The Game Developers Conference Canada (GDC Canada) co-produced by UBM TechWeb Game Network and Reboot Communications, brought together more than 775 game industry professionals last week for two days of learning, networking and inspiration at the Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC). Comparable to last year’s attendance numbers, GDC Canada 2010 provided opportunities for sharing knowledge, making new connections and celebrating the passion and dedication of fellow Canadian game-makers. In May 2011, Reboot Communications will continue to serve the Canadian development community in Vancouver with a videogame conference that will feature a "Best of GDC" track, as part of Vancouver Interactive Digital Week 2011.
GDC Canada was designed with the core values and dedication to quality that is at the heart of all Game Developers Conferences. With more than 35 lectures, panels, and sessions covering best-practices that studios should implement to develop successful franchises for consoles, iPhone games and digitally distributed titles, the conference was successful in inspiring Canadian developers to share experiences for fostering ingenuity and quality games. GDC Canada featured the Game Career Seminar, an expo area, business to business lounge and networking receptions where attendees met with representatives from Epic Games, Radical, Relic, Blue Castle, Hansoft and Sony Computer Entertainment, among others.
"It was our honor to host some of the most dedicated and talented developers at GDC Canada this year," said Izora de Lillard, event director of GDC Canada. "The event was a great opportunity for the developer community to network with like minded professionals and learn best practices for developing big global titles and understanding emerging digital distribution models."
Bll Mooney, a Vice President at Zynga Studios and General Manager of FarmVille, kicked-off GDC Canada with a keynote that provided a deeper dive into the evolving social gaming space and its future. The talk elaborated on the next business model of the internet using prominent Zynga titles as case studies, including FarmVille and Mafia Wars, whose soaring popularity has helped the Facebook-based games attain more than 85 million active users.
GDC Canada also hosted a Canadian version of GDC’s popular Game Career Seminar, which is designed for individuals looking to make a career move within the game industry. At the Game Career Seminar, videogame industry icon Tommy Tallarico brought his in-depth knowledge from years of experience to the mic with an intimate keynote interview with Victor Lucas, a Canadian television host of the Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run. Attendees learned how Tommy grew from humble beginning to his creation of Video Games Live and to having his own PBS special.
In May 2011, Reboot Communications will continue to serve the Canadian development community in Vancouver with a videogame conference as part of Vancouver Interactive Digital Week 2011. UBM TechWeb is pleased to continue to participate in the 2011 event in Vancouver, in the form of a specialized "Best of GDC" track. This partnership with Reboot will bring top GDC lectures from worldwide to the Canadian audience for the first time.