DC Summer is Coming Next Week

DC Summer is next week, taking place virtually Tuesday, August 4 through Thursday, August 6! With the conference quickly approaching, we wanted to share some important GDC news, information about how to attend with a press pass and more.

1) GDC Summer’s Online Platform is Now Live

If you are already registered, you should have recently received an email invitation to log into the GDC Summer platform. If you’re having trouble finding your login email, make sure to check your spam folders and whitelist the hello@swapcard.com email address.

Upon logging in, you will be taken to the platform where you can update your profile, view all sessions, speakers and more. For many helpful tips on how to access sessions and interact with other attendees, please see the official GDC video tutorials here: https://gdconf.com/event-resources

By default, your profile is hidden so that it doesn’t show up in the GDC Summer networking tool. You can change this setting whenever you would like. To do so, go to the “Meetings & Networking” tab, and at the bottom of the left column you will be able to toggle the setting called “Visibility”. You can view an image of how to toggle the setting here.

You can also download free apps for GDC Summer for your mobile devices for iOS and Android.

2) New Ask Me Anything Sessions

GDC organizers are excited to debut a new series of “Ask Me Anything” live Q&A sessions at GDC Summer, in which attendees will have the opportunity to ask industry experts practical questions about key topics in game development. These AMAs are part of the all-digital GDC Summer’s new lineup of interactive sessions, and each will give attendees 30 minutes to discuss important topics and issues in game development with luminaries from across the industry, including:

During“Ask Me Anything: Production Q&A with Rod Fergusson” attendees will have opportunities to chat with Veteran game producer and Blizzard VP Rod Fergusson and ask questions about the ins and outs of game production.

Attendees can speak with EA SPORTS’ Accessibility Lead Karen Stevens during “Ask Me Anything: Accessibility Q&A with Karen Stevens” and share questions on game development best practices, workplace best practices, and how supporting those with disabilities leads to better products for all.

During “Ask Me Anything: Unionizing the Games Industry Q&A with Kevin Agwaze” attendees can speak with Game Workers Unite’s Treasurer Kevn Agwaze and discuss the current state of unionisation in the global games industry and the recent formation of game workers unions all over the world.

3) Highlighted Sessions

GDC Summer will feature sessions from the game studios and companies behind some of the industry’s biggest innovations and most beloved games. We’ve highlighted a few recently announced sessions below:

Niantic senior game designer Laura Warner and senior software engineer Kirsten Koa will present “AR Game Design 101”, a crash course in how the team behind Pokemon Go tackles the challenges of blending the digital world with every-day real world experiences.

Veteran game maker Brenda Romero will present “Hidden Histories”, an insightful and informative look back at the legacies of women who contributed mightily to the advancement of computers and programming, yet were overlooked by history.

In a special talk titled “Destructible Environments in ‘CONTROL’: Lessons in Procedural Destruction,” Remedy Entertainment’s Johannes Richter will give attendees a practical walkthrough of the technology used and lessons learned while creating the destructible world of Control’s Oldest House.

4) State of the Industry: Work from Home Edition Results

The organizers of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) released the results of the State of the Industry: Work from Home Edition survey, which provides a snapshot of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the game industry.

The main themes and takeaways from the nearly 2,500 game developers polled are:

• The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affected the business of a majority of game developers, with some seeing upticks even as others suffer significant business downturns.
• 34% said they saw business decline, 37% said it remained about the same, and 31% said they saw business increase.
• While less than 10% of developers have been laid off or furloughed due to COVID-19, 26% of respondents said that their household income has fallen.
• 33% reported that their games were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• COVID-19 has taken a toll on quality of life, productivity, mental and emotional health for game developers.
• Poor communication, isolation, and lack of access to critical tools are some of the common challenges devs are dealing with right now.
• Nearly ½ respondents cited productivity dropped; ⅓ said creativity decreased.
• The amount of hours worked increased for nearly half of developers.

A full detailed analysis of the survey results can be found at:

https://reg.gdconf.com/soti-wfh-2020?kcode=SOTIPR

5) Have you pre-registered for your GDC Summer media badge yet?

The GDC Press team is happy to provide you with a complimentary all-access Press Pass, so you can attend GDC Summer wherever you are, with no travel or lodging expenses in the way!

You should have already received your press invitation for GDC Summer via email, but if you have trouble locating it, please notify the GDC Press Team and we’ll help you register.

If you know of any journalists who want to register for a media pass to GDC Summer, please have them submit a request to the GDC Press Team at gdcpress@fortyseven.com. To register for the conference, we ask that they have the following information available to expedite the process of reviewing applications:

Three published editorial pieces that you have authored within the past year on topics relevant to the GDC

GDC Summer is right around the corner, so please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you ahead of the conference!

Source:GDC