AGDC: Sanitized for your Protection
Product: Austin Game Developer's Conference
Another Game Developer's Conference has come and gone; the only difference is it happened to be the first CMP-sponsored GDC in Austin. For those of you who may not be familiar with the name CMP, not only do they host the aforementioned GDC's all over the world, they host several sites dedicated to the development of games as well. The conference was originally known as the Austin Game Conference before proprietor Chris Sherman turned over the reigns to CMP. So for the little show with humble beginnings gaining notoriety and joining the big boys, did it gain from the CMP influence or lose its unique Austin flair?
Let's get in a quick history lesson for those who haven't seen previous years. There is a saying here in Austin that says "Keep Austin Weird." Most everything that happens here employs this proudly into the spirit of everything we do. The original Austin Game Conference was no exception. One of the more notable aspects were very unsafe, but hot topics in the industry. Topics such as sex in gaming, and racial and sexual barriers of entry into the game industry were not taboo by any stretch. The Expo floor slowly grew over the years; nothing like E3 mind you, but there was definite diversity of local recruitment and products. So now that we have the new and improved conference, what were the differences?
The new and improved AGDC definitely took the road most traveled. If there was a single aspect of the show that was openly discussed amongst long time veterans of the Austin show and CMP shows alike, it was that the topics were all nice, safe and sanitized for public consumption. The most risqué panel I attended addressed the familiar topics regarding laws and legal issues that are beginning to creep their way into our gaming culture. All well and good, mind you, and indeed a hot topic for sure, but it definitely lacked that Austin flair I was expecting on such a heated topic. Many of the veterans also openly commented on having heard similar topics from speakers at other GDC's. So is there a huge problem with laying up on the green for your first show? I would have to say absolutely not. I felt it was important to point out the differences between the shows as we take this show for what it is, a good start. One good mark for CMP is that the name brought in recruiters from all over to not only find talent, but assess the viability of opening studios of their own in the area. The expo area was top notch, boasting the first two-story booth the Austin show has ever seen. Again, that may not be much for those familiar with the old E3, but it showed a hopeful growth for the show.
I had a great time on the floor talking with all of the major companies in the industry, as well as getting a chance to touch some new and interesting toys. On that note, I had an opportunity to stick my hands and my head inside the new HP Blackbird. The Blackbird is the love child of Voodoo machines and Hewlett Packard. This is HP's first steps to compete with Dell's XPS series of gaming machines. Safe and sound and with a youthful roar, the show comes to an end. Promising some great things to come, the conference panels will hopefully lean a little less towards safe and more toward actual issues facing our industry. The expo will continue to grow as more companies will attempt to tap into the Austin talent pool. New companies paying attention to this show can only mean growth for the industry in Austin.
-WUMPUSJAGGER, GameVortex Communications AKA Bryon Lloyd
Related Links: Austin GDC CMP HP Blackbird
Virtua Fighter 5 Goes Live Icarus Can Give your MMO Wings