The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is one of the biggest events in the video game industry, drawing software engineers, artists, writers, journalists, and more. Now, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers have decided to implement strict safety protocols at all future events to ensure all attendees are properly protected.

GDC 2021 has also been restructured as a “hybrid event” that will take place in the Moscone Center in San Francisco as well as online, from July 19 through July 23, 2021. Although the specifics are still being discussed, GDC 2021 will probably mirror other industry digital events like PlayStation State of Play and the Xbox Games Showcase, which feature industry insider panel live streams, gameplay demonstrations, and product launches.

Later this year, GDC will also debut virtual workshops (known as GDC Master Classes) which will focus on the process of game development. Gamasutra, a website founded in 1997 that focuses on all aspects of video game development, will also air educational live streams that address individual topics related to “game development and business trends.”

Next year, the organization will launch the GDC Community Celebration from March 1-5. The event will showcase presentations on major game releases, talks from industry leaders, and Q&As – to name a few of the offerings. GDC is expected to announce the full agenda as well as the guest speakers later this year.

GDC Summer, which ran from August 4 to August 6, was entirely virtual. After the coronavirus pandemic hit, organizers rebuilt the conference “from the ground up” so all events could be held online. More than 9,700 unique members registered during the three days the event was held.

The very first GDC was called the Computer Game Developers Conference, organized in April 1988. It was helmed by Chris Crawford, who hosted it in his living room in San Jose, California with around twenty-seven other designers. The second conference, held that same year at a Holiday Inn in Milpitas, drew 125 developers. In 2005, the conference moved to San Francisco, and by 2019, attendance had increased to 27,000.

Source: Gamers Decide

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