The 2018 Game Developers Conference takes place this week in San Francisco, California. The conference will feature the 2oth annual Independent Games Festival Awards, 18th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, and the third annual Virtual Reality Developers Conference.
GDC is the primary meeting grounds for video game developers to network, seek mentors, and show off games and projects. Big name attending publishers and developers include Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Riot Games, and Naughty Dog.
Both award shows will take place Wednesday, March 21. The GDCA will give out special achievement awards to two prominent game developers: Rami Ismail (Ambassador Award) and Tim Schafer (Lifetime Achievement Award). GDC originally announced Nolan Bushnell for the Pioneer Award, but has since rescinded it based on Bushnell’s controversial past regarding sexism in the workplace. Bushnell released a statement accepting the GDC’s decision.
Both award ceremonies will be livestreamed on GDC’s official Twitch channel.
This year’s conference will introduce the first-ever GDC Film Festival. The festival will highlight documentaries and narrative films that focus on the art and culture surrounding video games.
In total GDC 2018 will feature over 750 panels and lectures, with over 550 companies showing games and products on the expo floor.
GDC has recently announced a new event, XRDC. XRDC is a spin-off of the VRDC. It goes beyond virtual reality gaming to encompass entertainment, healthcare, education, training, and more. The two-day conference will feature networking and training. XRDC will take place in October in San Francisco.
The 2018 Game Developers Conference runs from March 19-23.
