As the gaming industry continues to grow and evolve, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) has become an exciting event for developers, publishers, and gamers alike. However, some people are worried that GDC only focuses on established developers and their projects, leaving up-and-coming game devs in the shadows away from the spotlight.

GDC is a major annual event in the gaming industry that brings together developers, publishers, and enthusiasts from around the world. Attendees have the opportunity to hear talks and panels, network with industry professionals, and showcase their projects. However, some people think that GDC is becoming too exclusive, and may not give up-and-coming developers enough opportunities to showcase their work.

The Costs

One of the main criticisms of GDC is that it can be expensive to attend. Attendees have to pay a fee to attend the conference, which includes access to talks, panels, and networking events. For up-and-coming developers who are just starting out, this cost can be difficult to manage, which may limit their ability to attend GDC and showcase their projects. This may make it harder for indie developers to get noticed and could limit their chances of success.

Additionally, exhibiting at GDC can be expensive, which can make it difficult for smaller studios to have a presence at the conference. This means that established developers and their projects may get more attention at the conference, leaving little room for new voices and ideas to be heard.

Accessibility to the spotlight 

Another issue with GDC is that it can be focused on established developers and their projects. The conference often features talks and panels from well-known developers and studios, which can overshadow smaller studios and their projects. Additionally, GDC’s awards program tends to favor established developers and their projects, which may make it hard for up-and-coming developers to get recognized. This lack of recognition can be a problem for smaller studios, since awards and recognition can help them get noticed and attract investors.

A diversity issue

Diversity is an important issue in the gaming industry, and some people have criticized GDC for not being diverse enough. This lack of diversity could make up-and-coming developers from marginalized communities feel excluded from the industry and its events. Additionally, the lack of diversity at GDC could limit the range of perspectives and ideas presented at the conference, which could hurt the industry as a whole.

As the gaming industry continues to evolve, it’s important for conferences like GDC to become more inclusive and supportive of up-and-coming game developers. This could mean making it easier for them to attend the conference, focusing more on new voices and ideas, and promoting diversity among speakers and attendees.

What GDC can do better

GDC could also create programs specifically designed to support up-and-coming developers, like mentorship programs, funding opportunities, and awards programs that target smaller studios. By doing so, GDC could become a more inclusive and supportive space for all developers, regardless of their size or level of experience.

In conclusion, GDC is an important event for the gaming industry, but it needs to become more inclusive and supportive of up-and-coming game developers. By making it easier for them to attend, focusing more on new voices and ideas, and promoting diversity, GDC can become a more inclusive and supportive space for all developers. It’s time for GDC to adapt and evolve with the industry, and provide opportunities for all developers to showcase their work and contribute to the growth and evolution of the gaming industry.

What Do You Think?

As the gaming industry continues to grow, it’s important to consider the role that events like GDC play in shaping the industry. Do you think GDC is becoming a gatekeeper for up-and-coming game developers? What do you think can be done to make GDC more inclusive and supportive of smaller studios? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

I don’t know if you’ve heard yet, but as of October 28, 2022, Elon Musk now owns Twitter. And the second-tier social media platform’s been absolute chaos ever since. I’m not here to argue over whether or not Elon’s takeover will be ultimately better or worse for Twitter (not to mention the entire free world)—only time will tell. But even amidst all the bedlam, I know we can all agree on one thing:

Twitter SUCKS. And somehow, it sucks even more each day.

And for many, Elon seems to have been the thread that overflowed the stack. These users appear to be migrating en masse to alternatives like Mastodon, Cohost, or whatever Jack Dorsey’s supposed to unveil soon. 

But I want to propose a more radical suggestion: abandon Twitter, abandon its competitors, stop feeding the attention machine, let it all crash and burn… and in the process, let us reclaim our time, our lives, our minds, and our own basic humanity from this hell of our own making.

So, that leaves the question: what to do with all the time you just freed up? The short answer is “literally anything and everything else,” but what about Game Devs who might have used Twitter, whether for personal or professional purposes? Well, there’s something for everything!

1. Network with fellow game developers

As venomous as Twitter is, I must give credit where credit is due: it really is (or was) a good way to connect with likeminded gamers and game devs. Back when Twitter was actually somewhat useful and fun, it was in large part because of this.

The good news is that gamers and game devs have never been short of online spaces in which to gather. In addition to countless subreddits, Discord servers, and LinkedIn groups that are specifically focused on game development, there are also online courses on game development that have built up robust developer communities (like IGA!).

And now with the pandemic starting to subside, I’d be remiss to not mention one tried-and-true, old-fashioned, and once-ubiquitous networking avenue: face-to-face networking. The most reliable and productive way to network, even well into the digital age, and with good reason—there’s something about meeting and seeing someone face-to-face that forums, tweets, and even Zoom just cannot replicate. 

Obviously, classic mainstays like GDC are worth the time and expense, but if a conference is out of reach, finding a local game dev meetup is much more accessible but yield similar results.

Get out there, game devs! 

2. Make some actual games

This one seems pretty obvious, but it bears repeating: if you’re a game developer, the best use of your time is probably going to be… developing games!

If you’re working on a team, this means actually sitting down and coding, designing levels, creating art assets, etc. If you’re working on your own, it might mean planning out your game, writing design documents,or joining a game jam.

Either way, make sure you’re actually building and progressing, no matter how incrementally. Even if you can only squeeze in 10 minutes a day, it’s far better than nothing. And if you can do 20, 30, or 60 minutes? All the better!

3. Keep up with the game industry

So many people get their news from social media, which is… distressing, for many reasons. But before Twitter, people used to get their news just fine. There are countless game development podcasts, videos, Medium blogs, and news publications, more than enough to keep getting your industry news—perhaps even to a greater degree than you did on Twitter. And without a 280-character limit, you can actually get detailed and nuanced information from more authoritative sources.

Less trolls, too. Win!

4. Promote your game without social

Yes, it is possible to promote your game without social media! While it’s true that social media used to be a somewhat easy and cost-effective promotional vehicle for game marketers, these days it’s practically impossible to reach a large enough audience without seriously gaming the algorithms (which may involve deploying less-than-scrupulous tactics), paying for ad space, or both.

Instead, have you considered some guerilla public relations? If your game has a unique take on a genre gameplay mechanic, to the point it could be newsworthy, nothing’s stopping you from emailing game journalists (especially those who usually covers the type of game you’re making) with a quick message letting them know about your game, why their readers/viewers would find it interesting, and where they can learn more about or play it.

Don’t sleep on good, old-fashioned advertising, either! You don’t need to shell out thousands for a TV spot—search ads and mobile ads, when approached strategically, can provide a serious return on your ad expenditure. 

Now that conferences are a thing again, make sure you or your studio has a presence at gaming conferences (if you have the resources for it). Rent a booth, stock it with merch, print out a bunch of business cards with QR codes, and pass them on to as many people as possible.

Finally, make sure your game has some web presence, even if it’s just a basic webpage, and start optimizing it for search visibility (the technical term for this is “Search Engine Optimization,” or “SEO”). But… how do you even do that? Well, I’ll give you a hint: you’re reading how, right now!

5. Start your own game development blog

Yes, the most reliable way to increase your search visibility is by regularly publishing content that’s relevant to your audience. In other words, start a blog! Like this one!

You can start a general game dev advice blog, or a development blog with updates on your game. Either way, get writing—you want to publish at least once a week (or, at the very least, every two weeks) to build momentum. 

It’s worth noting that blogs are’t just good for traffic, but for game development skills, too. The process of coming up with a topic, conducting research, structuring a piece, constructing a coherent narrative, and (finally) writing it can be a great way to refresh and reinforce your own game dev knowledge.

Plus, a blog is also an useful portfolio that you can point to when pitching game pitches and job opportunities. So kill three birds* with one stone!

*(…Twitter birds, obviously)

Google’s shocking-but-not-really-that-shocking decision to pull the plug on Google Stadia is like bankruptcy, or societal collapse, in that it happened two ways: gradually, and then all at once. Since the ill-fated cloud gaming service’s announcement, Google had clobbered Stadia with one self-inflicted would after another, from its baffling choice to use three of gaming’s most spectacular failures (one of which actually had potential) to its equally-baffling choice to shutter its in-house development studios barely a year into Stadia’s life.

So, was anybody really surprised when Google announced what everyone had been predicting since day one?

I don’t want to dunk on Stadia while it’s down. At least not too much. The technology powering it was genuinely impressive. It offered developers one of the most equitable payment models the industry has ever seen. The promise of cloud gaming was one of democratizing gaming, of bringing the joy of our hobby to people who couldn’t afford or couldn’t justify purchasing expensive gaming consoles, even more expensive gaming PCs, and comparatively expensive (compared to other media) $60-70 AAA games. And Google Stadia, despite a famously rocky launch, appeared poised to actually deliver on this promise. Stadia’s demise is a tragedy that will set this promise back many years.

But I will dunk on Google. And not just because of how it mismanaged such a promising product to an early and entirely avoidable grave.

No, I will dunk on Google for screwing over the developers—particularly indie developers—who had the audacity to take a chance on its ill-fated gaming foray. And at Google’s insistence, no less.

Game developers learned about Stadia’s impending death at the same time consumers did.

But unlike consumers, some of these developers had poured months (or even years) of time, effort, and resources into releasing or porting games onto Stadia—some of which were set to become Stadia exclusives, thanks to very attractive incentives on the part of Google.

And to add insult to injury, Google insisted, time and time again, that it was committed to Stadia “for the long run,” and that it had no plans to kill it. The most recent such communication went out a mere three days before Google did, in fact, kill Stadia.

Now, Google’s being (rightly) lauded for refunding consumers who purchased games that’ll soon no longer exist and hardware that’ll soon become useless. But this surprisingly (for a major tech company) consumer-friendly decision from Google makes its blindsiding of its developer partners all the more baffling and egregious.

Even as I write this, several developers are still waiting to hear from Google. Still waiting to hear what (if any) recourse they’ll get for hitching their fate to Stadia’s wagon. Still waiting to know if their contracts are going to be honored. Still waiting to hear just what the hell is going on, and what their next steps should be.

And considering Google’s chronic mishandling of Stadia so far, I doubt they’ll be getting answers anytime soon.

Which brings us to the big question…

The next time some new, shiny, flashy, but unproven platform comes along… would indie developers be as willing to take a risk (and for indie devs, it is a BIG risk) on making games for it?

I think we all know the answer. And after this whole Stadia fiasco, could you blame them?

Make no mistake, Google’s bungling LARP as a gaming company will set cloud gaming (and all its aforementioned promises), viable challengers to the Valve/Epic or Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft hegemonies (for PC and console gaming, respectively), and the industry writ large back many years.

And although indie developers are by definition risk tolerant, they still have to eat, and still want people to play their games (otherwise, what’s the point?). So after OnLive, OUYA, and now Google Stadia have come and gone… will it be worth the risk when the next would-be disruptor courts them?

And make no mistake, there will be a next time. Cloud gaming holds too much promise for even Google to kill. The entrenched mega-AAA-publishers, hardware manufacturers, and digital distributors could use a little disruption. And the industry is simply too big, too irresistible, for would-be usurpers to pass on.

So… when the day comes, should indie developers stick to what’s tried and true, or take a risk on something that could be much better… but also fail spectacularly?

I’ll be transparent here. I don’t have the answer. Nobody does—at least, nobody who’s honest with themselves. I’d imagine it’ll come down to each individual studio and developer, and how much they’d be willing to put on the line.

As with everything else in life… only time will tell.