MAJOR GUEST SPEAKING ANNOUNCEMENT! GDC 2023!!!
March 17, 2023I am verklempt to share that I will be speaking not once but twice at GDC 2023!
The Game Developers Conference, also known as GDC, is a conference that began as an informal gathering of 25 developers in the living room of game designer Chris Crawford. Initially focused on computer games, GDC has grown and diversified along with the game industry to include a variety of platforms including consoles, mobile and handheld devices, tablets, online, and computer games and is expanding into the emerging VR and AR space for games and entertainment. In 2016, GDC commemorated the 30th edition of the conference. Year after year, GDC continues to define market innovations and provide insight into the future of games.
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) also brings the game development community together to exchange ideas, solve problems, and shape the future of the industry across five days of education, inspiration, and networking. Attendees include programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, and business leaders. GDC will take place March 20th – 20th 2023
The title of my talk is “Hunting with Hits Tempo Slaying Monsters in Harmony” I wrote this talk with the intent to showcase the approach of how I scored “Questlike Pocket” taking a game with simple mechanics and transforming it with a little more engagement that the player would find to be fun.
This talk came together as I was wrapping up the development of “Questlike Pocket.” Initially, I was streaming some of the process of building the sound palette, and composing the music on my Twitch channel.
This talk will be March 24th 2023, 11:30am – 12:00pm in Room 3006, West Hall
As teaser to what I will be discussing you can watch the latest “How I Composed..Questlike Pocket” on my YouTube channel.
The other talk that I am giving is within a group of other talented people in the industry. Independent Games Summit: Tech Toolbox: Custom Tool Microtalks –
“ Ware in the Middle of Crafting” (This is a play on a couple of words that is related to the theme of the overall title and my talk)
Clifton B, designer of Seasonspree and Keyhole, asked me if I had any tools that I had designed or help design and I thought of the games like < / reality> where we implemented a system in the epilogue where depending on the choices you made in the visual novel, specific music layers would segue in and out. Based on the instruments it would determine if you choice to stay in the “virtual world” or in the “real world.”
However, I ended up designing a presentation where I exhibit how Fancy Fish Games and I are crafting a music system in the game, Aground Zero, that changes based on player mechanics per level. There are five floors total and this talk will demonstrate the music section implementation in-engine and it’s seamless transitions based on the tools used in the HUD.
This talk will be Tuesday, March 21st 2023, 4:10pm – 5:10pm Room 2005, West Hall
Other guest speakers that are participating in this micro-talk are Jarred Huntley, (Freelance Lead Developer) St. Star Germain (Art Director, Aconite) Xalavier Nelson Jr. (Creative Director, Strange Scaffold), Henning Steinbock, (Gameplay Programmer at Triband) and the mastermind organizer, Clifton B (Designer, Kitewing Studio; Seasonspree, Keyhole)
Speaking at GDC is a massive milestone achievement to me. To be able to speak twice in one year is something I would have never imagined. I recall six months ago going through a hard time and thinking that it was not going to be worth to submit my Hunting with Hits Tempo Slaying Monsters in Harmony talk and when I got accepted I was astonished as well as elated. I have been attending GDC since 2013 (GDC Next) (GDC 2014) over a decade now. I recall attending GameSound Con in 2013 and someone in the industry gave a talk (he will remain nameless) and in his talk he said, “We can’t take you seriously until you attend GDC at least twice.” Well, as expensive as it has been, especially for an underrepresented minority person as myself, I made it every single year since, including virtually during the pandemic. Now, I’m speaking there. It’s been not a journey but absolutely an odyssey to reach this and I am pleased to take part in one of the biggest video game industry conferences.
If you are unable to make the talk, you can find it on the GDC Vault within the month. They may even release the talk on Youtube in the future. Whether you attend in person or online, let me know what your thoughts were. I would like to hear from you.