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Meetings Meetings Meeting
Written by Modojo
posted March 22, 2006
Most people’s GDC doesn’t begin until Wednesday, but Monday and Tuesday were the busy days of the show for me, since they’re the days of GDC Mobile. Since coming to Modojo last year I’ve been on the phone and trading emails with mobile companies virtually every day, but I’d never met any of them before. I love meeting new people… it’s very quickly becoming my favorite thing about E3 and other conferences.
Tuesday I met with Gameloft again, this time with Sanette Chao. I also had appointments with I-Play, and Konami. The Konami meeting was actually this week’s mobile biz interview.
After the show I went with GameDaily BIZ Editor-in-Chief James Brightman to a couple more parties. I probably had the most fun at the party put on by new PR firm One PR. It was smaller and more low-key than most other after-hours events, but that actually made it more enjoyable. I actually feel like I made some friends there, where at most parties you just trade cards and figure you’ll never see that person again.
After One PR’s event we both briefly went to Foundation 9’s party. I got to talking to one of the bartenders, because I was a part-time bartender myself for a couple of years, while I was in school. We traded tips and drink recipes, and of course every new drink we shared we had to test out. :) I didn’t go TOO overboard, but it’s safe to say I wasn’t in a condition to blog when I got back, which is why my day 2 recap is a little late.
GDC proper has began now, so look for hands-on reports of all the DS and PSP games worth paying attention to throughout the day.
GDC Vol 2: Spore, Glu, and Parties
- Written by Modojo
- posted 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.
GDC Vol. 1: On a Plane / Can't Complain
- Written by Modojo
- posted March 20, 2006
My flight out to San Jose for GDC was uneventful enough, besides a super-long layover in Chicago. Being a portable gamer gets me scoffed at by my console gaming peers, but it sure as hell makes travel a lot easier to handle. A four-hour flight and three-hour layover was easily absorbed with DJ Max Portable, Tetris DS, Exit, and some Lumines for good measure.
I also finally put a dent in The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. It's been sitting on my bookshelf untouched for months.
GDC seems to have taken over the city of San Jose, much like E3 takes over Los Angeles. Our hotel is well outside of downtown - we have to shuttle to the train and then train it into the convention center - and yet all the rooms are still filled with GDC attendees. I thought for sure no one but us would be staying there for GDC, since it was so far away.
Keep it here for the full scoop on the parties, rumors, and "other side" of GDC.