GDC 2010

This was my first year attending a Game Developers Conference and I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had never gone to one before because the ticket prices are insane, unless you're a student. Since I haven't been a student for years, there was no way I'd really be able to afford to go. However, fortune smiled upon me and a ticket was dropped into my lap mid-day on the second-to-last day of the show. The ticket was only good for the Expo floor and not the talks, but it was good enough just to be able to see what the show is all about for a little over a day.

What I noticed most about the show is its distinct lack of cosplayers and booth babes. The lone cosplayer I saw was some guy at some booth dressed in a steampunk outfit. I've had more than my fill of steampunk related costumes over the past couple years, so I passed on taking his photo. GDC is much more business job orientated, though, and I suppose you would want to walk up to someone that may interview you dressed in full cosplay garb; although they would certainly remember you. Companies are chatting with one another about their technologies and students are handing in their resumes and reels in hopes of landing a gig at their favorite game company. The expo floor was small compared to any other convention I've attended. I was able to cover the entire expo floor in little over an hour, so the rest of the hours I was there were spent just wandering slowly around, checking something out from time to time. The best parts about the show for me were the two things I already wrote about, Zombrex and Steve Wiebe. I would certainly go again, but unless I can get into the talks just a day scouting the expo floor would be good enough. There was free beer on Friday evening, which was cool. I also got a free lunch thanks to some business man who gave me his lunch ticket because he was invited out to another lunch. A gallery of photos and more of my experience at the show from my endless wandering of GDC '10 follow below.


The PlayStation booth was the flashiest booth of the show because it did everything. Except make me lunch.	While I was playing Sin and Punishment 2 at the Nintendo booth, a blonde chick (possibly Raychul, but I didn't get a good look at her) was interviewing a guy about the game. I know at least the game footage from when I was playing was in the background of the video, but I might be, too.

The big news was the PlayStation Move, so here it is by itself, one of the only times that someone was not trying it out.	The Autodesk booth looked like it was made entirely of cardboard. How eco-friendly.

The LucasArts booth felt just like home, if my home had a giant Empire Strikes Back poster as a wall.	I took a picture of this recruitment booth because it had the Mortal Kombat logo on it. Seriously.

You could get inside this thing and walk around it while wearing a pair of VR goggles and shooting things in some FPS game.	The Xbox 360 booth was kind of boring.

Super Stardust HD in Stereoscopic 3D actually looked pretty good and didn't make my eyes hurt after 5 seconds.	The Guerrilla Games booth was hidden in a corner that few people traveled to on the floor.

One of the many attendees that tried the PlayStation Move with whatever this fighting game was.	Oh, hey, you can also use the Move to bathe your EyePet. Fantastic.

There was never not a line of people submitting their resumes and reels at the Blizzard booth.	Ubisoft makes that Splinter Cell game that kept getting delayed.

This is the part where I mention StarCraft II.	The Eve Online booth had a few models of their cool-looking space ships.

I can always appreciate cool spaceship models.	They also had the free beer.