I survived the 2009 Game Developers Conference
I'm back from the 2009 Game Developers Conference. Sore, exhausted, and all that jazz. The good news is that I didn't get blisters. The bad news is that I may have something worse.
A little background for those of you unfamiliar with the event. The Game Developers Conference (formerly the Computer Game Developers Conference) was started by Chris Crawford, an eccentric game designer thought by some to be a genius when he invited 23 people to come to his house and talk about game development. Later that year, a collection of industry professionals organized the first commercial incarnation at a Silicon Valley hotel and the whole thing started to snowball. Five years later, the CGDC has hundreds of attendees and a few dozen Conference Associates aka CAs aka volunteers, one of which is me. It's 1992 and for the first and last time, the CAs are issued official black tshirts to identify them. Since black tshirts are often worn by attendees, CAs in later years will always wear bright colors.
I show up early last Sunday to help set things up. The GDC is now held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Parking is at a premium, so I get dropped off by my folks. I like spending time with other CAs so I use the CA housing program. You send them money, they arrange for hotel rooms with other CAs so you can return in groups. The Moscone is on the edge of the downtown area and if you stray a few blocks in the wrong directions, you can find some pretty dodgy neighborhoods. Somehow, for the past three years it's been in San Francisco, every year, I find myself in hotels that are progressively farther and farther away. This year, it's about a 20 minute walk away from the West hall. I would gripe, but I'm sharing the room with two CA staff. (they're like the NCOs of the CA army) Obviously, they aren't playing favorites. It's a good idea grouping up for the walks back to hotels at night. There are many panhandlers and even less pleasant people on the streets.
The show is separated in two main phases. The first two days are for summits and tutorials. The next three days are the main show. During the main show, the expo opens, which is where vendors try to get you to use their software or hardware or services. I didn't spend a lot of time in there, but I didn't see the maids this year. (the picture below is from 2007)
Also the career pavilion opens wednesday, which is where companies that are looking for new employees collect resumes and cards. Lots of people there, especially friday, when students can buy a cheaper pass that allows them to attend a few seminars directed at people new or trying to get into the industry, the job fair, and the expo. It's a zoo.
Tuesday morning, something went wrong and my foot really started hurting. Lucky for us there is a CA staffer who is a licensed massage therapist. He thinks that it might be the onset of plantar fasciitis. This is bad news because I need to be mobile. I get an ankle wrap and soldier on. That night, I iced the foot as best I could.
Luckily for me, it settled down over the next two days and by Friday, I was feeling good enough to take a shift for a friend who was looking to trade a strenuous job for a sedentary one. I still feel a little stiff and have been warned to avoid walking around barefoot first thing in the morning.
I'll post more as my brain recovers and I remember all the cool things that happened last week. This is seriously the best event of the year for me this year and pretty much every year. As tired as I am right now, I can't wait for GDC 2010.
A little background for those of you unfamiliar with the event. The Game Developers Conference (formerly the Computer Game Developers Conference) was started by Chris Crawford, an eccentric game designer thought by some to be a genius when he invited 23 people to come to his house and talk about game development. Later that year, a collection of industry professionals organized the first commercial incarnation at a Silicon Valley hotel and the whole thing started to snowball. Five years later, the CGDC has hundreds of attendees and a few dozen Conference Associates aka CAs aka volunteers, one of which is me. It's 1992 and for the first and last time, the CAs are issued official black tshirts to identify them. Since black tshirts are often worn by attendees, CAs in later years will always wear bright colors.
I show up early last Sunday to help set things up. The GDC is now held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Parking is at a premium, so I get dropped off by my folks. I like spending time with other CAs so I use the CA housing program. You send them money, they arrange for hotel rooms with other CAs so you can return in groups. The Moscone is on the edge of the downtown area and if you stray a few blocks in the wrong directions, you can find some pretty dodgy neighborhoods. Somehow, for the past three years it's been in San Francisco, every year, I find myself in hotels that are progressively farther and farther away. This year, it's about a 20 minute walk away from the West hall. I would gripe, but I'm sharing the room with two CA staff. (they're like the NCOs of the CA army) Obviously, they aren't playing favorites. It's a good idea grouping up for the walks back to hotels at night. There are many panhandlers and even less pleasant people on the streets.
The show is separated in two main phases. The first two days are for summits and tutorials. The next three days are the main show. During the main show, the expo opens, which is where vendors try to get you to use their software or hardware or services. I didn't spend a lot of time in there, but I didn't see the maids this year. (the picture below is from 2007)
Also the career pavilion opens wednesday, which is where companies that are looking for new employees collect resumes and cards. Lots of people there, especially friday, when students can buy a cheaper pass that allows them to attend a few seminars directed at people new or trying to get into the industry, the job fair, and the expo. It's a zoo.
Tuesday morning, something went wrong and my foot really started hurting. Lucky for us there is a CA staffer who is a licensed massage therapist. He thinks that it might be the onset of plantar fasciitis. This is bad news because I need to be mobile. I get an ankle wrap and soldier on. That night, I iced the foot as best I could.
Luckily for me, it settled down over the next two days and by Friday, I was feeling good enough to take a shift for a friend who was looking to trade a strenuous job for a sedentary one. I still feel a little stiff and have been warned to avoid walking around barefoot first thing in the morning.
I'll post more as my brain recovers and I remember all the cool things that happened last week. This is seriously the best event of the year for me this year and pretty much every year. As tired as I am right now, I can't wait for GDC 2010.