I had heard that the Game Devevloper's Conference (GDC) was one of the biggest game conferences, but the idea of going was a vague idea for me when I went to the D.I.C.E. Summit last year. However, by the end of the year, I was convinced that I needed to go. Aside from my general interest in learning about specialized career topics, GDC became something more for me when a group project from school (The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom) was selected for the IGF student showcase at GDC.

Even if your game is nominated for an award at GDC, that doesn’t mean that the whole team can get in for free. Before I knew that my game was selected, I had applied to be a volunteer (a Conference Associate or CA). I wanted to go to GDC whether or not my game got in, and I was quite surprised when I found out that we did make it. Regardless, I had no idea that volunteering would be such a fantastic experience.

As a GDC CA, I was given an all-access pass to the conference. This meant that, when I was not on duty, I had access to any session, tutorial or workshop. The CA program is incredibly well-organized, and each of us got to request three time slots to have off (to attend a specific session). I had the opportunity to go to a full-day tutorial on game writing (Learn Better Game Writing in a Day), which was quite helpful as an aspiring game writer.

The game industry is small enough right now to have a sense of community. While there were thousands of attendees at the conference, I kept running into people that I knew. Guest speakers, contacts from internships, and friends of friends somehow seemed to find me if I couldn’t find them. Also, many of the speakers were very approachable. I met Mac Walters, one of the senior writers on Mass Effect, after he spoke in a session. He is a real inspiration for me, and I appreciated the opportunity to meet him in person and ask for his advice.

Aside from the community of developers attending and speaking at GDC, I found a fantastic community in my fellow CAs. Everyone had a genuine passion for games, so it was very easy to make new friends. It was a lot of fun to be part of a group of such hardworking, dedicated people. I found some great people to spend time with and I was never lonely.

GDC was a fantastic experience. When people back at school asked me how it was, my eyes would glaze over and all I could say was “awesome.” It was very inspiring for me to meet the people I admire and to see so many gamers together in one place. I came back more motivated than I’ve ever been. I highly recommend this conference for students. It’s a fantastic way to learn more about the people and the companies that create the best games on the market. GDC also provides opportunities to learn about specialized topics in the video game field. I found it to be very rewarding and I hope to go back again next year.