Mar 10, 2017

GDC 2017 Retrospectives

I was at GDC last week and I’ve decided to blog about it this year. This is a review of how things went this year, what I plan to do next year, and some tips to myself (or anyone like myself) for getting the most out of GDC.

For Next Year

• I am doing Trainjam next year. Period.
• I’m booking my lodgings as soon as I get a ticket. Booking a high-end place early can be cheaper than booking a low-end one late. Also note that GDC-specific Hotel discounts can potentially be better than Airbnb, so check both. If at all possible, I’d like to ensure I’m in a hotel that has more game developers and is closer to the conference center. More convenient for networking.
• I’m on the fence as to whether I’ll do All Access again. I might do something else and get Vault Access separate. Maybe. It certainly gave me the peace of mind that I didn’t have to make it to every interesting session, and it also seemed to add to my credibility as a developer.
• As far as RSVPing for parties is concerned, I’ll try and stay a little more on top of it next year. I really wanted to go to GDCompression and missed out on reserving a spot. Totally forgot about it. I didn’t need to RSVP for it last year. I just needed a password. Oh well.
• Help the GDC store staff pack up on Friday. I hear they give you free swag, like T-shirts and such, in exchange for the help. It’s not like they can sell it next year. I always go on Friday towards the end of the day to see what’s on sale, but I’d never considered getting stuff for free.
• Go to more sponsored sessions for the food.
• Take notes that on sessions that are more relavent to evaluating their quality as opposed to remembering their content, especially if you’re All Access.

Parties

I made a point to not go crazy about getting into parties this year. I think this was a good decision, and look forward to doing similarly next year.

I went to 4 parties of note: AMD’s party, a secret Roguelike Developers meetup, Unparty, and Japan Party.

• AMD was the only high-profile event I went to. Got in by total chance. Unfortunately, it was pretty weak for networking. I mean, if you like being unable to hear what people are saying and feeling way out of your league, that’s great.
• The Roguelike meetup was awesome. I felt like I was walking among giants. There were at least a few people there whose games you’ve either played or heard of. It was a very small gathering, so I felt honoured to be there.
• Unparty was an event that I helped host/organize. It happened totally off the cuff last year. This year was a little more deliberate, but was still thrown together at the last minute. Charles Huang was the primary organizer - he did most of the footwork. Chase Bethea, Chris DeLeon¹ and I were all ancillary crew members. The turnout was incredible, and we got lots of positive feedback. Super proud to be a part of it.
• Japan Party helped me form a lot of eastern connections. They were all enthusiastic seeing westerners who were interested in working in Japan. I’m still on the fence about it, but I’m not completely opposed to the idea. It would really depend on the company. I know that a lot of companies don’t treat their programmers very well, and work-life balance can get pretty bad. I did learn that not all companies are like that.

Networking

Oh networking… What a bloody history we share. I took a different approach to networking this year.

The overall lesson I wish to impart is that there’s no universal right or wrong way to network. Do whatever works for you. Take advice, not orders. I’m going to share some strategies that have been successful for me, despite many people telling me they’re “wrong”. Some of this is common sense, but some of it might seem unconventional. Use what works, discard the rest. I plan to write an entire Gamasutra article on this, but here’s the short version.

• If a networking activity feels like pulling teeth, it’s probably a bad strategy for you. Not all of these will work for you. It is not an exact science. Experiment and find what works for you.
• Prioritize acquiring friends before business cards.
• Seek to make connections that offer mutual utility.
• Find ways to have genuine conversations. Minimize smalltalk as much as possible.
• Be Taoist about this: If you open a space to be filled by something specific, like job opportunities for instance, it will be fulfilled as a matter of course. I know this sounds lofty and strange, but try it. You might be surprised.
• If you’re looking for work, try to keep an aloof mindset. Believe deep down that you want it, but you don’t need it. Really drill that into your head. People pick up on that confidence, and it gives you a professional air.
• If you’re a student, please, please, please downplay that fact. You’re not a student looking to break into the industry; You’re a game developer who happens to be a student. Every time I see a nametag that says “student” on it, I cringe. Be honest, but prioritize putting forward a professional appearance. GDC is for professionals, so be professional.
• Don’t feel obligated to exchange cards with everyone you meet.
• Don’t feel obligated to follow up with everyone.
• Don’t feel obligated to utilize career centers. They don’t work for everyone. Try it out. If it works for you, that’s great, but for some people (like me) it’s time that would be better spent making more personal connections.
• Don’t feel obligated to go to every party and networking event. Try some of them out, but don’t feel like you have to stick around when you’re not making progress. I have no problem making a u-turn on a party that makes me uncomfortable. I’ve found that obnoxiously loud music, super crowded rooms, and excessive drinking makes for weak networking. If you feel like your networking game is weak in a certain environment, get out of that environment. That being said, there will be times where you’ll need to stretch yourself a little. Finding a balance is key.
• Business cards are not trophies or connections; They are contact information. No more, no less. Be mindful of this.
• Receiving business cards is more important than giving them. If someone doesn’t have a card on them, don’t simply give them your card. There’s a very real possibility they will never contact you. If you really want to follow up, get their email address or some form of contact info.
• Those who you definitely want to follow up with are to be contacted ASAP. This includes new friends and connections who offer immediate value.
• Unless you’re looking for collaborators, people who are in a similar situation as you are low-priority targets. If a friendship feels natural, by all means, but DO NOT force yourself. It’s a waste of time and energy.
• When it comes to connnections, time is the most valuable quality. Both in terms of their experience, and how long the connection lasts. With the exception of those who offer immediate value (i.e. ask you to send a resume or something similar), the most valuable connections are the experienced ones that last. The reason is twofold. First, the longer they’ve been in the industry, the more likely they are to have useful connections for you to draw upon. Second, the easier it is to maintain a long-term relationship, the more likely an opportunity is to come your way over time. This is why prioritizing friendship is key.

Yup, that’s the short version. The rest is a bunch of context that brought me to these priciples. Granted, I think spending one GDC forming a broad Linkedin network was an important step to take. However, analyzing the critical path that got me here, it’s mostly about forming a few really solid connections.

Work Opportunities

I can say confidently that career centers have been, and always will be a waste of time for me. I neglected to go to the career center this year. I didn’t even bring a resume.

I was ridiculed by an industry professional for not going last year. Their impression was that I wasn’t serious about finding work in the game industry. Trial and error has shown me that career fairs are not a successful strategy for me, so I stuck to my convictions. The career fair approach works for some people, but not for me. I wasn’t dead set on getting a job, but I certainly wasn’t not looking for work either. I was pretty much open to anything that happened to come my way. It’s sorta Taoist in nature; If you open the space for something to exist (i.e. work opportunities) the space will fill itself as a matter of course. I tried a “I want it, but don’t need it” mindset.

So what happened? Well, I had employees from 3 major companies ask me to personally send them a resume and apply, plus I have 3 temp indie gigs to discuss in further detail this week. And that’s just what I got during the conference! Who knows what else will crop up in the following weeks! This too, was a result of abandoning the net cast wide and opting for something more strategic. All the people who have discouraged me from forging my own path can eat it.

It’s looking like I at least have some freelance work available to me. I won’t name names or get too into it here, but I will say that my networking was much stronger this year.