and then some. I was paired with a fantastic mentor, Clarinda Merripen, VP Operations at Cryptic Studios. It was amazing to see how many people she knew. She would ask “Who do you want to meet?” and she would make sure that I met the people I wanted to meet. Because of Clarinda, I had the chance to talk to many people who are willing to help me with my cultural research on MMORPGs from a professional perspective. By talking to Clarinda and many other people, I also had a much better perspective on what my possibilities will be after I graduate with a Master's degree in Humanities next year. I am now very confident about the idea that I should try to get a job as an (assistant) producer.

Besides the very important networking, I also enjoyed a lot of lectures and roundtables at the GDC. Some of the roundtables proved to be very interesting for my own research on MMORPGs. For instance, there were two roundtables on MMO economics, both led by Sam Lewis, which touched upon subjects as player-to-player sales, supply and demand, and different possibilities for designers to incorporate the knowledge of MMO economics into their games. Another interesting roundtable on MMOs was the roundtable “Competitive and PvP Systems in Massively Multiplayer Games”, which discussed the pros and cons of certain PvP systems in comparison to Normal (PvE) systems in MMOs. For me this was very interesting as it is very important for my research to note how players react and interact differently in different systems.

Although my most important goal at the GDC was to gather as much information as possible for my research, I also learned a lot from lectures that had little to do with my research subject. Will Wright's lecture was wonderful. By carefully selecting his broad range of subjects and making connections between these subjects by combining different subparts of these subjects, Wright was like a spider spinning a web between the branches of different trees. He showed his public how you can create something entirely new and revolutionary by taking and combining aspects from existing topics, things or sciences.

There is not much advice I could give the future GDC scholars that hasn't been given before. Things that need to be emphasized over and over again are the importance of bringing business cards and making a schedule before you go. However, I also experienced that you need to be flexible enough to throw this schedule out the door if you need to. Sometimes you will hear from professionals that certain lectures you selected will be less interesting than they seem to be and very often you will be advised to go to others. Take this advice to heart, because these professionals know what and who they are talking about. Besides this, make sure you don't miss out on some good parties and ask your mentor if he/she can get tickets for you, the best places to get to know people are the places where everyone can relax and enjoy a drink. Or two. Or three.

Ashley Bennett - Full Sail

What a fantastic chance to speak to so many people as passionate about games as you are. And that's the thing; they really will talk to anybody. As a student you might feel like the pros out there are too busy to entertain you and your dreams, but I really recommend that people who are serious about getting into the industry try and attend this event. It is almost a shame it only lasts a week (although I was exhausted after that anyway, so it is probably for the best)! Let me run down some of the sessions I made it to:

Microsoft Game Developer Day: I was not really meant to make it into these tutorials, but I snuck in and learned about XNA Studio and how it will help make the build process for games easier to setup and maintain. They also spoke about the Xbox 360 architecture and how best to handle it. I had to leave after this to meet with the other scholarship winners (an enthusiastic bunch they were!)

C++ on Next-Gen Consoles: Effective Code for New Architectures: This one was a great talk about how people should be writing their code to take advantage of the multiprocessor nature of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was funny to hear some of the things they mentioned which we were learning in our early C++ classes at Full Sail, but it seems the pros still make mistakes. I did learn at least one thing though; the use of __restrict as a compiler directive for optimizations. But I don't want to start getting all techie here.

PlayStation 3: Beyond the Box: This was Phil Harrison's keynote for Sony. The line was literally around the block almost back to the front door of the auditorium! It didn't seem like much new information was revealed, but Sony put a slick show together (even the music welcoming people in matched their advertising campaigns).

Building Project Gotham Racing 3: An Xbox 360 Postmortem: Another confidence builder showing that the pros don't seem to do things too differently from the way we work at Full Sail… except they have millions of dollars involved. It was at this point that I realized how many of the speakers were British, which also made me smile, being a Londoner myself.

Others I made it to include an intro to the PS3 architecture and a hands on session with Pix for the Xbox 360 to show how optimization can be done.

So if you want to attend next year I have a few tips. First, if you are eligible, enter the IGDA scholarship competition. More than just the pass, you get to meet so many people (with no effort!) that it would be silly to pass up the option. Second, since you will be talking to so many people, YOU WILL NEED BUSINESS CARDS. Get some decent ones made up. They can be really cheap from websites such as vistaprint.com. If you are given a card from someone you are talking to, be sure to make a note somewhere, (such as on the back of the card) about who they are and what you were talking about. This will help with any follow up emails you send since names and faces can become a blur. Next you should volunteer to help out with any jobs the IGDA have, for example helping to seat people during the Choice Awards. A good way to say thanks for the scholarship and a way to see more famous faces in the industry. Oh, and you'll be saved a great seat for the show! Also, beyond GDC, get involved with your local chapter and attend the events.

During the conference plan out a timetable of the events you want to head to. You may not be able to make it to all of the sessions you would like to see, but put down your top choices. You may even have to skip some of those to do other things like meeting for a meal or whatever, but at least have a plan. When you get to the sessions, be sure to get there a little before it starts to get a seat. And why not have a word with the person sitting next to you? “So what other sessions are you thinking about today?” is a good line since they probably have similar interests (being as they are in the same session as you right now!). My final bit of advice is to use GDConnect.com if it is open in the future, since you can get some meetings setup ahead of time with some great people. Anyone attending GDC can sign up and input their details, then search for people matching what you are looking for, (e.g. programmers from South East USA.) I managed to get my foot in the door and setup an interview through that site! Bring a few resumes for the job fair too.

Thanks again to the IGDA for the pass, the mentors for their time and knowledge, EA for the site visit (they have some cool stuff coming up, but of course I cannot talk about that!) and everyone I managed to speak to over the week for being so friendly and willing to help out. The gaming industry is fantastic and the people involved all know it, so if you get to go to GDC in the future you are sure to have a great time.

Matthew Raymond Billock - DePaul University

My experience at the GDC was nearly indescribable. A week's worth of lack of sleep, days full of sessions, and nights full of networking coalesced into a single morass that represents one of the most memorable experiences of my life to date. While the knowledge I gained in sessions will prove to be invaluable as I develop as a game developer, I also learned a great deal from the people I interacted with – both in roundtables and outside of sessions altogether. I highly recommend that anyone who is working towards breaking into the game industry attempt to attend as many GDCs as possible – the networking alone is worth the trip, and the diversity of sessions will keep all flavors of game developer interested well past the conference's end date.

My Top 3 Sessions:

Artificial Intelligence in Computer Games – Present and Future: This was the infamous “beginners” roundtable in AI. Two rooms were combined into a single question and answer session devoted to knowledge transfer from industry professionals to aspiring AI developers (like myself). A basic set of web references was provided, and the session's accomplished moderators covered a set of introductory topics. I personally got a lot out of the discussion on scripting for AI, as it was a subject with which I was largely unfamiliar. This was an excellent capstone to a week during which I spent a large amount of time in AI roundtable discussions.

Sim, Render, Repeat – An Analysis of Game Loop Architectures: This may have been the most beneficial session for me. First and foremost, as a budding .NET architect during the day, I was able to really grasp on to a lot of the architectural discussion that was taking place, and recognized how a game loop's architecture could affect an entire game's design. However, the reason why this session was one of my favorites was because of the secondary knowledge I obtained following a eureka moment sparked by the discussion. I left this session with five pages of notes on an idea that I had that was sparked by the session itself. It was this moment, and the subsequent flurry of analysis and design, that made this session the most beneficial of the entire conference for me.

C++ on Next Gen Consoles: I found this session useful purely for its information content. To be honest, I had trouble picking a single third session, as outside of the two presented above everything was essentially equally worthwhile, but this one took the prize because it presented, in a straightforward manner, some knowledge which I had repeatedly read but had never really seen put into practice. Granted, it was more of a beginner's session on optimization than any kind of talk devoted to Next Gen-specific code structure, but it was information that I needed, and will repeatedly utilize as I progress in the game industry.

Advice for future attendees:

• Beware the travel sites. I was able to save $500 on hotel and airfare over travelocity.com simply by booking them separately. Find your hotel, then see if they have any special rates available from their website (or even give the front desk a call). Also, don't be afraid to room with people. The additional cut in cost is far overshadowed by the relationships you can foster among individuals simply sharing a living space for a week.
• Attend roundtables. While they largely are intended for discussion between people experienced with the subject matter, no one is turned away and all questions are answered amiably. I spent a large portion of my time in AI roundtables, and found that I was able to both glean a lot of design-level information and also provide my own insights into the use of AI.
• Business cards – have them made. Trade them. Get them back. And use them for notes, because you will forget who you talked to about what by the end of the conference. I suggest setting aside time each night to write down what you discussed with the various people that you met – it really helped me in writing my follow-ups when I got home. And write follow-ups, as knowledge transfer and networking don't have to end with the conference.
• Go to the Fairmont bar (or the San Francisco equivalent) at least once. It is a more relaxed (but more crowded) networking opportunity, and you'll find many a professional there willing to engage in conversation.
• Don't be afraid to simply talk to people. I went into this thing thinking that I'd have a bit of a stigma attached to me as I was just another “wannabe” game developer, but I found that all of the people to which I spoke were just as forthright with my fellow students and I as they were with other industry professionals. Some of the most beneficial interactions I had at the conference were with individuals with whom I could not communicate effectively on a purely technical level, but were very open to more high-level discussions of things like architecture and design.

In summary, if you're reading this and trying to decide whether or not to either attend the conference or apply for the IGDA scholarship, stop reading right now and make your travel arrangements. If you've already won the scholarship, have your business cards made and, if you're looking for work, update your resume. The experience is something you'll not soon forget, and will speed your ascent from academia into the game industry.

Eric Webster Brown - Carnegie Mellon University

Attending GDC was everything I had expected: the good and the bad. What the IGDA provided through the mentor program, introductory luncheon, and EA trip set this conference experience apart from all of the other huge conferences I have ever attended.

Since the IGDA scholarship so drastically changed my experience, let me first speak about the benefits of being an IGDA scholar. Before even arriving at the conference, the IGDA emails and forum were an amazing reminder of the spectrum of interests that bring people into this industry. My emails with my mentor, Gaurav Mathur (Factor 5) made me feel that the best move I made was to apply for this scholarship. I hadn't even arrived in San Jose and he was already giving me feedback about my direction, and thinking about people I should meet. He put together a dinner with previous winners that have great connections and knowledge in the field that I am pursuing. At the dinner he took the time to give the previous scholars valuable feedback on their current project going as far as making plans to arrange important contacts for them. It showed me that the mentor/mentee relationship goes well beyond just this week of events.

Gaurav was very helpful to me and everyone I introduced him to. Since the conference he has continued to make time to help me make connections and to give me feedback on my work. Other mentors in this year's program were equally supportive and open to discussing any topics surrounding the industry. The advice put forth in Rudy's pre-conference emails (and later reiterated during the introductory lunch) were great for prepping the scholars for the how to conduct themselves throughout the conference. Icing on the cake was the trip to Electronic Arts to see firsthand one of their newest projects and have an open Q&A with one of their Executive Producers.

Elizabeth M. Chung - Pennsylvania State University

GDC:06 was the first conference of its kind I have ever attended, and it is marked to be one of the best experiences I've ever gone through. In terms of education, I felt very gratified and learned about what was going on in the industry at the moment. You spend literally every waking moment of your time devoted to discussion with others about games, meeting exciting people in the industry, seeing the new games that are in the making, and enveloping yourself with the most creative people on the planet.

The most encouraging thing about the entire event was that each person that you meet during the entire week has the same passion as you do. I've never met so many people who were so in love with some aspect of developing games, and they were all so excited to carry intelligent conversations with you. Before the GDC, my drive came from reading books and reading articles about the industry. Now that I've experienced a little taste of what kind of work I would be doing, I have never been so excited about entering this industry.

Experimental Gameplay Workshop: The EGW was a 2-hour session crammed with showcasing games that exhibit experimental gameplay one after another. Each game was to show something innovative that made it unique from other games. It was incredibly valuable to me because I realized that gameplay inspiration and unique mechanisms are drawn from these games more than the commercial games that seem to be released in succession. Each one of the presenters deserved respect in their own right, for taking risks—not just financial risks, but other risks related to their development.

Nintendo Keynote: Satoru Iwata: Nintendo president, Iwata, gave an inspiring talk about innovation in games. The talk surrounded Nintendo's approach to the development process. He spoke a lot about the strategy and business model that Nintendo has adopted, and how we as developers must help redefine business and expand the market by developing games outside of the mainstream design that we seemed to have boxed ourselves into. He said, “The reason for the DS's success wasn't just that games looked better, but it was how the software took advantage of the innovative hardware to attract new kinds of customers.” At this point, Iwata described the development process and motivation for the game Brain Age. He also gave every single one of the audience members their own copies to take home. I absolutely enjoyed this talk so much because it was encouraging to see that a business man, not a developer, encouraged fun… not sales. “It should be our goal to convince people of one thing… video games are meant to be just one thing—fun.” That's exactly the mentality that we as designers should uphold.

Keynote: Will Wright: I think everyone had the same expectation for Will Wright's keynote. After lining up for some time to ensure myself a seat, I was wondering what I would get to learn about the Spore development process. But, Will Wright decided that he wouldn't talk so much about the game, but that he would tell us in a very long-winded fashion about the development process and how research plays an important role for the creation of his games. After speaking to us for about an hour about Astrobiology, it dawned on me that the point of the talk was not to teach us about Astrobiology, but how this creative process was pushed by his passion for game design research. This was very encouraging to me, being an academic, knowing that it is absolutely okay to be fanatical and obsessive about research.

For those students who are looking to attend the GDC in the years to come, take advantage of all that is given to you. Here is some advice:

1. Plan, Plan, Plan! Plan your schedule ahead of time. If you do not get a booklet in the mail, you can find the schedule of events online. Read through the entire list, mark what sounds interesting to you, and then put at least 2 or 3 events in each time slot. (Sometimes, rooms might be full, or a lecture might turn out to be less exciting then expected!)
2. Bring tons of business cards. Everyone expects that you have business cards for future contact information, and they are incredibly important for networking. The GDC is the best place to meet industry folk, so take full advantage of meeting as many people as possible.
3. Follow-up with people you meet at the conference. Take notes of who the people you meet are on the back of your business cards. Contacting them after the event shows initiative, drive, and motivation as a potential industry employee.
4. Arrive early in the day. Networking seems to happen the most during the mornings when people are still making their schedules for the day, between sessions, or even afterwards.

Don't be shy! The GDC is the time to get over your fear of people and to be extroverted for one week of your life. Get your voice heard. It sparks conversations and shows your passion for this industry.

Julia Detar - Cleveland Institute of Art

The GDC was amazing! It was really exhausting and exciting at the same time. I met so many people, both amazing industry professionals and engaging students who were really passionate about making and playing games. It energized me to go home and make more games and look into other conferences like the Serious Games Summit and Casualty Seattle.

I tried to get the most out of the conference by getting to as many lectures and roundtables as I could, so most of my days were filled with these talks. I really liked the Download: Top 10 research findings by Ian Bogost, Mia Consalvo and Jane McGonigal. In the talk, I learned a lot about how different game elements affect both a player's interest and also their performance. Here are a few of those findings:

-If players are able to choose what music they want to listen to during game play, their performance increased.

-Players enjoy and are more engaged in a game when they are actively failing then when they are succeeding. Game play that gives them a little success in the beginning and then allows them to get close to success but not actually succeed engages gamers more. Passive failure will turn players off; if the game is just too hard and there is no feeling that they had any chance in winning, players loss interest.

-When it comes to on-line games, players tended toward wanting more collaborative environments. Adversaries tended to disengage the player because the on-line community became the same as the bots, but when there is a sense of co-operation between on-line people, players where more engaged.

-How can a game be entertaining to people who watch other people play them? In the lecture the speakers didn't address this question but threw it out for thought.

There is much more detail on this and other research findings at www.avantgame.com/top10.html, but these are the ones that I found really interesting and that I will think about when I produce or play games.

I really enjoyed the roundtable talks because you get to participate in the discussions and you get to meet a lot more people. The three roundtable lectures I went to that I really enjoyed were: the Women in Game Development roundtable, the Casual Online Game Community roundtable, and the Art Director and Art Lead roundtable.

In the Women in Game Development roundtable, I learned that a lot of women play games but they don't like to be called gamers. 60-70% of the causal on-line games are played by women around the age of 30. While there are a lot more women in the industry now than in the past, we still have a long way to go to get more women involved and also recognized for producing games.

At the Casual Online Game Community roundtable I learned that Flash can be used as a cross-platform software for mobile phones (which is super cool because I love Flash). I also learned that casual online games are cheap to make comparatively speaking to large title console games. This allows for experimentation in games and an industry that is willing to be more innovative and take risks with game design. A lot of people who play casual games will do so around a conversation they are having with someone else, so community is a really important aspect to casual games. Communication between players needs to be thought about when designing on-line games. And players seem to prefer playing with people they know like their friends, relatives or co-workers verses people they don't know.

I also am really glad that I went to the Art Director and Art Lead roundtable. Although I couldn't really participate, I learned a lot about what Art Directors look for in Art Leads: someone with good communication skills, who can present/pitch to non-visual people, and a person who might not be the most talented on the staff (although technical skill is very important) but is the “little engine who thinks he or she can.”

For future GDC scholarship winners, I would suggest going to roundtables when you can because you meet some really cool people there and get to participate in the discussion. Stay away from the sponsored talks unless you really like the company sponsoring the talk or that specific topic, because it might turn into a commercial more then an informative talk. Definitely bring business cards (I must have handed out over a hundred). You meet so many people here, it is really incredible. And everyone is really friendly and helpful (you can ask them questions about the industry or what they think about certain games). Don't be afraid to walk up to someone you don't know and start a conversation. Really take advantage of your mentor. Ask them any questions you might have about the industry, or games. Talk about what you are really passionate about and why you love games; don't hold back, this is an amazing opportunity for you to get feedback and insight from a professional. I was so lucky to have an incredible mentor who met with me every day and we talked about my goals, why I wanted to get into educational games and why I love making games. It was so nice that he gave up his time at the conference and spent it helping me out. So take advantage of it (and thank them too, of course).

I am really thankful that the IGDA gave me an opportunity to experience the GDC and meet so many people interested in producing both experimental online games and educational games. The conference will wear you out but it is worth every minute. I am defiantly going to try and come back next year.

Robert Matthew Florio - The Art Institute Online

First, thank you Rudy and Jason for the wonderful job you do and for helping us students get that edge. I would recommend to any student who really wants to go to GDC and doesn't get a scholarship to find a way to get there anyway. My knowledge through studying about game design at the Art Institute has prepared me for this conference tremendously.

For me, being part of the accessibility IGDA SIG, I enjoyed the roundtable and sessions for accessibility in games the most. I enjoyed attending experimental gameplay and studio Max 7 tutorials. Other students, scholars, and professionals in the industry (like David Perry from Shiny Entertainment) responded well to my efforts in promoting game accessibility, but I definitely witnessed the challenge for game accessibility. Gaming with a disability centers on gamers with impairments that are either physical (like myself, a quadriplegic mouth artist), cognitive, visual, or related to hearing.

As a game art designer who paints with my mouth, I felt like I fit right in with the game community because we're all interested in something we love to do. The educational experience at the conference was well worth the investment for my future for sure. I came to the GDC wanting to rock the industry and to create awareness about the need for game accessibility among both industry leaders and other students. The Accessibility SIG, and my mentor Michelle Hinn (who started the group), helped me tremendously to gain an edge, study the industry and learn where I need to grow in my skills to create accessible games. Additionally, it really gave me the opportunity to network with those who can help me make a difference.

The accessibility session and roundtables gained more of an audience every session. I was blown away by Michelle's comment at one of the huge sessions (Experimental Gameplay) when she asked “How are developers going to make games accessible and put them in the hands of these people as a new area of development?” The question went right over one of the designer's heads and a reply came back about excessive cell phones being put in the hands of people in third world countries, which proved my point: developers just don't know where we are coming from, but there is a huge market being ignored, and the IGDA Accessibility SIG is leading this effort.

During the Experimental Gameplay session, David Perry and Will Wright were attending. With these industry leaders in attendance, I wanted to say a comment about what that word “accessible” truly means, and I'm so glad Michelle addressed the topic. We got great response afterwards from one developer at Midway for the game Area 51. He almost wanted to give an apology why his games were not accessible but shared his experience working with blind students who wanted to be game designers so they implemented some features allowing them to play the game easier. He was still interested in what he could do to make games more accessible, which proved to me that developers want to (and can) make games more accessible..

I enjoyed sitting in on one of the Studio Max tutorials. It was very fast, but I learned a few new techniques that inspired me to learn even more about 3-D application software. They are tools to get the job done, but sometimes are very difficult to understand. Seeing them work through some of the obstacles (like rendering some things that don't show up when obviously they are showing up in the prerendered screen) was nice, because it was encouraging to see professionals go through the same headaches I deal with.

Another favorite session of mine was From Concept to Product, which was exhausting to watch the speaker go through his regiment of heart aches and development process, but it was an eye opener and definitely exposed the business side of game design which isn't pretty and involves a lot of sacrifice. Of course, if I was starting my own company and wanted to create a game with $20,000, I'd have to find developers who will work for free, and I was surprised to find that some who are willing to do just that. Working for nothing but telling that person that they will have a slice of the pie once it's established and successful is something I didn't know but great to know about.

I was introduced to industry leaders, developers, students, and software/hardware companies. I look forward to returning next year knowing a lot more people, helping to create a larger awareness about game accessibility with industry with the help of the Accessibility SIG. I hope a lot of you will join us venture into this new courageous and rewarding new demographic--game accessibility.

Eric Peter Foster - University of Advancing Technology

How can I sum up my time at the Game Developers Conference? Well one way would be to say that it is well worth the time for anyone interested in getting into the video game industry. From the sessions, the parties (woo free booze), and the random socializing with great people there was so much to take in that I waited to till the last possible day to write this report to soak it all in.

Single handedly the best part of my GDC Scholarship experience was my mentor. He went above and beyond what was required of him to do. Technically all he had to do was spend an hour a day for three days talking with me. We easily did three or more hours a day almost everyday of the conference. He helped me with what to put on a résumé, what employers are looking for, what to look for and do at the conference, just chatting about anything, and screwing with the guy from Electronics Boutique. My one piece of advice for future scholarship winners is to spend as much time with your mentor as possible. They volunteered for the position as mentor so use their knowledge. Plus my mentor Ed Byrne was just a fun and nice guy to hang out with anyway so that helped a lot too.

Three of the most memorable sessions I attend were the following: The Sony Key Note, The Axis of Gaming Talk, and the Will Wright talk.

The Sony key note was probably the most fun of the sessions I attended. Keep in mind though that I did miss the Nintendo Disruptive Design talk, and missed my free copy of Brain Age. This Sony talk while not educational in nature was just fun to go to.

The Axis of Gaming talk was interesting for me mainly because I am Canadian. It was a table of people from Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada all talking about job opportunities expanding in each of these regions. They speculated the growth in these regions will far exceed that of the U.S. market mainly due to the fact that production in these other first world nations is far cheaper than the in the United States.

The Will Wright talk what can I say about that. I wasn't going to go to this one. I wanted to go to the Never Winter Nights 2 editor introduction thing that was going on at the same time. My mentor Ed Byrne convinced me to go to the Will Wright Talk instead. It was interesting. He is a good speaker, however it did seem a little long, and it dragged on a bit. His main point was the importance of research and development in the early stages of game design, and to show off a little bit of spore. I think in the future, unless he talks about something more interesting to me, I will go to another session if there is a good one going on. If you do miss his talks you won't miss much, everyone else goes to it so you can get second hand information easily.

One easy bit of advice that my mentor passed on to me was when you are scheduling different talks, round tables and sessions to go to book alternate ones as much as possible. Sometimes these talks aren't what you thought they would be, or are just boring, or not to be rude to anyone who spoke at GDC but some of these talks are not put together well and degrade into terribleness. Sit near the back close to the door whenever you can so you can sneak out and try to catch something else. This is harder to do at round tables because it's more personal.

Like I stated above maximize your time with your mentor. They have a lot to offer. Two things they can offer of the top of my head are well, knowledge and experience, the two best things to learn from. Oh and be honest in your application, it's probably the only reason I was chosen to be a scholarship winner.

The last piece of advice that I think is probably the most important.

DON'T BE SHY!

If you are shy fake being an extrovert. It's only for three to five days. These people (on average) are really nice and friendly. Do whatever you need to do to prepare for this. Write up some topics or common questions you can talk to people about before hand. Practice talking in front of a mirror, go to the mall and talk to strangers. I don't care how you do it but you prepare, but it will be well worth it afterwards.

I had some friends (game design students) who weren't as outgoing and were basically shy. They didn't talk much to the industry people attending the events, and because of that they didn't get nearly as much out of GDC as I did. Granted I had a mentor who helped, but still. These fellow students missed out on parties, events and other chats that I got to be a part of. Don't think of the parties as just fun and games. You can meet people and make lasting friends who just happen to work in the industry you want to get into.

Well I am about to hit the max word count of my report soon so I guess I should rap things up. One last piece of advice is, don't make “contacts” make friends. The word contacts to me feels like people you use to get somewhere, while friends are people that you enjoy being around. The difference between the two is subtle, but basically its that friends do things for each other, its not one sided. If anyone has any questions please email me at efoster1983 at hotmail dot com.

Thank you to the IGDA for having the GDC Scholarship, and a special thanks to Rudy Geronimo for just being cool.

Eric Francksen - Viterbo University

When I arrived at the conference hall where the other scholarship recipients and I met with our mentors, I could hardly believe the amount of friendly, helpful, and energetic professionals that were in this one little hall; developers from down the street and around the world just standing there waiting to talk with you. As we went around the room and introduced ourselves, the students got a chance to express why they were there and the mentors gave all of us valuable advice on how to conduct ourselves during and after the conference. Many of the mentors reminded us that we were truly the cream of the crop, being chosen from over 300 candidates worldwide. This reaffirmation really took the edge off for me and for a few others, I'm sure.

After our primary meeting, it was off to EA. Aside from the nondisclosure agreement, I believe I can say I felt like Charlie in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Having the rare opportunity to tour such a world-class facility and then to be offered an early production overview of an undisclosed project is more than I could have ever hoped for during my pre-professional months.

As the conference moved forward, I had the opportunity to listen to Ronald Moore's keynote on building a better battlestar. His innovative methods to create both believable environments and relatable characters in his space-born drama has gone far to reach a broader audience than any science fiction franchise thus far. Listening to him explain his thought process and how he made the critical decisions he did was worth every moment there.

A second session I attended was a debate on sex, violence, and censorship in videogames. Four professionals maintained the debate: a politician, an IGDA rep, a game developer, and a professor who is also an author. Except for a few less-than-polite audience members, the debate ran rather smoothly. There was also time at the end for questions. Also, the four panel members took time after the debate to answer more questions. I appreciated the outlook all four professionals offered and I believe the general consensus was that nobody wants children to have extremely violent videogames. The real debate was trying to answer the question, “How do we keep these games away from children?” Unfortunately, on this subject there was very little agreement.

I think the most valuable session I attended was Paul Hormis' Rigging Beautiful and Believable Organic Characters lecture. What he did for us was layout, quickly and simply, the steps he takes to make a basic biped skeleton. His methods were easy to understand. Yet, at the same time, his key points were brilliant time savers. I would recommend not only attending his future lectures, but also staying in touch with him in a web-based community. He gave me much to think about and even more to aspire too.

The hardest part of the GDC was knowing for every one session, meeting, or party you attend, you will be missing five others. It was difficult at first not to think too hard on this, but after a time, I began to focus on how much I was accomplishing for my future and that helped. The conference is overwhelming for anyone who hasn't been exposed to a game developer's conference before. I don't think anything could have prepared me for how incredible of an experience I was about to have. I'm sure I stumbled on my words a few times and even said things positively stupid. It wasn't hard, however, to keep in mind that everyone at this conference is there because they want to help each other and the entire gaming community, and that included me.

 

 

Leo Galway - University of Ulster (Northern Ireland)

As many of you reading this report will be aware, GDC is the premier game development industry conference where the industry convenes for a week of information exchange, exposition and socialising. Being the recipient of an IGDA scholarship, I was honoured to be able to attend and participate for the first time in such an overwhelming and inspirational gathering of industry and academic experts, in addition to being proud to meet and be part of such an extraordinary and diverse group of fellow IGDA scholars.

Arriving in San Jose late on Sunday night, I was fortunate to have been paired with a mentor (Dave Weinstein) who had obtained a one day pass for me to attend Monday's all day tutorial, Embodied Agents in Computer Games by John O'Brien and Bryan Stout. The tutorial was highly informative and directly related to my area of academic research, and proved to be both invaluable and a great way to begin the week. Tuesday was the official IGDA orientation day, with a gathering of all the IGDA scholars and mentors, plus a trip to the Electronic Arts studios in Redwood City. This turned out to be a fun and insightful experience; both in terms of gaining an insight into how a studio goes about developing a game and by finding out more about my fellow scholars during the trip. A dinner engagement that evening with senior game developers, arranged by my mentor, turned out to be a very pleasant and friendly affair, with great interest in my studies shown by many of the developers I had the good fortune to speak with. It also proved to be a great introduction to the art of business card swapping, fostered by my mentor, which is one of the accepted and expected behaviours at the conference. By Wednesday I was suppressing the onset of jet-lag with caffeine and excitement as the main event was about to begin.

Taking from the tradition of the Game Developers Choice Awards and the Independent Games Festival Awards, I shall present the best three sessions I attended under the categories of “Best Lecture”, “Best Keynote” and “Best Roundtable”:

Best Lecture: Three States and a Plan: The AI of F.E.A.R. by Jeff Orkin - This lecture was perhaps the most interesting and informative lecture I attended, due in part to its fascinating expose of the planning techniques used in the game F.E.A.R., its relevance to my own research, and the understandable and entertaining manner in which Jeff Orkin presented the information.

Best Keynote: What's Next in Game Design by Will Wright - Held in such high esteem by the game development community, it was clear from the outset that hearing what Will Wright had to say was going to provide many an inspiration. He most certainly delivered on that level. Weaving together a discussion on the inspirations and factors that contribute to the process of research during the initial creation of a game, coupled with a firm introduction to the field of Astrobiology, Will Wright delivered a thought provoking, amusing and entertaining speech which gave great insight into the mind of such an iconic game designer. There is no doubt that everyone in the packed Civic Auditorium left the keynote with some degree of inspiration and belief that “thinking outside the box” can only lead to the creation of more creative and imaginative games.

Best Roundtable: The Art of Munging AI (Friday morning session) by Jessica Bayliss, Tom Leonard & John O' Brien - Throughout the conference, I predominantly attended the AI roundtable sessions which provided excellent and informative discussion and debate on all things game AI, through the moderation of friendly and approachable figures such as Steve Woodcock, Neil Kirby, John O'Brien, Jessica Bayliss and Tom Leonard. As such, it does not really seem either fair or appropriate to single out one AI roundtable session over another as they were all very enlightening, however if one is to be chosen then I believe that the Friday morning's The Art of Munging AI roundtable should be given extra mention due to the difficulties of running a roundtable given the condition of many of the attendees after Thursday night's partying. Although an early morning session, a large number of attendees soon arrived, giving rise to some very informative discussions and an entertaining debate on functionality versus aesthetic. As with all the roundtable sessions I attended, it is a shame they do not last longer, as often the debate and discussion are in full swing when the time runs out.

Rather than providing the usual advice to future attendees and scholarship winners (such as bring plenty of business cards, talk to people, wear comfortable shoes, etc.) I would like to provide the following brief advice:

• Have an agenda : Before and during the conference, attempt to determine which sessions, technology and people you wish to see. This will certainly help tailor your attendance to your personal needs and ambitions and prevent aimless wandering around.
• Be flexible : Contrary to my first piece of advice, try to remain open to attending sessions and social events that you had not previously considered. By allowing yourself some flexibility in your agenda, you may get turned on to a particular game, piece of technology or viewpoint that you would have missed by strictly maintaining a regimented itinerary.
• Relax : Your first time at GDC can be an overwhelming experience. After a while you may find yourself relaxing into it and actually considering yourself as part of this great community. By relaxing you will be more confident in approaching people, and you'll enjoy a more absorbing time throughout the conference.

In conclusion, I wish to thank the IGDA for giving me this fantastic opportunity (with special thanks going to Rudy Geronimo, Clarinda Merripen and Dave Weinstein). It has been a tremendously exhilarating experience from which I have gained so much and will certainly take with me into my future studies and career in game development.

Matthew Griffin - Columbia University School of the Arts

I am one of a small number of IGDA scholars (and GDC attendees) whose background is neither predominantly games industry nor games academics. During the conference, my answer when asked "who" / "why" -- “I am a film producer and editor currently undertaking an MFA in Writing (Fiction) at Columbia University, New York” -- raised eyebrows. And ditto my follow-up -- “Oh, and I'm involved with installation art and interactive performance media.”

But I suspect the number of students and media professionals from other disciplines who "crash" the games conference will increase in the years ahead. ("I can see how what you do makes sense for games," a young Flash designer at the Casual Games party said to me. "You are allowed to stay. Have a drink.")

I was extremely excited to attend GDC'06 not despite my background but because of it: in my mind at least, the nebulous (thank goodness) term "Game" forges a link -- or should do so -- between literature, conceptual arts, experimental media, interactive narrative, animation, and film/video. In fact, the form offers a broader audience, more capable of appreciating sophisticated developments in narrative, interaction (gameplay), and virtual architecture (physical level/environment and programming logic/tuned rule systems) than available to those who lay claim to working on the cutting edge of those niche disciplines. Well-designed games are, as proof of concept, more approachable and intuitive than the products of Chelsea galleries, new media arts collectives, hypertext publishers, and interactive performance media designers.

I headed to California hoping to learn how to parlay my unusual (for games) background as a hands-on creative producer/editor/writer of film, installation art, and animation projects into a games context. I want to develop and execute game projects that follow through on the potential visible (a glimmer?) within the recent history of games. (My not-very-good list includes FACADE, the first scene only of INDIGO PROPHECY, PRINCE OF PERSIA, Andrew Plotkin's interactive fiction, DARWINIA, and SIMS 2, as well as the wild and fertile frontier of game hacks and level mods.)

GDC'06 far exceeded my expectations.

Not only did I find that the lectures, roundtables and keynotes (hello, Will Wright, Iwata-san, wow) spoke to aspects of games design theory and practice that had attracted me to the industry in the first place, I found many new topics and elements to become fascinated with. Past-scholars I interacted with at the conference said that last year's was a better-run program, but I argued that I couldn't fault this year as far as an initial exposure is concerned.

But the most remarkable thing about the conference isn't the conference itself. We IGDA scholars figured this out pretty early on in the conference: on the scholars bus trip out to EA. What began with those usual initial questions -- "Hey, what's your name?" "Where do you go to school?" "What the hell is installation art?" -- quickly blossomed into an enlivened discussion of what had brought each of us to GDC, our game theories and experiences, our dreams for pushing this industry into its adulthood.

In fact, in many ways the EA visit itself couldn't compete with what we had all just discovered: GDC isn't just a chance to sit in rows of chairs, listening to the arcane and remote Game Designer deities (it is that, too), it is also an opportunity to sit next, across from, catty-corner to a tremendous number of smart, capable, interesting people, each living, breathing, thinking, dreaming about games in highly individual ways. The resources of the conference are geometrically increased by the value of time spent drinking with, arguing with, dancing with, and playing games with your fellow attendees. And many of those relationships may continue to pay-out after session curriculum has dissolved into the background of my games experiences.

I've selected three sessions that represent the breadth of my experiences at the conference. I'll leave the inevitable lively discussion of Will Wright to fellow scholars.

CINEMATIC GAME DESIGN (Marty Stoltz, Richard Rouse III) - This was the very first session I attended and I picked it in particular because it featured one of my areas of specialization (I am a union film editor), but from a games perspective. Stoltz and Rouse did an excellent job building a case for examining “cinema's 100-year-old library of techniques” not merely for elaborate cut-scenes, but to “integrate these devices into actual gameplay.” They divided the talk into nine film techniques for gamemakers to plunder, pairing film clips with past attempts to integrate these techniques into games. The discussion was more an introduction than a comprehensive analysis, but I left recognizing ways my film knowledge can overlap with games.

DEVELOPERS RANT - I think attending the annual Developers Rant session as a student/IGDA scholar is a good idea. I found it also a good idea to button-hole someone more established within the industry to sit next to me to explain the feuds and interpersonal politics at play. (Thanks, Austin.) I found much to provoke and inspire me. My favorites were: Robin Hunicke's mini-rant about the lack of progress beyond Heavy Metal -styled portraiture of women that dominate games art. Frank Lantz's well-conceived rant against the “immersive fallacy.” Jonathan Blow's discussion of the resignation of the design community to merely complaining about lack of innovation in games, failing to snatch up past innovations and run with them. My favorite of the bunch: Seamus Blackley's push for designers to put imagination into the industry side of the games industry and push aggressively for business models to support the innovative games they really want to make. (I'll take him up on that challenge.) One disappointment: the illustrious/notorious Chris Crawford (author of the fascinating On Interactive Storytelling ) claiming himself the sole-possessor of arcane knowledge of the Interactive Narrative newborn (“should you follow him up the mountain,” as my neighbor said). He missed a chance to address those of us interested in the possibility of emotional and dramatic orientation for the medium. (Go ahead and google “Game Developers Rant” and read the proceedings from the past two years. Likely these concerns will stick around a while.)

DESIGNING TO PROMOTE INTENTIONAL PLAY - Clint Hocking spoke at length about emergence and intentionality (not the philosophy term) in gameplay. While I was aware of rudimentary aspects of this discussion, I found that he examined the questions in greater depths than I had before. I particularly appreciated demonstrations of his “chain of intent” model, an analytical tool Hocking used to track player actions and detect emergent gameplay. I left with many questions about my own past behavior as a player -- was the use of exploding barrels in Half-Life 2 to kill the ceiling beasties a plot-point or emergent behavior allowed for by the rules system? How much of game narratives are coded into the game, and how much should be left for a player to extrapolate from game-world behavior?

One of the best things about being an IGDA scholar is the mentor-scholar pairing. My mentor, Jeff Tseng of Secret Level, was a particularly strong match for me (thank you IGDA!). Our lunchtime discussion on Wednesday spanned several hours and a wide spectrum of topics: game, industry, and otherwise. I left the table recognizing what I have (from my background) to offer the games industry, and was convinced that I can pursue my goals. There isn't a career promotion “track” to design and develop games professionally, but I know how to make a case for getting involved at the stage that is appropriate for me. I deeply appreciate Jeff's time and candor. He continues to inspire me.

I'd suggest skipping the Expo, unless you need to hit a vendor for resume dispersal. In fact skip anything that is a sales pitch or sales cant. Instead, do your research to find out who the inspiring speakers are, regardless of topic. Sessions that are purely informational can be read about later if (when) scheduling conflicts assert themselves. And remember that if you find yourself attending a strong speaker or subject, turn to your left or right and talk to your fellow attendees. These are the people who have self-selected themselves to be in that room. You have more than zero in common with them, at the very least.

I left the conference not only inspired to continue investigating these topics, but also compelled to do so.

Michael James Haka - Michigan Technological University

Getting to spend my first GDC as a scholarship winner has given me a unique advantage in my understanding of and networking with the game development community.

The facilities tour of EA gave me an amazing look at how development houses are actually run and what I can expect when I get a job in the industry.

I met many interesting people in San Jose, and getting the opportunity to discuss my views and opinions with my future peers was a huge rush. Also, thanks to my mentor, Albert Chen from Factor5, I learned a great deal about how the game design process actually works and what problems to expect in the future. We spent several hours during the conference discussing how the industry is changing with the next-gen consoles and how these situations both encourage and inhibit new developers and innovations.

Of the many panels and lectures I attended, three stand out in my mind above the rest.

1. Odd vs. God: an interview of David Jaffe by Lorne Lanning- I got to listen to both sides of the debate between 1 st and 3 rd party developers and hear about the problems that can occur on a AAA title.
2. How to prototype a game in under 7 days- This lecture taught me about how the creative process of game design can be used to rapidly test new and inventive mechanics without devoting a significant amount of resources on the project.
3. Taking emotional gameplay to the next level- At this lecture, David Freeman demonstrated the nonverbal emotional responses used in games such as Ico and Half Life 2 that can be used to create more believable characters and create an emotional attachment that induces the player to continue playing.

One of the most important lessons I learned from the GDC is not to expect too much from keynote speakers. I attended two of the three keynotes but missed Will Wright's speech on Thursday. Because of this I was able to attend one of my three favorite lectures and was able to spend time talking to the lecturer afterwards due to the low crowds.

My advice to future GDC scholars is this: just because the lecture is a keynote, doesn't mean that it is the best one for you. Also, volunteer to usher for the Game Developer's Choice awards if they will let you do it; I got the opportunity to meet several of the biggest names in the industry there, including Tim Schafer, a man whose work I have admired for many years.

Vitaliy Hamuha - Lviv Polytechnic National University (Ukraine)

Are you a fanatic student of computer gaming or art? Then GDC 2007 is for you! It's a great opportunity to jump into the game industry. CEOs, leading developers, and some of the best students come together with two missions:

Level 01: build contacts at GDC
Level 02: update contacts after GDC
Final Boss: build partnership after GDC

GDC is an amazing and unreal chance to change your future (work and lifestyle).

What do you need from GDC? It's important.

1. A lot of presentations will be on site, so you must get what you will not get from site.
2. Lectures by Will Wright or president on Nintendo are interesting for Will Wright or president on Nintendo. Joke as jokes in Wright's speech. You'll haven't learned where to put breakpoint in your code. You'll hear the philosophy of gamedev. If you haven't good experience in gamedev – you are not need this philosophy. It's not a 100% true, but it's a xx% true.

Advices for GDC Scholarship candidates mainly from abroad:

1. During one week thinking and finding your pluses and advantages for being scholarship recipient.
2. If you are from other part of planet – you have a chance too (I am from Ukraine and hadn't money for trip, but I was at GDC. how? read next)
3. Build impression, good impression, best impression using real working arguments.

If you have won Scholarship:

1. Greetings! It's cool!
2. Make VISA, reserve a ticket by plain (train, boat, legs..) and most important if you need it – find a sponsor. Unreal? Only for you, not for me. Write another letter & spam with it all companies, studies, grants... relative to gamedev. Of course, find REAL arguments (1 st is you one of the 25 best student of comp. gaming in the world!). I have found. I'll send my essay for those who say what company was my sponsor.
3. Take a notebook with Wi-Fi adapter to GDC... But,.. no! Kill it before GDC or it'll kill your time!
4. If you have not killed anything at paragraph 3 – check if your equipment is attach to US power system.
5. Enjoy CA! It's a hotest dreams for next days, monthes, GDCs

Good luck, guys! GDC is REAL! Thx all of GDC Scholarship 2006 recipients (read Friends) & Rudy for a Great support to realize dream in time! Thx all.

Morgan Allen Hill - Academy of Art San Francisco

Last year I went to the GDC in San Francisco, but with only an Expo Pass the experience was limited and short lived. I didn't come into contact with many people from the industry, mainly just other students. Being a GDC scholarship recipient this year made a huge difference. Through my mentor and attending the sessions, I was able to meet people from all over the industry, including artists from companies I would like to work for.

Attending the sessions gives you many more opportunities to bump into industry people. If you've heard someone speak or contribute at a roundtable, you have the perfect excuse to go up and talk to them, even if you didn't speak a word in the roundtable itself. It's a more legitimate way to strike up a conversation than “Dude I love your game!” Here's an example:

A lead artist, whom I heard speak during a roundtable the evening before, came into the room for the session, and sat in the back. After someone sitting in front of me left, he ended up moving right in front of me. I was like, “No way, this is too good to be true.” I eventually tapped him on the shoulder and mentioned that I was at the roundtable the day before, that I'm a student attending the Academy of Art University and am here on an IGDA scholarship etc. He ended up offering me to come visit the company he works for. I recently followed up with him via email, and we're meeting next week for lunch and a tour.

Sessions were a somewhat mixed bag, as expected. Some are just a bit disappointing or not quite what you thought they would be about. The presenters might just show pieces of their game and just describe it, or try to hit too many topics in an hour and not go in depth into anything. Mentors help steer you through the program list, and can advise you on which sessions have the highest likelihood of being good. There were quite a few that I found very informative and well presented, but these three were my favorites:

Cinematic Game Design by Marty Stoltz, Richard Rouse III - The very first session I attended was extremely well presented by two speakers from Midway. They laid out 9 ways in which games can be made more cinematic, giving us very specific information to take away and refer back to in the future. For every one of the nine points, they showed an example from a movie clip, and how the same technique was implemented in a game.

Tips and Tricks for Modeling for Next-Gen Games by Pete Hayes - With my interests in the art creation side of game development, the Epic presentation on modeling techniques was of particular interest to me. Pete Hayes went over his workflow for modeling next-gen assets. He revealed some techniques for speeding up normal map creation that I didn't know were possible. By using small pieces of geometry floating above the main mesh, the normal map will calculate as if that detail were modeled into the base mesh itself. This speeds up efficiency in a big way, by not having to model all that detail to the base mesh itself, keeping the base geometry cleaner.

3ds Max and Zbrush Workflow by Shane Caudle, Kevin Lanning - Though it shared much in common with the other Epic Modeling session, this talk focused more on Organic characters and the workflow difference. They split up the characters into pieces, and reused as many assets and textures from other similar characters as possible to save on memory, disc space, and modeling time. They shared assets and textures freely between artists to be reused. Though next generation games still have many limitations, the Epic guys say that it's not as much polygons as it's all the different texture maps and per-pixel lighting that really pull down the system performance.

Since I hadn't attended sessions at the previous GDC, I think I went a little overboard by attending every single time slot I could. It ended up feeling like a bit of a grind after a couple of days. If you attend a session and it doesn't look good after 10 minutes, my advice would be to take off and rest up, relax, and do something else. There's plenty more sessions to go to.

Organize with the other scholarship winners right away. After the first orientation day, I bumped into some of the scholars, but some I never saw again. I had assumed we would get back together and nothing was scheduled. It would have been great to have a meeting towards the end of GDC to meet up and talk about our experiences and have more opportunity to exchange ideas. Some of the scholars are still communicating and throwing around game concepts which I think is great. They are sharing concepts, but also building a good relationship which might lead to something positive in the future.

At the job fair, if you don't have anything to show, such as a demo reel or portfolio, many companies don't want to waste a lot of time with you. Try to have an interesting conversation, and not just ask if they have any openings for graduating students. They are more willing to give you personal business cards that way, which can be used for a possible future relationship.

Hanging out with my mentor, Greg Foertsch, was one of the highlights of the GDC for many reasons. He was always there for any questions I had about the industry and answered specific questions when we attended the same session. Of course, he introduced me to other artists he knew, but he even made an effort to bring artists from companies I was interested in to eat lunch with us. Sitting down to lunch with your mentor and their friends from the industry is like a mini-roundtable with food—and it's much more casual. It was cool to listen to their conversations about recent issues at their respective companies, and their career paths in the industry. They can offer insights off the record that you would never hear elsewhere at GDC. I really appreciated the opportunities the IGDA scholarship gave me this year and would like to thank everyone from the IGDA who made his possible, especially all the mentors who gave us their valuable time.

Travis Weiren Ho - National University of Singapore (Singapore)

 

No IGDA scholar ever comes away from the Game Developers Conference without marveling at what an experience it was, and I am proud to continue in that tradition. I arrived with little more than an open mind, but left with new insights, new ideas, new friends, many happy memories and a whole bunch of business cards!

Written reports such as this hardly do justice to the experience. I read about events and follow game development news online, but actually being at the conference gave things physical form. Reviewing the proceedings later, through web articles and blogs, I felt that there was just so much more that the words didn't capture.

With the game development scene in Singapore as a reference point, I was eager to find out firsthand about the industry abroad.

My first impressions of GDC 2006 was that of the atmosphere and people: IGDA Singapore events and visiting game developers garner a turnout from the local development scene at home, but the sheer size of the game industry concentrated at San Jose for the conference was simply of a different magnitude.

I was awed to have as my mentor Don Daglow of Stormfront Studios, honored to be surrounded by an amazing and diverse group of scholars, pleasantly surprised to see old contacts and excited to finally meet in person those I'd previously known exclusively through email.

While the US game industry might be on the other side of the globe, I was glad to see a familiar passion for making games bringing people together in the same way. I was delighted by the positive and approachable manner of those whom I spoke to– eager teenagers are usually met with reminders to moderate their expectations about the industry, and to take a long, hard look at themselves and their current abilities. Rather than barriers, I found a mutual respect between students and industry veterans.

The mentorship program and the visit to Electronic Arts were a great insight into the realities of development processes and studio operations. As much as the lectures were informative, the conversations I had with my mentor and with other industry professionals were priceless.

Games make game conferences what they are, and it was a vibrant display from the moment I stepped into the convention. From upcoming commercial titles on mounted screens to the works at the student showcase pavilion, what I saw inspired and challenged me at the same time; inspiring in terms of how they push the envelope in technical accomplishment, challenging in the way they have raised the bar for all.

Initially, I thought that I'd zero in on the lectures related to my specialization, artificial intelligence for games, but I soon realized that GDC and its confluence of varied subjects was a perfect chance to catch up on the latest developments in all the other game disciplines as well. With today's games being largely team-oriented projects and drawing from a vast array of fields for both content and technical execution, keeping up to date on more than one's own area of specialization is most useful for developers.

So it was hard to pick three sessions to talk about, because discussing overly technical ones would be boring, and also because most of the sessions I attended were intriguing in their own way! Nevertheless, I thought that these three meant most to me:

Cinematic Game Design presented choice techniques from film and made practical suggestions as to how they might be applied to gameplay. It's remarkable to look back and see how far games have come in terms of technical capability: with modern 3D and audio, developers now have means to effectively apply cinematography techniques in-game. The realization hasn't quite caught on everywhere however, and the development teams I've been on stick to traditional presentation styles, which really seems like a missed opportunity to innovate in this aspect. Based on this eye opener, it definitely seems worth exploring that treasure trove of movie wisdom to find appropriate ways to enhance playing experience, an insight well worth sharing.

I was initially skeptical of the long queue for Disrupting Development , but I was glad I joined it, because I received a copy of the Nintendo DS game, Brain Age! When absorbed in projects and deadlines and dealing with technical issues in the trenches, it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture at times, but for that hour and a half, Satoru Iwata reminded me to take a step back and look at things in perspective with regard to where games are headed and the business behind it, an inspiring and reinvigorating reexamination of things.

Prototyping seemed to be a buzzword at GDC this year, and Advanced Prototyping must have been one of the more lively lectures that dealt with the subject. Making lots of quick little ‘games' that teeter on the edge of playability is something most game programmers start off with, and today prototyping reminds me of those times when one could quite pleasantly spend an afternoon fixing up a game idea just to try it out, freed from monolithic design documents and overly ambitious undertakings. Lots of practical tips and anecdotes accompanied Gingold and Hecker's in-depth analysis, which I do wish I had known and put into practice earlier!

 

Fresh advice for scholars is hard to offer when so much is already covered by well-written material online, but after reading through past reports, listening carefully to the advice dished out at the scholar orientation, I still think I could have done better as an attendee. So in no particular order, I shall list here things I thought significant:

1) Have fun! Thanks to peer pressure, it's easy to get caught up in things and attempt to maximize the experience and optimize time like some overzealous coder. Like a strategy game, every second suddenly becomes as crucial as a build order, every person becomes a schmooze target and every business card counts as valuable resource. I thought that being slightly more relaxed and in less of a rush allowed me to appreciate the experience, absorb more, and talk to people more easily.

2) GDC is a place where legendary people assemble, and though some developers are better known than others, the less high-profile are still fairly illustrious. Search engines are a great way of knowing more about the people you meet.

3) Plan to be flexible. Everyone mutters something about planning, but I'd also encourage flexibility in adhering to things. With over 400 sessions packed into just 5 days, attending the GDC is an exercise in scheduling with constraints and uncertainty. Various situations conspire to throw meticulous planning out of whack: meeting cool people whom you'd like to speak with for just a little longer, popular events being filled to capacity and unable to accommodate more people, lectures which don't turn out quite as expected, or new, compelling reasons to attend a session you previously overlooked.

I find that the optimal strategy is to keep options for each time slot ranked by priority, relevance and frequency of repeat, and to be prepared to revise ratings on the fly! Summaries on the timetable give some indication about what those sessions will cover, but exciting speeches (sometimes) hide behind boring titles!

4) GDC Conference Associates (CAs) are priceless, and are well worth talking to. Ubiquitous in their orange tee shirts, they are truly keyed into the pulse of the conference and a great source of information, experience, advice, party invites, food and all the things you might need. For everything else I wish I had a MasterCard.

5) Consider staying the weekend after! Not everyone rushes home after the conference, and it's a good time to catch up on networking and enjoy the sights of the host city that aren't bars or convention centers.

That said, I had a great time at GDC, and I really have to thank the IGDA for the experience.

 

Juergen Musil - Vienna University of Technology (Austria)

This year the International Game Developers Association made it possible for me to attend the Game Developers Conference 2006 in San José, California. In order to improve my game design abilities and to get a better understanding of the game industry, I left Vienna and made my way to the game industry's largest professional conference.

The first Steps

On my first day at the conference, I went to the IGDA booth where Rudy was slightly busy preparing everything for the next few days. I introduced myself and Rudy explained the best ways of ‘surviving' one's first GDC. Looking back, these tips were invaluable for me, as they made my life much easier during the conference. Here are a few guidelines, so that prospective scholarship students may benefit from it.

• Business Cards: Make a stack of nice business cards. Normally you will need about 100 to be on the safe side. At the end of every conversation ask people if you may give them your business card.
• Contact Possibilities: Set up an account for all common messaging systems (ICQ, Yahoo!, Skype, MSN, AIM) and put your account name(s) on your business card. This will ensure that anyone who would like to contact you can easily do so.
• Talk: Introduce yourself as an IGDA scholarship student, since this is good for the IGDA and good for you, and most people will take a little time to speak with you.
• Listen: You are at GDC to learn, so take advantage of this and ask professionals and industry veterans questions you have about the industry. Listen to what they tell you. Make notes so that you won't forget their views and recommendations—this will help give you a starting point when contacting them after the conference.
• Lodging: Get a map of the city where GDC takes place and try to get a room in the nearest, affordable hotel. If you really want to take advantage of the conference you will most likely join one of the parties after a busy GDC day. Since these parties are all near the conference area it comes very handy if you just have to walk a few minutes to get to your hotel, instead of paying every day for a taxi.
• If a person tells you to email him/her after the conference, do it! Also ask people if it is ok to stay in contact with them. Mail everyone from whom you got a business card, even if it takes a whole day!

IGDA and Mentors

Lauren McHugh from Maxis was my mentor, who guided me through the conference and introduced me to other game developers. Having such a mentor is a big plus when you are inexperienced and new in the game industry. The IGDA mentor program is a great idea, especially when the mentor's working field is the same as the mentee's.

Lectures, Sessions and more …

Making of Tabula Rasa: Lord British held a great lecture about the problems of creating a virtual world like Tabula Rasa. Surprisingly, the issues he encountered are not limited to Tabula Rasa; they occur when creating any huge virtual world. I found many parallels with my own RPG draft and learned how to address some bugs in my design appropriately. After the lecture I had a short but very informative talk with Richard Garriott about first steps when creating a virtual world from scratch. It was very inspiring, as I found new, more efficient approaches when setting up new worlds for my game universe.

Prototyping a game within 7 days: This was a fantastic lecture about rapid prototyping and the various possibilities of creating interactive prototypes. I was surprised that there is such a variety of tools and approaches. Also, I was fascinated by the side effects that appear during this process and the ways of using them. The lectures “Prototyping Civilization 4 ” and “Prototyping Spore” finally completed my prototyping focus, one of the most interesting areas of game design. During the expo I also learned a lot about special prototyping tools like Virtools and how to use them efficiently.

Game Academic Gathering: This event at the IGDA booth was great, as you had the possibility to meet game academics from all research fields and exchange views and ideas about game education, but also to critically examine problems in current education programs. The Academic Gathering made it possible for me to work together with talented game researchers and educators.

Choice Awards

I had the honour of being one of the scholars to assist staff during the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, where my colleagues and I had to usher award VIPs to their seat and keep the “check-in” rolling. It was an awesome atmosphere between the developers and the audience. David Perry and Tommy Tallarico did a fantastic job in moderating the ceremony and made the Choice Awards a very humorous and entertaining show.

Conclusion

All in all, the Game Developers Conference was the best thing to happen to me, as it opened my eyes and showed me new directions in which I have to develop myself so as to become a worthy member of the gaming industry. With the help of the IGDA, the guidance of professionals from all over the world and the assistance of my professors here in Vienna, I am determined to accomplish this aim. Furthermore, GDC strengthened my belief that my future lies in game design and gameplay engineering, having showed me my strengths and weaknesses. Lastly I would like to thank my parents, my aunt Beate and the IGDA who made one of the most remarkable experiences in my game developing career possible. Thank you all so much!

My GDC photo albums at Flickr:

• The day before GDC
• GDC 2006
• Choice Awards

Mansur Ahamed Nazimuddin - Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (India)

I first heard of the GDC way back in 2001. I had just started my first job as a software developer in Bangalore, India and the thought of a place where thousands of cool people who wrote games for a living met left me starry-eyed. Like the stories of the mythical Atlantis and Camelot, accounts of the GDC seemed to get more and more surreal every time they were told. I hoped to be able to go to the GDC some time in the future and meet people who loved games as much as I did.

Fast forward to 2006 and finally the plans were falling into place. I was just about to leave the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and had plans to start a game development studio once I graduated. And what better way to kick-start my studio than to get up-to-date with what was happening in the world of game development with a trip to the GDC. My only worry was that the GDC would fail to live up to all the expectations I had built over the years.

Was I ever wrong!

My first impression when I got to the GDC on the 20 th was of the sheer scale of the event. The San Jose Convention Center is an amazing venue for an event like the GDC and wherever I looked, I could see hundreds of people playing games on their handhelds, reading magazines on games and game development, and talking to each other about games. I felt unbelievably happy just to be there, and soak in the atmosphere.

The GDC passed in a blur of talks, lectures and meetings. At every session, I had the opportunity to not just learn something tremendously useful for starting off in game development, but also got to meet some amazing people who were at different stages in their careers and who had some really useful insights to share. I tried to absorb as much as I could, both during and after the talks, and tried to meet as many people as I could. I am by nature quite shy, but it was wonderful how friendly and generous people were, once I mustered the courage to go up and speak to them.

I loved most of the sessions I attended (except for one round-table on QA that I walked into by mistake), but the ones I found most useful and inspiring were the following:

How to Put the Fun Element in Mobile Games (Speaker: Mark Stephen Pierce): I really liked this talk because it reminded me of the importance of getting back to basics, especially in the mobile game space. With more processing power and better screens on mobiles, it is now possible to put almost console-quality games on the mobile phone. And with budgets on mobile projects increasing, studios are becoming less inclined to take risks on game concepts and design. This talk was a useful reminder of how in the buzz around better graphical capabilities and more powerful hardware, we tend to lose focus on the reason that we actually play games, and that is to have fun. I came out of the talk with a much clearer idea of priorities in designing a game.

From Design to Product: A Model for Independent Game Production (Speaker: Nick Soutter): Professionally, this was one of the talks most relevant to me. It opened my mind to a lot of possibilities in doing a game independently and on a modest budget. It was a very entrepreneur-oriented talk and it covered a lot of the aspects of bootstrapping a game, right from hiring and infrastructure issues to tips on saving money on software and tools. It was also inspirational in many ways and it was nice to see someone who had followed his heart in doing a game on his own, despite the challenges involved.

Platform Keynote: Disrupting Development (Speaker: Satoru Iwata): I knew this was going to be something special when I stepped out of the Convention Center and saw that the queue for the keynote stretched all the way around the block. I was one of the last people to get in and managed to find a place on the balcony, overlooking the stage at a very acute angle. While this meant that I could see Mr. Iwata only in profile and not much of the stage, it was a truly awesome experience listening to him. As a big Nintendo fan, this keynote would have been worth the effort to get in just to hear Mr. Iwata. But the talk proved much more than that and for me was one of the highpoints of the GDC. Nintendo's work in taking games to newer audiences and demographics, and the truly innovative nature of their game development philosophy, inspired me to try and emulate that way of thinking into my own studio.

It was difficult to pick just three sessions from five days of truly unparalleled learning, but each one of these talks was truly memorable, and I believe I learned the most from them.

I also learned a lot about getting the most of my time at the GDC:

Be Prepared: Boy Scout motto perhaps, but particularly true at the GDC. I found the GDC quite crazy in terms of everything that was happening there, most of it at the same time. I would suggest that listing out exactly which talks you want to go to, where and when they're scheduled and what you want to get out of them is really useful. A few of the talks have limited seating, so knowing where you want to be at a particular time will get you there early enough.

Talk to people: The game development community is exactly that: a community. And a very close-knit, friendly one at that. Being quite shy myself, I initially found it difficult going up to people and talking to them. As a student, you may feel that you don't have anything to contribute or add value to the person you approach, but most people in the community are amazingly friendly and will talk to you and give you invaluable input. Go up to them and start a conversation.

This was my first GDC, and an experience I will not forget. I am very grateful to the IGDA for helping make this possible and the support and encouragement they provided. I hope many more people over the years will benefit from this excellent program that the IGDA runs and will experience the wonders of the GDC. For me, it was an excellent first step in what I hope will be a long and enjoyable career in game development.

Danielle Oprean - East Tennessee State University

Among the crowds and crowds of people, job offerings and industry knowledge lurks. GDC ‘06, though small according to previous attendees, was large enough for me. If I could sum up the whole conference in two words I would probably say “no dead-time.” There was always someone to talk to or some event to attend, whether it was a roundtable, lecture, keynote, party, or the expo. My first experience at the GDC was really great and I really appreciate having had the opportunity to attend. I met so many people and formed some great friendships with the other scholarship recipients. GDC provided me with the knowledge I need to achieve my goal of breaking into the gaming industry.

Choosing specific sessions and lectures to attend turned out to be one of the hardest parts of going to the GDC. There were so many to choose from but I managed to pick a few to attend.

The first was Cinematic Game Design featuring Marty Stoltz and Richard Rouse III from Midway. This lecture was terrific to start off the conference with. Basically, the lecture covered adding common film techniques to games for an added cinematic effect. The content of the lecture was broken into nine cinema techniques. Each technique was supported with an example from a film and an example from a game. The room was crowded and should probably have been called ‘Standing Room Only' based upon the content and the fact that I--along with at least thirty other poor, info-hungry souls-- had to stand for the entire hour but, the presentation was well worth it.

The second lecture worth seeing was Case Study of a Japanese Casual Game Community Portal featuring Noriyoshi Murota from NHN Japan Corporation. This lecture was conducted in Japanese, which made the lecture even more interesting. Translators had to provide the actual information, which at times made the content of the lecture difficult to understand if one actually listened to them. Noriyoshi presented some interesting information on the Japanese Casual Game Community he worked with. I was surprised to see how popular Casual Games have become in Japan as well as how much money is spent on playing them. The games introduced were initially free but the social community that formed within the games led to a need to purchase “upgrades”. These upgrades dealt mainly with the avatars of the player. A player could purchase a cooler-looking outfit, change the background scenery, and acquire accessories for their avatar. I was actually surprised to learn that casual games are now a booming business and pull in a fairly large net income from just upgrade purchases.

The third lecture worth mentioning was The Game Design Challenge: The Nobel Peace Prize featuring Cliff Bleszinski, Harvey Smith, Keita Takahashi, and Eric Zimmerman. This lecture probably had the most audience participation of all the lectures I attended. Three game designers were given the challenge of designing a game with the Nobel Peace Prize as the topic. The audience then got to vote on the winning design after each presentation. Each idea was interesting and very diverse even though the designers worked from the same topic. The ideas ranged from serious games to the actual idea of using all games to promote peace. This lecture was great because it provided insight into how designers develop their ideas under specific time constraints.

For future scholarship recipients, take advantage of your mentors. The mentoring program was probably the most rewarding part of the scholarship experience. I enjoyed every minute spent talking with my mentor. Being a scholarship recipient at the conference also opens up all sorts of doors which may have been much harder to open otherwise. One such doorway would be invitations to parties. At parties you can really meet people and have a better chance of actually talking to them. Also, talk to everyone you can. I discovered that many times the people in the game industry are just as interested in you and what you are studying as you may be in them and their jobs. Something else I found helpful was to actually introduce yourself as an IGDA scholarship recipient. This is especially helpful if you are unsure of how to approach someone you want to talk to.

One last bit of advice would be to stay in touch with your mentors as well as other game industry people you meet. You never know when that contact will come in handy. To all future scholarship recipients: good luck, have fun, and make the best of GDC!

Megan Perry - Rensselear Polytechnic Institute

My overall impression of GDC 2006 is one of grand scope.  I was able to experience conversations and ideas with developers outside of my area and school. Talking and listening to others fleshed out my idea of the industry as a whole. Talking with others scholars and speaking at the education panel on Tuesday gave me a better understanding of the state of education in games. I was unable to attend sessions on Wednesday because I had commitments to the Game Choice Awards ceremony, but it was an experience I would gladly repeat; it further expanded my understanding of another aspect of our gaming industry.

The Nobel Prize game design challenge was one of my favorite sessions. The entries were very unique and all addressed the challenge in innovative ways. Using games as a tool to implement world peace is one of the best ideas I've ever heard.

Ernest Adams' session on interactive stories was very enlightening to me. His idea is that “go anywhere, do anything” in video games is an unrealistic expectation for any system or development team. It is simply not possible to implement “everything”. Including world and environment appropriate elements to a game and expanding the options to manipulate every existing object in a free roaming game can achieve a “go anywhere, do anything” effect.

The Shadow of the Colossus post mortem, “How the Right and Left Brain Learned to Love Each Other”, was very intriguing to me as a designer. It was aimed at programmers and how they can get their designers to be more involved in implementation. I really liked the idea of being able to place objects in levels and tweak elements in game like they were able to in “Colossus”. It also eliminates any communication errors between programmers and designers and artists if they can literally “show” each other what they want.

I would recommend for future scholars that they make at least a tentative schedule for every hour of each day they will be at GDC. Get to know your mentor as well as you can before you meet them so you can optimize your time together, as you will both be very busy. Don't be shy and talk to anyone and everyone you would like to. If you have to, make a list of questions or comments ahead of time so you don't flounder for words on the spot.

Michelle Pun - Carnegie Mellon University

Working in the game industry has always been a dream job of mine, and despite the industry's current growing pains, I think I still feel that way. Hence, throughout my experience at GDC 2006, I had this constant question in my head: ‘Is this really the industry I want to work in?' or to be more exact ‘Is the games industry still everything I dreamed and more?'

In order to answer that question, I didn't attend many of the high profile talks or keynotes. Instead I spent my time attending ‘boring' and ‘dry' production lectures and business talks. While my studies are focused on production, I have very little actual experience, so I wanted more exposure to current production issues and problems in the industry. This is where my awesome mentor comes in (Thank you, Sheri!). A few days before the conference, Sheri spent several hours with me over IM, going over all of the conference sessions. She recommended many sessions that I would never have thought of attending. Amongst these, the most memorable were:

Advanced Prototyping: Chaim Gingold and Chris Hecker's talk was an almost exhaustive coverage of the why's how's and what's of prototyping. They brought a refreshing approach to the table with their tips on quick methods (steal it, fake it or rehash it if you can) and uses of a prototype (sum = cheap + persuasive). The most valuable takeaway from this talk was the in depth analysis of ‘what' to prototype. Chaim and Chris talked about how to focus a prototype to answer a specific question – for example, the difference between prototypes for content or code and why you shouldn't test for both at the same time. Also useful was their take on the ‘economics of prototypes' and where to spend your resources. The overarching theme was to prototype quickly in order to answer your question. After all, as they said “no one can argue with a successful prototype”.

Agile Methodology in Game Development: I probably wouldn't have attended this talk, if it hadn't been for Sheri's high recommendation. Sheri explained that many studios were considering Agile Methodology and as a producer in training, I should learn more development styles. While I regret missing the Will Wright talk, this lecture was a great glimpse into the production field. I've learned about older methods in school and it was interesting to see how people in the industry were trying to improve on them. The talk felt a little idealistic, especially when you wonder if many studios would be willing to change their habits. Yet it seems to be working well for High Moon Studios and other companies who've tried it. Agile Methodology certainly has many worthy values and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this in the coming years.

Emotional Character Control of Shadow of the Colossus: There was a lot of technical talk during this lecture, but what I found most telling wasn't how they solved their problems, but rather the attitude that this team had. What struck me the most was that this team basically said ‘all the methods that other companies think are too expensive or tedious, we still did it because it added emotional value to the game.' While my statement may be a grand generalization, I'm still impressed by the multiple layers of animations, expensive deformation collisions and character controls. Most impressive of all was that they allowed their designers to manage a lot of the data, even though this caused loads of designer-created critical bugs. I don't know if I will ever be in a position where I will happily take the risks that this team did, but I will continue to be inspired by their dedication to high quality games.

Out of all the great memories of GDC, one of the most interesting was at the Fairmount Bar, when one developer asked me if I ever felt embarrassed as a female game developer. I have to admit that there are many moments when I flip through an EGM or PC Gamer that I really wonder what I'm doing in this industry. Luckily, for every male-oriented game, there are women like Sheri Graner Ray, my mentor Sheri Pocilujko and other women in the IGDA who have worked years in the industry and still haven't given up. It was a great experience to meet all of them and talk to female veteran developers who understood my concerns and shared the same gaming interests.

Advice to students!

Spend time at the IGDA lounge: This is one bit of advice I wish I had in mind while I was at GDC. Since I was helping out at my school's booth, I spent all my ‘non-session' hours on the expo floor instead of hanging out with my fellow scholars. As a result, I only really chatted with those I met during the scholar orientation and missed out on a lot of interesting people. Hopefully we'll all keep in touch via email and such, and I can make up for lost time.

Get a hotel near the convention center: Hotels around this time of the year can be pricey, but the extra dough may be worth it when you think about all the late night hang outs you'll be missing out on, especially if you don't have your own transportation. I stayed at our school's west coast dorms that were out in Mountain View. While I appreciate the school for footing our boarding, it was a bit of a let down to have to leave every night at 9 pm on our bus, when other attendees were still partying the night away. As many people will tell you, contacts are usually made off the conference floor, when everyone's relaxed and chatty – so plan in advance and live close by.

Emily Carol Scrivner - Full Sail

First I want to thank the IGDA for giving me this wonderful opportunity. It was an experience I don't think I shall ever forget. I also want to thank my mentor,

Rachel Hardwick, for being so nice and giving me so much to think about in terms of what I want to do in the game industry. The conference was huge and there were so many people but all I had to do was sit down for a minute and someone would sit next to me and I would spend the next thirty minutes just talking about their jobs. I met people from all corners of the industry and they were all ready to talk and were super nice.

A little about my week:

Tuesday March 21

My cab pulled up to the convention center on the Tuesday of the convention and I was so excited that I was going to meet new people and gain new experiences. I then met all the other students who were all just as excited as I was. We all went to tour EA which was very fun. I got to see the biggest game company in the world. They were all so nice and the complex was huge. Then it was back to the IGDA party to meet some of the other members.

Wednesday March 22

The next day consisted of keynote speeches and then I went with my mentor to visit Secret Level. It was a great tour and I met so many nice people. I also got to see what a smaller studio was like and I saw a very energetic atmosphere and it made me even more excited to be coming into this field. Then it was back to the convention center to get ready to help out with the awards ceremony where I got to help seat some of the game industry “gods”. I had a great time and I think all scholars had a fun time too.

Thursday March 23

When I woke up on Thursday I arrived early to wait in line to see Satoru Iwata speak. I learned a lot of great things about Nintendo. Then it was back to the end of the line to see Will Wright, and again the line went all the way around the building. When I got in to see him it was great and I learned a lot of new things.

Then it was back to the main conference building to go to a roundtable that I had been eyeing. I had a nice discussion about women in the industry and by the time that let out I spent a little time on the floor talking to everybody I could possibly meet. I talked to I think every booth in the career section, discussing what they want in employees and what job opportunities were available. I was invited to the Microsoft Women in Games party at the Fairmont, where I met even more great people. Then I went from suite party to suite party meeting more and more people.

 

3 Favorite Sessions

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's speech was standing room only. He talked about all the advances that the company was making in the Wi Fi department. The Nintendo DS is a great little machine and to hear all of the great things that they have in store for it was fascinating. He revealed a couple of games for the DS, one of which he actually gave to everyone as a gift. He then talked about the new revolution controller and why they chose that type of design. All in all, the speech was great and it gave me the impression that Nintendo is ready for the next-gen systems.

Will Wright's speech on game design was jam packed and everyone was eagerly awaiting information on his project, Spore. He started off by talking about game design, but then he would switch off and start talking about astrobiology. His views on extraterrestrial life and other universes were very informative and you could see the creative mind he has. The games he has created stem from a fascination with the universe and it was very apparent in the speech he gave.

Attracting Women to the Game Industry was one of the roundtable discussions I went to.

It was very informative and I learned how the industry thinks they can get more women to want to work in game companies. I might not have agreed with everything they said but I do think that there are ways to attract more women to the industry and that they are heading in the right direction to achieve that.

GDC and YOU!

If you are a student planning to attend GDC, the best advice I can give you is dress comfortably and be prepared to talk a lot. If you want to meet someone, learn something, or just gush all over your game idol you are going to have to talk to people. I saw so many students just sitting all alone together just looking at people. I shook everybody's hand I could get to at the career booths and I learned exactly what is expected of me when I leave school and it gave me a new outlook on what I was hoping to accomplish in life. I had a great experience but there just wasn't enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do. To all future GDC scholarship recipients: congrats and enjoy!

Gabriel Smedresman - Yale University

Experiencing the Game Developer's Conference was a fabulous opportunity for me, and I am very thankful to Rudy and the International Game Developers Association for kindly sponsoring my attendance. The classes were engaging, relevant, and interesting, and I definitely took the opportunity to go to as many as I could fit into my schedule. I learned something from all of them, whether they were relevant to my immediate interests or not. The exposition was fun and full of bright lights, and the parties were pretty nifty.

But I have to say that the most important part of the whole experience, for me, was having Chris as my industry mentor, and Mike as well. They are great guys, and answered all the questions I had, and further, gave me a feel of what working at a real studio is like. I know that I love making games, but it was having breakfast with my mentors every day of the GDC that really convinced me that this industry is the one I want to be in.

It was intense, it was tiring, it was spectacular at times. It was a whole lot of intense conversation with other people just as excited about the possibilities of games as I am. It was getting to see (some of) the people who have worked on games that I rave over, in person. It was learning that I can speak to them, that I know what I'm about and that I have something to add. I'm so glad I could come, and I am sure this won't be the last time.

So many classes were great, but I'll quickly summarize three of them that stood out.

How to Prototype a Game in 7 Days was a rapid-fire lecture given by two Carnegie Mellon grads named Kyle who set themselves the task of making a game every week, each, for an entire semester. They did so, and learned a lot in the process. The task they set themselves was bound to amazing results, but these guys were up to the challenge: in particular, they had the sense of humor, artistic sense, programming know-how and strong concept work required to make successful prototypes. Here are some of the things they (and I) learned:

• Brainstorming doesn't work. Inspiration does not strike on tap.
• Constraint is good for creativity.
• If you can get away with it, fake it. What's important is how the game plays.
• Shoot your babies in the crib. Literally. Naw, it's metaphorical…or is it?
• ‘emotional prototypes'
• Embrace risk.

Advanced Prototyping was a lecture given by Chiam Gingold and Chris Hecker of Maxis, both of whom are working on Spore. Their basic message is: prototype! Prototyping is an effective tool, here's how to make a good one.

• Prototypes are interesting, cheap, interactive, sexy, and non-B.S.
• Ask a question, answer it with a prototype. They will not generate ideas.
• Be lazy.
• Try to find/steal stuff. Gather reference material.
• Fail early.
• Limit scope to what is absolutely necessary.
• Don't optimize anything.
• Code vs. content.
• Code = understanding of problem. Expensive to start, gets cheaper to add features
• Content = emotional and impact. Same cost throughout.

Munging AI Roundtable was an interesting discussion which, while not directly related to my field of study, proved educational anyway. The basic issue here was: when do you have to ‘munge,' or tweak, adjust, alter, or otherwise compromise the integrity of, an AI solution? The answer: very often . Academic AI and machine learning frameworks, even when they're not too slow to run on the 5% processor they'll get if they're lucky, most often just don't result in behavior that--and this is key--looks right. Or rather, as it was put, the ultimate goal is “AI that doesn't do anything stupid.”

This means that, if you've got a player resembling Michael Jordan playing basketball, you've already established a willing suspension of disbelief—that AI will have to do something pretty outrageous to convince the user that that character is not, indeed, Michael Jordan. Ivory-tower AI algorithms that are not customized to the game situation often do just that, and this is, in a large part, where the academia – industry divide comes in. Industry programmers are upset when academics don't consider the application, and are happy when academics do think of the context in which their work is used. That, ultimately, was the most important lesson of the roundtable.

I have one piece of advice for all students who go to the GDC, on scholarship or not, and it's not original: take advantage of the opportunity! This is a primarily social thing: ask questions, introduce yourself, speak! (corollary: speak intelligently, don't talk about something you know nothing about and expect approbation for it) Talk to people! Get friends to introduce you to other people, because introductions are good, and make it far less awkward to accomplish this whole thing. So many interesting people go here—if you know of one, do your research and approach him. Chances are, he won't respond to your follow-up email after the conference. No matter! Live the dream!

Also, go to classes. And collect t-shirts.

Courtney Soest - Art Institute of CA Orange County

Pushing your mind and body to the limits for a glimpse inside the industry.

The Game Developers Conference of 2006 has been an experience I will never forget. As a Scholarship winner from the International Game Developers Association, I was honored to attend the expo along with my fellow scholars, to see the many educational lectures and enlightening keynotes throughout the week.

 

The scholars not only reinforced my beliefs that there are in fact people out there like me. The true go-getters that not only like to make games but also have a creative mind to argue ideas about the future of our industry. This slowly built throughout the week as my love of the industry was constantly reinforced by meeting tons of industry professionals at the bustling Fairmont Hotel. Having long conversations about a myriad of topics, yet all of them pertaining to the subjects that I love!

I personally have been going to the Electronic Entertainment Expo for the last 3 years and I always leave with a bad taste in my mouth, as it has the overall feel of a Media cesspit rather than a venue for developers to talk to other developers. All of the developer interaction appears to be taken care at the Game Developers Conference. So make sure you are there to catch some of the action!

As the week went on you really started to realize that the best information was being shared during the lectures throughout the day. While the expo hall can be very tempting with the bright lights and fast-paced games, your time is better spent getting all of the advice and insight to be gained from the lectures, keynotes, and roundtables.

As an aspiring producer I was lucky enough to be linked up with an Associate Producer from Relic Entertainment. He helped guide me by showing me which lectures would be good to see, and also by constantly opening the window to how some of the production is handled in the industry. We discussed future changes that may occur in how production is managed. Soon he had me thrown in the deep end in the production lectures and round tables, which discussed unknown topics to me such as Scrum and the Agile Methodologies. It was awesome to see what some shops are moving toward to keep the teams cohesive and productive during their crazy production schedules.

Throughout the 3 days I must have gone to 4 lectures and 1 roundtable about Agile Methodologies (I slowly got a grasp of it, all the while gaining exposure of who was using it and its real world advantages\disadvantages). This becomes one of the most useful stepping stones for when you go out that night, as you can use what you have learned that day to spark up conversations with people later at the parties.

Your real time to shine is after the sun goes down. I spent almost every night out, roaming from party to party and talking with as many people as I could. However the stress and drinking that occurs can take a toll on your body. I ended up pushing it a bit top far which sadly wound me up at my hotel longer that I wished to stay.

 

In the end it's important to remember why you are there. It should be your goal to show the industry exactly why it needs you! Make sure to talk about your various accomplishments, but never force anything on a person. Conversations should be give and take, where you learn about each other so that maybe later they will be interested enough to really want to hear more.

As the week came to an end I was left burnt out, seeking the refuge of my own bed. I find myself constantly thinking back on the Game Developers Conference, and the people I had met. On that note, every time you think about a person that caught your attention, remember that you need to keep in touch with them! This is vital and can make the difference between a person you once met, and a true industry contact that could help you in the future.

I want to thank the entire IGDA for all of this! As a loyal member since 2002, you have never let me down, and have had a huge impact on what I have learned and the achievements I have had in the gaming industry.

Thank You!

Duncan Thum - University of Southern California

My experience at GDC was, unfortunately, a short lived one (I had to leave early because I got engaged… just kidding). However, I was able to glean some important information while I was there. There is one thing I must mention before I continue: I was on the audio track which is quite different than the programming or visual track. There are fewer major keynotes, and overall, the range of lectures provided is focused closely on the technical aspects of mixing and recording. While this is great, it only covers one half of the brain's desires. I was hoping for a few more lectures concerning composition and/or the creative side of making music and sound for games. I found myself more interested in the conceptual game design lectures than the audio ones.

The most important part of GDC is the time you spend with your mentor. They will give more valuable information than any lecture. Spend as much time with them as you can without “over-staying your welcome.” As most people will say, GDC is about networking and meeting people who work in games, and your mentor will introduce you to lots of people (when you meet people for the first time your mentor can break the ice for you). This is key. While we're on the subject, GDC is just a mask for an elaborate job-hunting game that goes on during this week. To say that people go to GDC to “socialize” is a loaded statement. Don't get me wrong, the keynotes and lectures are fun and informative, but I didn't meet a single person who was there explicitly to see that special 9 a.m. Friday morning roundtable. It is a legitimized networking junction utilized by game developers to maneuver about in an already crowded job field.

I don't mean to paint a stark picture, but I am trying to be as honest and candid as possible. As a scholar, unless you're quite adept, don't expect to walk out of this thing with medical benefits. What you can do is meet the person who knows the person who knows of a job opening in X's company. Don't bother with your resume or anything. Instead, bring some specialized cards bearing your contact information. If you impress someone, they will keep it and contact you for your credentials later. Oh yeah: don't write on Japanese cards.

The long and short of it is to go have fun at bars with your scholar buddies, meet some people, and check out whatever Nintendo is doing.

Lectures and such… I'll try to write about audio ones because I doubt that anyone else went to any.

G.A.N.G Demo Derby: Hosted by the Game Audio Network Guild, here you'll find a slew of generally dramatic (if you're me) would-be film scores by composers looking for recognition. I don't know why it is that so many American games use music fit for elevators and made for Lifetime movies, but it seems to be the gold standard. Some pieces were composed by obviously well-versed musicians; others by those who've spent a few too many free hours with Reason and Ableton Live. It's, well… an endurance test. Where are you when we need you, Nobuo Uematsu? The advantage of attending is to get a sense of what you're up against if you're interested in making music for games.

Dynamic Sound Positioning: Tales of Audio in the Third Dimension: This “eerily” titled lecture was all tech. Welcome to the world of 5.1 Joystick mixing in XBOX 360 land. I admit that 3D audio positioning is awesome. Scott Selfon made car engines and helicopters buzz around the room for an hour, topping it off with all the reverb roll-off and variable delay specs you could want to know.

God of War: Sound and Music Production – This one was a course in making a soundtrack for a game. I enjoyed the special emphasis on the collaborative process. This was especially interesting for those (me) who want to know how to pick the best music for a game, how to realize and then record it, and then to implement it in the context of the story. Hosted by the ‘who's who' of Audio at Sony.

In conclusion, GDC is a great opportunity and you should take advantage of it if you can. Be smart about it though, you want to “meet people,” but really what that means is have fun and you'll make friends with people naturally. One more thing: never call it “the industry.”