There's a first time for everything — and this year, countless game developers from all over the world are experiencing their first time at GDC, the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
"Before COVID hit, I was a freshman in university," said Lexa Gluckman, a game design student at NYU.
"In 2019, I was in high school," said her classmate Chase Dodge.
In 2019, the biggest Game Developers Conference ever drew a crowd of more than 27,000 to San Francisco. But the following year, GDC 2020 was among the first major events to be canceled amid growing concern over the spread of COVID-19. And though the in-person conference returned in 2022, only 12,000 people attended. This year, attendance has passed 24,000, including many like Gluckman and Dodge who've never been here before.
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"Not only is this my first GDC," said game developer Chase Cavender. "This is also my first industry event in gaming ever."
Cavender said he began building games during the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders left him with a lot of time on his hands.
"When you're stuck at home, one thing you can do at home — you can make video games," he said. "You can make some really cool video games too!"
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Others who'd been dabbling in game development took the plunge into full time work while the world was shut down — and did it without leaving home.
"The studio was remote," said a developer who goes by Son M. "I'm one of the few Americans on the team."
During the week of GDC, events around San Francisco showcase indie games for reporters and other developers to play.
"If I pass someone on the street, they're probably here for GDC, and they make games too, which is a really nice feeling," Gluckman said. "It's hard to meet other game designers."
Some of the games on display at those parties and happy hours are seeing the light of day for the first time.
"We've been working on this for so long, so many years," said Z. Yang, a developer on the space adventure game Lifeless Moon. "It's a huge payoff to be able to see people get so excited for it."
Though there are fewer travel restrictions than last year, coming to GDC from other countries can be expensive — so some governments have set up scholarship programs for first-time attendees, including the government of Poland.
Partnering with conference organizers, the scholarship program offers recipients travel and lodging, along with coaching on how to make the most of the conference.
"How to do business meetings with American partners, because it's slightly different than in Europe," said Jakub Marszałkowski of Indie Games Poland. "Asking 'How are you,' in Poland, we start complaining. No, you should not complain. In America, you just always say 'fine' and smile."
Of course, many of the newest developers at the conference are smiling anyway, at the chance to finally meet each other in person.
"It's really just making connections," Cavender said. "If those connections turn into business connections, that's incredible."
