GDC was a big hit this year, more so than last year. The organizers of the 2008 Game Developers Conference announced that a record 18,000 game industry professionals attended the event, held last week at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.
The world’s largest industry-only event grew even more from 16,000 attendees in 2007–with over 400 sessions, a robust expo and career pavilion featuring more than 300 exhibitors and sponsors, and numerous networking events; the five-day conference provided interactive engagement and insight for the industry.
There were many keynote speakers including big name players such as Microsoft’s John Schappert, corporate vice president Live, Software and Services for the Interactive Entertainment Business who talked about XNA distribution and Xbox Live Portal.
Another celebrated inventor and futurist, Ray Kurzweil, inspired game developers to think into the future of gaming and consider closely how the power of technology can exponentially grow their capabilities to create more robust and dynamic games, drive community, and revolutionize interactive entertainment.
Additional highlights featured in this year’s GDC was the 10th Annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) which featured many new and very inspirational creations by independent developers such as Kokoromi’s Fez.
GDC Executive Director Jamil Moledina commented, "Every year, the GDC’s goal is to deliver tailored learning and networking opportunities for the diverse groups of people who make games. This year’s conference not only exceeded our historical attendance record, but also surpassed expectations in terms of content quality and deal-making productivity."
The Game Developers Conference will return to the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA in 2009, but this time at the later date of March 23-27.
via [gamasutra]
