Time To Start Gearing Up

It's two months away, and people (well, anyone who hasn't already) are starting to gear up for the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, March 23-27. Student Scholarship recipients are being selected, potential Conference Associates are being notified, and unlucky industry-types everywhere who weren't selected to go are making last-minute pleadings to their bosses to be allowed to join the single largest yearly kegger-- um, professional gathering -- of game developers in the US.

For those who don't know, GDC is, well, the single largest yearly professional gathering of game developers in the US (world? I'll have to check on that). Neither an expo for new products and games (see E3) nor a cosplay and Halo-tournament site (see any event ending in "con"), the GDC doesn't hold as much interest for your average gamer: instead, its where developers come together to exchange new skills and ideas, attend classes and workshops to keep themselves up on the technology curve, discuss current industry trends (like who's the hottest free online games provider, but we already know that don't we) and consume mass quantities of alcohol. Wait, did I say mass quantities of alcohol? I mean't "meet and network with other industry professionals". Yes, network. That's it.

The face that the vast majority of these networking events take place at some of the hottest clubs and bars in San Francisco is completely coincidental and anyone who says otherwise is a slanderous lie-spreading rumour-monger.

In any case, this gal will certainly be attending, so I'll keep you guys up-to-date on Conference goings-on when showtime rolls around.