So here I am in San Francisco again, getting ready for the first day of the 26th annual Game Developer’s Conference. Registration isn’t cheap, and neither were the plane tickets and hotel reservations. I don’t actually work for a game company, and the number of games I’ve made can be counted on a single finger. So why am I here?
The GDC represents all that I love and hate about the current state of video game design. It’s big, it’s loud, it’s crass, it’s commercial. It’s juvenile and gaudy and shallow. But there are moments of real beauty here, too: talks that inspire and uplift, people looking for a deeper meaning, developers striving to make games into something more than merely a form of entertainment. That’s why I’m here; to be reminded of the fact that there are other people in the world just as passionate about games as I am, and just as determined to see them become something greater than they are now. To make new friends, find new ideas, and become inspired to create something new and radical and marvelous. If you like, you can come along with me on my search for secrets, here in the heart of the video game industry. Let’s go exploring!
In Search of Secrets 