I am seriously thinking about going to GDC Online in Austin, TX this year. As a game developer and owner of an independent gaming company, it is sometimes difficult to make solid industry contacts. My goal for attending would be to network with other colleagues in the industry, and perhaps meet people who could help our company in its goal to pursue venture capital/external investment.
Has anyone here ever been to GDC in Austin? If so, what did you think of it? Do you think it has value for an indie game dev/owner to attend for these purposes?
I’ve been and I’m going again this year. In the past I haven’t had live products worth pitching to a publisher/distributor partner and I’ve not tried to meet investors so I can’t speak to that. I’ve found it worthwhile for making some valuable industry contacts, great insights into areas of gaming I generally don’t have the time to consider, and as a general uplift in motivation.
I went last year. This year it is supposed to be substantially larger. I traded lots of cards but only made 1 hard contact. It’s really about finding someone you can relate to and hanging out with that person. There are social networking events too. I ended up eating dinner with this guy and he wanted to do a project with my team at the time. I say if you can make 1 contact and make a profit it’s worth it.
Thanks for the feedback!