Out of the deep ocean, the gaming tsunami has just hit the shores in recent years. Mario has taken over Mickey and it’s only a matter of time before culture as we know it can be found drawning under 6 feet, if not more, of gaming water.

If you’d like to know what a tsunami looks like from the inside, or if you really like games, I suggest you visit the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco one day.

I did that this week.

In a quiet atmosphere that’s not unlike the eye of the storm’s, the GDC welcomes many people who make games (and those, like me, who would like to meet them).

Walk, stop, chat, attend a talk about the art of making games, walk, stop, etc. All of this happens without the hectic tension found at other gaming shows such as E3 or Games Com. It turns out GDC is not as much of a show as it is a place to hang out and meet people who like games to the point that they’re making them.

Put the backpack down, sit on a comfy coach, the guy next to you is funny as hell and he wrote Assassin’s Creed 2. Walk down the hall, say “hi” to a man with great clothing style: he composed the Battlefield Bad Company music. Sit on the same coach 2 hours later, talk to people next to you: they’re the Puzzle Quest guys or Chris Deleon, an indie developer who’s been making games since he was 12.

At the Independant Games Festival booth, get introduced to Monaco by a super enthusiastic Andy Schatz, the guy who actually made the game with his own hands.

And when you’re not meeting people making games, it’s students whose dream it is to “join the industry” (the artistry?). All of them coming from Sweden, India, Korea, California or France with a differing, yet loving, opinion about games.

That’s how it happens here, it’s like family! Don’t get me wrong by the way, sometimes you come across that dreaded uncle of yours that you’ve hated forever. That’s family too…

Enough with words! We also have…
– pictures on Facebook
– videos on Youtube

No ribbons, no chocolate.

on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 1:03 AM - filed under On Tour (oh yeah). Both comments and pings are currently closed.