It's really hard not to sit here, look back on GDC, and not be
seriously fucking depressed. Simply put, there's just too much to do
in 5 days, and when you're sick (I picked up some sort of con crud on
the way in to San Jose, and am still recovering), that makes it even
harder. I know I made a lot of great connections, I met lot of really
awesome people, I didn't miss too much at the parties (I saw nothing
NEAR roomba frogger level at GDC, which obviously means people weren't
drinking enough), but still, when you go through your daily blogs and
realize "Oh SHIT, that person was there?!", it's kind of a downer.
Now, you've gotta realize, there's like, 12,000 people at GDC, and
it'd be impossible to ferret out everyone I wanted to meet, but I
suppose that'll just drive me for next year. I'm nothing if not
oblivious to common sense.
Here's the coverage I've found of the Sex In Games Lecture:
4Gamer Coverage - Japanese Link
YoshiNogi Coverage - Japanese Link
Linden Ops - Phoenix Linden's Observations
While the lecture did go very well, I think the much more important
event was the "Murder, Sex, and Censorship" panel, which has
been getting a good bit of coverage. Whether you liked their
arguments or not, it was good to see some discussion on the issue at a
game conference.
In terms of other things bloggable, well, I'll be talking about the
AmBX presentation over on Nonpolynomial Labs here in a bit, but
I'll just go ahead and say that I was slightly underwhelmed.
Anyways, my takeaways from GDC:
- Don't get sick before conferences.
- Driving sounds nice until you're doing it.
- 15 hours into driving, nothing sounds nice. NOTHING.
- This is a conference about making things that people use to have
fun. The bet for the best contacts is to find the people who
look/sound like they're having the most fun making things that make
other people have fun, and listen to them well.
- Only CEOs can do their hair like that. Don't even try. They go to college for this stuff.
- "Game Design Ninjas" need to learn some social ettiquite
- No one in the game industry wants to hire a robotics engineer.
Remember the last robot in gaming? The NES ROB? Yeah. (All of you
who know about the Aibo PS2 interaction game Deka Voice get a
gold star next to your name.)
- Therefore, be a software engineer. Yes. Software. Recruiters like
software.
- It's kinda weird to wave sex toys at a conference and then go hand
out your resume. Just make sure to put away that tag that proclaims
you "GOD OF TELEDILDONICS" before you hit recruiters row. While it
may strike up a fun conversation, it can be a little offputting when
you ask "So, what positions do you have open?".
- The talk you go to will probably be good. The other 10 you miss
going to that one will be just as good.
- Game design is hard. But really fucking neat.
- Tutorials are way, way better when the presenter is wearing a top hat.
(The fact that it's a renowned game designer doesn't hurt either,
but the hat, it rules.)
- Come to think of it, hats are an VERY important thing, as long as
your hat isn't like anyone else's hat. The Hat People will always
find each other. The Hat People are powerful. You will know the Hat
People. You will know us by our Hats.
- If you are introduced to someone stupidly famous, STFU and enjoy
listening to them talk to someone they actually know. You'll learn
way more than just blurting out "HOLY SHIT DID YOU KNOW YOU MADE
(insert game here)?!"
- Just because it's a game conference doesn't mean the art wall can't resemble something from a Sci-Fi/Fantasy con.
When the Sex in Games lecture features your art wall, maybe you
should take a step back and consider your judges (and the "FBI:
Female Boob Inspector" pins they're wearing).
- If you are wearing a shirt that lets other people know you are you,
make sure that shirt doesn't happen to match the volunteer shirt
color.
- Someone will always have a cooler business card than you. Business
card envy is a very, very serious matter. If you are at the top of
the business card food chain, you wield a position of supreme,
ultimate power. Just flash your card and people will "Oh
Shinyyyyyyyy" into submission. I'm looking at you, Amaze
Entertainment. You know what I'm talking about.
- If you're new and made one decent, lasting connection to someone
who's been in the industry a while, consider it a successful
conference. However, for every contact you got completely shitfaced
with and can't remember their name or what you said, subtract two
meaningful contacts.
- And, by far the most important lesson, a lesson I learned from a
wise, hat wearing man:
everything tastes better in glasses lit up by LEDs, but especially martinis.
Having had a lit up LED martini, I must say, motherfuckers need to
lay off on the vermouth, but I'll let it slide 'cause damn, it was
pretty.
My relatively small flickr set from GDC is behind this link.
Mostly driving pictures. And a really shiny dumptruck.
Next up, SIGCHI in Montreal, April 23-24, 2006. Until then, back to
Sex Toys.
