The Survival Talk
(imagined a crumpled list, perhaps it has been stepped on or ripped by being caught in an escalator; hopefully you are in better shape than the dirty tattered thing remaining):
1.) Don't put aspiring anywhere in your GDC badge title. Reason? Well, the short of it is everyone is aspiring to something, or should be. Find a label for yourself that matches you as closely as possible so you don't basically label yourself a GDC noob. A speaker commented about this and I turned my badge around in shame when I spoke to him lol. The badge title can help you meet people, or not meet people in this case (though if they get close enough to read your badge they're close enough to better explain at least!).
2.) If you want to get into a popular talk show up at least an hour early. Popular talks may vary, but a common thread is: if you see people from Riot or Blizzard speaking this is likely to be popular. If in doubt, show up early if you really care about seeing or hearing the thing to check the line. Also, the portfolio critiques are popular. Bring your own device as well (I was looking around at all the portable portfolios and initially thought my phone would work in a pinch, but it apparently doesn't support flash). They might have had laptops, but the guy with the ask me shirt said they probably didn't. Lesson learned: be more prepared and observant earlier instead of passing time with a book. The upside is at least it was a good book.
3.) If you are attending an igda meeting the floor is pretty open... Ask questions earlier. I wanted to know more about the Atavism plugin, so I ended up asking around after and no one knew about it. I guess ultimately that means it isn't popular or well known and my initial thought of too good to be true is correct. Or it could mean someone knew something but since I didn't ask the entire room at once when I had the chance I will never know!
4.) When looking for food or whatever the people you met can point you in the right direction. If you lose all your friends after the first day at least your phone will still be there.
5.) If you lose all your friends after the first day and find yourself on your own don't panic or get depressed. In fact this might be an advantage, people flying it solo are easier to approach, and you can also approach others easier as well.
6.) Networking woes. if you are worried about networking, don't be. Even if you absolutely suck at talking to people you will end up talking to people and learning a ton if nothing else. However, it is a great opportunity to just walk up and ask someone who might be a big deal some noob question. They are surprisingly approachable, and while they might not hire you for some dream job they can and will try to help you out by answering a couple questions. Nothing is lost by talking, and yeah it can be scary, but if you know you have some skills or are looking for something let people know! If you don't have some skills or know you need to improve try to find similar skill levels to work with (personally I like online forums more for this like tigsource, but it can work in person too).
7.) Most importantly think of what you gained. Many people I talked to were jealous I got to go to this event when they couldn't. I mean a lot of people do get the chance to go but in the big scheme of things that bunch of people swarming around in the conference is about as many that attend a popular university. Speaking of which, I compare everything I learned and did to about a years worth of classes. So much is out there that you have access to and it is all in one place: industry experts, new tech demos, students looking for work, employers looking to hire. It is like one massive convention with something for pretty much anyone into this sort of thing. So if you do get the chance to go I would definitely recommend it, even if you have to attend on your own for the most part. The city is noisy, and annoying in my opinion, but the conference is like going to one of the most intense schools ever.
closing remarks: You might be asking why I wrote this little guide or list of tips. Well, partially for myself, but also because I couldn't find a lot of accounts about what the conference was like as a whole. I want to remember that 1st GDC, there will never be another one for me personally (I mean another 1st, it is gone like many other 1st experiences one may have). Another question might be: why is stuff about GDC on your game design blog? Because a trip like this changes ones perspective. You see people in all walks of life at all ages discussing games and tech. The advice given in the talks has definitely influenced how I approached designing games. That is why it is all here. Anyways, I hope any who read this enjoy my little survival guide, I definitely enjoyed the experience that inspired it. See you in a bit after I recover, hopefully all my projects are still doing well and ready for my return!
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