Game Developers Conference 2008 - Austin

I just came back from the Game Developers Conference 2008 in Austin. Wow!... I am often surprized about the relevance and aliveness of these events, based on my previous experience at GDC 2008 in San Francisco.

As expected, the GDC Austin conference brought me a lot of updated information about the industry, including what is going on in terms of new and upcoming games, game design, career opportunities, new interfaces, academic research, etc.

As always, I made good contacts and expanded my "gaming network", making new friends and colleagues throughout the event.

One of the highlights of the event was a great informal conversation I had about my research and "integral ideas" with John Romero, renowned designer of the video games Doom and Quake. Although these are some of the most violent games ever created, it seems (because it is still confidential) that he has been involved in less violent, more mature projects nowadays, probably reflecting where he is right now personally. John Romero is considered one of the greatest designers of the video game industry, and is currently involved in a series of upcoming (high-level) projects, including a MMO video game.