DEI & Sustainability
Building a Better World Through Games
The GDC Festival of Gaming is committed to having a positive social and environmental impact on the games ecosystem and the larger global community.
Code of Conduct
For nearly a decade, the GDC Festival of Gaming Code of Conduct has guided the expectations of attendee conduct at our events. Participation in the festival requires that all attendees be considerate and respectful of their peers and will not tolerate demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
GDC Festival of Gaming is dedicated to creating a safe space for the entire games ecosystem. This includes uplifting underrepresented voices in the industry, making our conference more accessible, and providing a platform for the next generation of creators.
Read below to learn more about our DEI initiatives. For more information on our community programs, visit the Get Involved page.
Sustainability at Informa
Sustainability at GDC Festival of Gaming, and its parent company Informa, have five key elements: people, communities, environment, customers, and governance. Being an ethical, sustainable business is central to how we behave, how we make decisions, and how we do business every day.
At Informa, our evolution of producing sustainable events is fueled by insight, innovation, and collaboration. We are proud of our commitment to making a positive environmental and social impact on the communities and industries we work within.
Community Initiatives at GDC
Partnerships
GDC collaborates with select organizations to empower and uplift the industry from marginalized communities, offering them opportunities to attend the event and a platform to showcase their work.
Pronoun Tags
GDC supports the flourishing diversity in our community and does our best to foster a safe and inclusive space. Upon arrival, attendees can pick up pronoun tags to place on their event badges.
Invisible Disability Stickers
We understand that not all disabilities are visible from the outside. GDC has Yellow Sunflower stickers at our info booths, which attendees can place on their event badges if they have any type of hidden disability that may require extra help from staff or security.
On-site Spaces
Quiet Room
Attendees can access our Quiet Room for meditation or quiet reflection during conference hours, Monday through Friday. We will also have a separate room for prayer.
Gender-Neutral Bathrooms
During the week of the event, gender-neutral bathrooms are available within the convention center, and their locations will be marked for attendees.
Mamava Nursing Pods
Located at Moscone South Lower Mezzanine by Room 50, with one more on Level 2 of Moscone West by Room 2024. Caregivers are invited to bring their child’s milk to Room South 105 for storage.
‘GDC Kids’ Childcare
GDC Festival of Gaming has partnered with KiddieCorp to provide on-site childcare for parents and guardians who would not otherwise be able to attend the event, in room South 104.
Reducing Impact
Renewable Energy Commitment
GDC is powered by renewable energy, with energy-efficient lighting and equipment used throughout the event, and not to mention, Moscone is LEED Platinum certified. These actions move us toward our goal of becoming a net zero carbon event.
No Aisle Carpet
Aisle carpet sometimes ends up in landfills despite efforts for reuse. Returned carpet undergoes cleaning with petroleum-based solutions, emitting pollutants during transport. GDC's shift away from aisle carpet aligns with its net zero commitment.
Badge & Lanyard Recycling
At the end of the event, attendees are asked to drop off their badges at registration, as GDC provides recycling for the full badge and lanyard. The bins for drop-off are in the South Upper and West Level 1 lobbies, indicated by signage.