GDC 2010 Call for Submissions

The call for papers to the GDC and Summits are now closed.

Overview | Guidelines | Submission Criteria & Form

Introduction

Phase I - III | Speaker Expectations | Tracks & Topics | Presentation Formats

The 2010 Game Developers Conference is now soliciting session proposals from speakers with deep industry expertise and a fresh and unique perspective on the state of the videogames industry. If you share our passion and commitment for videogames, submit your proposal by 11:59pm (EST) on Tuesday, August 18.

Please take a few minutes to read the process for submitting, the list of topics for each track, and what is expected from you as a speaker.

Note: If you are interested in submitting for any of the GDC Summits, the call for submission will be made available in the fall. Do not submit a proposal to main GDC.

PHASE ONE (July 15th - August 18th, 2009)

Initial Open Submission Cycle

Speaker Contact Information
Speaker Biography: Tell us about your professional experience in the game industry
Speaker History: Tell us about past speaking engagements and the ratings you received
Session Title
Session Description: What topics will be the main focus of your talk? Please be specific by giving concrete examples of content. (400 words max)
Attendee Takeaway: What NEW information or knowledge will you share with the attendee, what will they gain, and/or how will they benefit by attending your session? (100 word max)

Remember, most GDC attendees are experts in their field and have attended GDC before. Your talk must break new ground in some way.

PHASE TWO (mid-September – October 2009)

First Review and Resubmit Cycle

Advisory Board reviews submissions
Submitters are notified of their status: Declined or Conditionally Accepted
Submitters of Conditionally Accepted talks will be required at this time to prepare a largely complete presentation plan (which includes the presentation materials such as PPT slides) for Phase Three review*

*Note: You are not a fully accepted speaker until your presentation plan is reviewed and approved by the advisory board.

PHASE THREE (November 2009)

Final Review Cycle

Advisory Board reviews largely complete presentation plans, PPT slides, etc.
Submitters are notified of their final status: Declined or Accepted
Submitters who miss the deadline to submit their presentation plans for review will be automatically declined; exceptions will not be made
Submitters who sent in their presentation plans by the deadline but were not accepted to speak will receive a discount on a conference pass

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Speaker Expectations

Please take the time to read the Guidelines and Submission Criteria (specifically Tracks and Topics) before preparing a proposal.

We also have a video on this page to give more insight into how our Advisory Board makes selections from the presentation that are submitted.

Conference attendees are generally very intelligent. They are looking for material that is not obvious and expect excellence from our speakers. After your presentation, they will evaluate it based on delivery, knowledge of the topic and the visuals presented.

Preparation is one of the most important factors in delivering a successful talk at GDC. Please keep the following in mind when you propose to speak:

The proposed outline you submit now must match the talk you actually present at GDC
We suggest that you commit AT LEAST 20 hours to prepare for your session
We strongly encourage that you rehearse the delivery of your session for it to be effective; preferably in front of your peers (one tip is to video tape yourself speaking then review it. This is also a great way to practice pacing and timing)
Your presentation materials must be completed and submitted to us four weeks before the conference

Please note we are ALWAYS here to help you. If you have ANY questions you think we need to cover on this area of our website, please email Evelyn Donis.

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Tracks and Topics

Below is the list of tracks that GDC 2010 will focus on. Click on a track for descriptions of the topics solicited by the Advisory Board.

If you would like to submit your talk to one of the 2010 Summits please check back in a few weeks. The call for submissions will open early Fall 2009 or you may contact Jen Steele.

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Presentation Formats

As you can see below, there are multiple time period choices. It's up to you to select the appropriate duration for your session.

Lecture: 25-minute, 60-minute

Lectures are issue-oriented, provide concrete examples, and contain both practical and theoretical information. They are normally 60 minutes long (including answering questions from the audience). We generally prefer only one speaker but we may accept two if you can demonstrate the second person is necessary.

Panel: 60-minute

Panels take many different viewpoints on a topic or issue and combine them in one venue. Debate among panelists (with very different opinions) is most welcome and audience participation time should be accounted for. We prefer 60 minute time slots and panels of no more than 3-5 people.

Roundtable: 60-minute

Roundtables are small peer discussion groups led by one or two moderators and limited to a maximum of 75 attendees. Moderators should facilitate conversation and keep the flow of discussion inspired and moving. They do not lecture or dictate. Constructive controversy and debate are very welcome in roundtables. Topics that are open-ended in nature and promote an exchange of ideas from people likely to have different viewpoints generally work best in this format. Roundtables run up to three times, once a day during the GDC.

Poster: 60-minute

Poster sessions are presented on a one meter tall poster that the presenter is responsible for creating and bringing to the event. This is similar to a traditional lecture, however it is presented in front of the poster (a slide presentation is not needed) to a smaller group of attendees. This type of format gives presenters one-on-one interactions with the attendees.

Tutorial: Full-Day or Two-Day

Tutorials (simply) must teach attendees new skills. Think of this as (informal) classroom training. It can be interactive; you can have them work in teams; you can give them challenges; you can include competitions. The result of the time period MUST be that they'll feel they've learned something truly useful in the world of game development. It can be a skill, an ability, a method or even the mastery of a tool.

NOTE: We do NOT supply any hardware (i.e., laptops) for the attendees. If you need the attendees to bring anything with them, this must be CLEARLY stated in your proposal.

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