The sun has set on the first day of GDC. While I’m taking a break from scurrying around downtown San Francisco playing upcoming titles, I wanted to get my thoughts on the show’s opening.
Being games press at a conference is odd because I tend to spend a lot of time not at the conference. My appointments – made throughout the past few weeks – took me to several nearby hotels where developers, and usually a member of their hard-working PR team, have demos set up and waiting.
My first official meeting of the show doubled as a reunion. The former Informer and current communications extraordinaire Jeff Cork was there with a smiling face to help share a super cool game that I can’t wait to write about. In fact, these in-person expos are filled with encounters with old coworkers, long-time virtual friends, and new acquaintances.
Managing to jam one actual GDC lecture into my day, I bumped into my one-time news lead Imran Khan and MinnMax’s Ben Hanson. It’s inexpressibly wonderful to catch up in the hurried spaces between engagements. And this being the first really full-sized GDC since 2019, I expect to see many more familiar faces.
Despite the cheerful vibes, COVID hovers over everything. I attended GDC last year and saw first-hand how much it spread through the ranks. I was lucky then and hope to be again this year. However, running all over town to meet scores of people, no matter what precautions I take, has its risks.
I feel like I’ve experienced a week’s worth of events already, but my busiest days are yet to come! If you have questions about GDC, let me know. I’ll try to cover everything in these posts throughout the week.
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