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What is the Game Developers Conference?

GDC is the game industry's premier professional event, championing game developers and the advancement of their craft.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) brings the game development community together to exchange ideas, solve problems, and shape the future of the industry across five days of education, inspiration, and networking. Attendees include programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, and business leaders. Some key features of GDC include:

  • The market-defining conference has a comprehensive selection of lectures, panels, and roundtable discussions.
  • The GDC Expo showcases the latest game development tools and services from leading technology companies such as AWS, Epic, and Google.
  • Dedicated community spaces where GDC attendees can take a break from all of the learning to relax and meet new people in themed areas for playable indie games, retro games, alternative controllers, and more.

GDC hosts two awards ceremonies recognizing the creativity, artistry, and technical genius of the finest developers and games:

 

History of GDC

The Game Developers Conference began as an informal gathering of 25 developers in the living room of game designer Chris Crawford. Initially focused on computer games, GDC has grown and diversified along with the game industry to include a variety of platforms including consoles, mobile and handheld devices, tablets, online, and computer games and is expanding into the emerging VR and AR space for games and entertainment. In 2016, GDC commemorated the 30th edition of the conference. Year after year, GDC continues to define market innovations and provide insight into the future of games.

Attendees of the first GDC – April 1988

GDC Advisory Board

The GDC Advisory Board is made up of seasoned game and VR/AR industry professionals that volunteer their time every year to help construct the GDC conference program and sessions. Advisors work to ensure that GDC content is compelling, relevant, and timely and their dedication is critical to the success of the conference. Read about the extraordinary members of the GDC Advisory Board.

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Connecting the Global Game Development Community

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