Ever since joining the game industry it’s been opening up immeasurable opportunities. It’s the perfect world of fun and business and I can’t see myself in any other industry. Going to GDC sparked a new love for games of all genres and even for the type that I design for. Everyone at the conference had one major thing in common — we all love games. I was geeking out yesterday, collecting swag from every table, playing and watching games and mainly just walking around with my mouth open in awe. Literally. I’ve always loved games and have enjoyed them a lot in my life. Games have always been a place for me to go and escape from stress and decompress. I believe that a lot of people feel that way. Then there is also the complete addiction and dedication to a game. Which of course I have been there too. I still miss being in MLG and competitively playing and doing matches with my team. But that all fell apart when I left for college. Probably a good choice on my end, but joining a team again would probably be the geeky thing to do.
Not only did GDC get me even more motivated about games, but it was awesome and cool to meet fans from TinyCo’s games. People would walk up to the table and say “I LOVE this game!”. It’s neat to be on the other side. Since I’m always helping to develop the product but hardly ever talk to the people who play them on an everyday basis.
I met some pretty cool people including @russ and @zennie26! It all happened on accident as I was trying to take a photo of the GDC sign above them and the man with the hat walked right by ruining my photo! But not literally, it turned into a joke and then ended up making a connection! I even met people on the escalator and was handing out cards all the time. It was a great networking opportunity.
Overall it was great to see all the awesome games there, including some indie games. Which in my opinion are sometimes even better than main stream games. Indie games have a lot of passion put into them and it’s more than just a product, but someones heart and soul going into every part of it. Playstation and Nintendo had some impressive booths along with Google’s colorful LED lights. It’s incredible to see how the gaming industry has flourished and these companies are the whales.
Wacom was there as well featuring their new products which are incredible and I want all of them! It was great to also meet a sales representative who’s son is going into interactive design and very drawn to UI. I offered to help mentor or answer any of his questions in the future. It’s a great opportunity to meet another talent waiting to happen and also have connections directly at Wacom.
GDC was a lot more than just games. Just how the people that filled up that building were not all just geeks, but incredible and bright people with ambitions and motivations who were desiring to make connections. The older I get the more I realize it’s not about the actual product or the game. Life is about the people behind them and creating friendships and giving apart of yourself to help or move that person towards their dreams.
