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GDC Vol 2: Spore, Glu, and Parties
Written by Modojo on Tuesday, March 21, 2006
GDC Day 1 is already over. With hourly sessions and plenty of meetings, the day went by surprisingly quickly. Things started off with a bang with EA Mobile’s (IE Jamdat) Mitch Laskey delivering GDC Mobile’s sole keynote. As Modojo reported (the first site to run the news in fact), during his report he casually revealed that Spore, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, and seemingly about 50 other EA properties would be hitting mobile phones in the near future. EA Mobile is going to be an absolute force in 2006. It’s exciting (and honestly, a little scary) to think about the impact they could have on the industry during the next 12 months.
After that first keynote, it was what seemed like a whirlwind of meetings and speeches, up until now, 10PM as I sit in my hotel room. I finally met face-to-face individuals I’d been working with off and on all year, including Glu’s Chief Creative Officer Robert Nashak, Sprint GameLobby Manager Jason Ford, and Gameloft North American General Manger Eric Albert.
I was also introduced to many new faces from companies like Qualcomm and Superscape. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep in touch to set up some content over the coming weeks and months. GDC is an excellent, low-key opportunity for press to get rare face-time with companies, and vice-versa. E3 might be bigger, but I’d argue that GDC has nearly become the best networking conference. Without so much hustle and bustle, it’s possible to actually get to know people and make new friends. I really like the atmosphere.
To cap off the night I attended a small party put on by Infospace, in a hotel suite that had an excellent view of San Jose. A few Coronas and a few appetizers later, I figured it was time to head back. Modojo (unfortunately) can’t update itself! I’m currently in the lobby surrounded by a large group of Frenchmen, talking in their native tongue. It’s making me nervous… I think I’m going to go.
