GDC 2016 is right around the corner, and it's shaping up to be a doozy. Tons of cool things are happening for game development this year, including the release of consumer virtual reality hardware from Oculus and HTC/Valve.
So, who's going? What are your plans? Got an in for a great party or meetup?
The official Polycount meetup will be happening on the evening of Wednesday, March 16th at John Colins, just a few blocks away from the Moscone Center.
There's probably going to be a long line, so get there early. More info will be available soon.
Some helpful links:
GDC homepage
Last year's thread
Various points of interest around the city, including locations for the conference center and various tourist attractions
Replies
There are so many good restaurants in SF, it's unbelievable.
Hopefully we can go somewhere less crowed.
Also where can we get a list of events and parties?
See you there
Any tips for first timers? I'm there for the entire week, and staying an extra day to explore the city while I'm down there
(and it'll be a nice break from our chilly winter!)
Avoid walking through the Tenderloin alone at night; there's a good chance you could get mugged. Dark alleys are legitimately dangerous around the TL.
It's pretty helpful to have a phone charger on you at all times. Sometimes the large buildings around the convention center will block cell signals, causing your phone to drain more quickly than usual while it searches for service.
Don't expect to be able to hail a cab if you need to get somewhere quick; the taxi service in San Francisco is crap, especially during non-peak hours or late at night. Instead, get Lyft and/or Uber set up on your phone.
If you're traveling from any of the airports around the Bay Area to San Francisco proper, DON'T use taxis. They'll massively overcharge you, and a lot of them drive like crazy people. There's a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit subway) line that runs directly from SFO, one directly from OAK, and a CalTrain stop very close to SJC that you should be able to shuttle, taxi, or Lyft/Uber to.
Tip your waitstaff generously. They have to deal with hordes of sweaty nerds for the entirety of the conference, and those sweaty nerds are often bad tippers. 20% and a good attitude will keep you in the good graces of your servers.
Bring tissues, hand sanitizer, and aspirin/tylenol/ibuprofen to keep on your person.
Good food and drink are everywhere in San Francisco, so don't limit yourself to fast food. Check out some restaurants, and don't be afraid to explore areas far from the convention center. If you're looking for a good cup of coffee and don't want to go to Starbucks or Peet's, check out Blue Bottle and Philz; both have multiple locations in the city and both are excellent.
Do you guys find you usually have to line up for talks you're interested in attending or is that usually not needed?
The application window has closed for this year, giving you a year to prepare for GDC and GDC Europe in 2017. This year's scholarship winners:
http://scholars.igda.org/congratulations-to-our-2016-gdc-scholars/
For anyone interested in mentoring, it's one of the most rewarding things I've done.
http://www.gdconf.com/attend/conferenceassociates.html
That's what I was going to do if I didn't get the full pass
Get the expo pass, meet with good friends, have good food, and let the ether of this amazing thing we all do fill you up.
There's always next year I guess, hopefully I'll be unemployed and get to see you all then.
I'd also like to attend the polycount meet up. What sort of stuff should I expect?
I can't wait to be back in SF and hang with you cool people