Browse: Home / 2006 / February / Going to the GDC

Going to the GDC

By Brinstar on 2 February 2006

I’m spending my birthday in San Jose this year at the Game Developers Conference. Last night, I submitted my application to be a Conference Associate at the GDC. Early this morning, I received confirmation that I have been accepted. The competition to be a Conference Associate is apparently fierce, which is quite understandable. I am excited to have been chosen.

I’ve already submitted my request for leave from work, and I don’t anticipate any problems with it being approved. I’m booking my flights this weekend, most likely. The conference is from 20th March – 24th March, but I have to be there on the 19th for orientation. There is the option to start work on the morning of the 19th, which I will be signing up for (hopefully I get in on that), so I’ll probably be in San Jose from the 18th to the 25th of March.

The trip to San Jose does mean that I will be diverting funds from the trip to the UK that I have been planning on for later this year. I have also been saving for major purchases. Touring the UK (and I do mean tour — from London up to Aberdeen and many points in between) to see all my friends may not be in the cards this year, given the unscheduled California trip, but we shall see.

Related posts:

  1. Game Purchases for the Rest of the Year

Posted in , | Tagged , | 8 Responses

Article written by Brinstar

Community manager, videogame aficionado, technology enthusiast, blogger, editor, social media traveler, pop culture critic, woman of colour, intersectional and anti-oppression advocate, feminist, third culture kid, tea drinker, and serial comma proponent.

8 responses to “Going to the GDC”

  1. Thomas
    Thomas 2 February 2006 at 07:32 |

    Congratulations! If you see Crawford there, kick him in the shins for me.

  2. Corvus
    Corvus 2 February 2006 at 07:34 |

    How exciting! Congrats on the opportunity. One way or another, I will be there next year.

  3. steve
    steve 2 February 2006 at 08:13 |

    Ohhh! Lucky. Congrats!

  4. Tara
    Tara 2 February 2006 at 08:23 |

    Awesome. Congrats! Maybe I’ll see you there, I’ll be out there seeing as many talks as I can possibly manage.

  5. Brinstar
    Brinstar 2 February 2006 at 08:30 |

    Dood, we should totally meet up if possible. We don’t get our work schedules until arrival, so free time really depends on that. Email/IM me or something. :D

    I’m hoping to go to some talks as well. Some of the IGDA panels look especially interesting, so I hope that my schedule allows for me to attend.

  6. franswiggidy
    franswiggidy 2 February 2006 at 15:57 |

    Congrats! please don’t be ofended or mind my asking, but I am just a bit curious how you fit into the field of the GDC? Do you have to work or be appart of a developer or can anyone apply?

  7. Troy Goodfellow
    Troy Goodfellow 2 February 2006 at 16:20 |

    I went to GDC two years ago and had a blast. Lots to see and do and I had a chance to meet some very interesting people.

    Have fun!

  8. Brinstar
    Brinstar 2 February 2006 at 17:07 |

    Everyone: Thanks, guys!

    Franswiggidy: One of the questions they ask you is whether you have been a Conference Associate before. However, their criteria seems to be based mainly upon a short “essay” in which you tell them why they should choose you as a Conference Associate over someone else. I made a convincing case.

    I do not work in the games industry, and I told them as much. But I told them of my interest in the field of games studies. I told them that I review games for The Game Chair, and that I keep this little ol’ blog.

    I also have 8 years’ experience in working at large conventions (larger than the GDC in the past several years) as well as planning for conventions (not my day job, but it takes up a portion of my free time).