Is going to the GDC a good idea?
polycounter lvl 6
I was wondering, what are the odds of meeting people and find a new game position at the GDC next year.
I am not sure if I should go, it's a really expensive venture due to the fact that I would buy a plane ticket, as well as hotel reservations and an expo ticket. I am really debating on whether or not I should go.
Have any of you been to the GDC? What usually occurs there? Has anyone ever been picked up?
I am not sure if I should go, it's a really expensive venture due to the fact that I would buy a plane ticket, as well as hotel reservations and an expo ticket. I am really debating on whether or not I should go.
Have any of you been to the GDC? What usually occurs there? Has anyone ever been picked up?
Replies
You don't need an expo ticket. The floor is just for seeing booths or hitting workshops. However, most things go down later at parties, gatherings and generally walking around town bumping into folks. In fact, one of my best friends doesn't get an expo ticket. He schedules lunches/coffee and other "outside of show" get together, parties at night and gets plenty of free time to sleep in and enjoy the town.
I go to a lot of game's cons, and it seems to me, GDC is the most focused on developers. It's not open to the public s you chances or meeting the right people is greatly elevated.
I refer you to http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110622
Lefty's was full in the back with fellow greentooths, sharing portfolios, talking bout some of the companies and generally just a big meet and greet.
As for your questions:
1. Yes. And there are lots of other Polycounters who have, and do every year.
2. Tons of shit. The main attraction for you, if you're trying to get a job, should be the career fair and the after-parties and meetups. The Polycount meetup is a good start; there will be a lot of people there who are either employed, or looking for a job just like you. The fact that you're on Polycount is pretty much an instant conversation starter. There are other things that happen at GDC, like tech talks and whatnot, but you can always check them out online later on.
3. I haven't landed a job from GDC, but I have gotten art tests. The most important part of the entire conference is the stuff that happens outside it. Outside events and gatherings are where you're going to get 90% of your networking done. Networking pays off big-time; I and many other game artists have gotten jobs because they kept up good relationships with people online and made sure those relationships were cemented at gatherings and meetups like GDC.
Simple persistence, many of the talks I went to at GDC last year, the lecturer would give reference to one their artists who with persistence landed a job at their chosen company. At first the persons work not being up to the company's par, they go back make improvements, ask again, make some more changes if necessary and so on. As long as you stay on good relations with either the HR or maybe an art lead for a company, they usually don't mind people emailing them a newer portfolio to ask advice on if you have improved.
Oh and on Friday of GDC there are several Game career lectures, (you can get in with any pass type even expo) from Lead Artists at several companies giving you the ins and outs of what they want in a folio or reel. One being a 2-3 hour block where again 4-5 Lead artist will give you a few mins of 1-1 about your work
To back up Swizzle, networking upon some more networking, then do a little more
Start making what people are looking for. If you want to get a job doing something, you have to show people that you can do it. If you wanted to get a job as a molecular biologist at some biotech firm, you wouldn't get a degree in 17th century French literature. You'd study molecular biology and all the various parts of it you want to specialize in.
In the same way, you should tailor your portfolio to the kind of job you want to get. If you want to make crazy fantasy landscapes and work at a place making epic fantasy games, then you should make a bunch of crazy landscapes and put them in your portfolio.