Game Developers Conference (GDC) is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Getting ready for GDC 2024?

Eager to know what talks and events are best for you?

We’re here for you!  

GDC 2024 features hundreds of sessions—covering nearly every discipline, topic, and focus that matters to game developers today. It can be hard to choose!  

That's why we've created this Walkthrough Guide. Click on a topic to be taken to your “one-stop shop” with details on your area of interest, links to find the right sessions for you, and content you can read and watch to prepare for this year's event.

For those wanting an extra hand, our guides feature GDC 2024 Sample Schedules. These are day-by-day calendars with talks, roundtables, workshops, and panels matching your interests—custom-built with input from GDC advisors and GDC Programming staff. Each one is linked to its Session Viewer page, making it easier to find and schedule them in the GDC App.

Make sure to visit the GDC FAQ for tips on getting around the area, finding networking opportunities, and making the most of your GDC. 

How to use the GDC 2024 Session Guides:

  1. Click on your topic or discipline from the list provided below
  2. Click on the name (next to the '+' plus sign) to open up the down-down guide
  3. Find links to all GDC 2024 sessions related to your topic or discipline
  4. Peruse your topic's Sample Schedule of recommended talks, panels, and events for the week of GDC
  5. Check out our suggested videos and articles to get you ready for GDC 2024
  6. For everything else, check out our handy FAQ. Have additional questions? Contact us here.

Basic Information

Creating and sharing sound is one of the key ways to bring a video game to life. In our Audio track, join the game industry's top audio professionals to share knowledge and experience from the real world addressing, audio's unique aesthetic, technical, business, and logistical problems. 

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Attendees can also sign up for the specialty Audio Pass, which provides all Core and Summits sessions on the Audio track. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Roundtables

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Tuesday,
March 19


Audio Summit: Lunchtime Surgeries
 

12:20 – 1:50pm 
Room 2007, West Hall 

Pass Types: AA, AP, S 



Audio Summit: Challenges and Opportunities in Designing and Developing Audio Tools

1:20 – 1:50pm 
Room 3002, West Hall

Pass Types: AA, AP, S

Audio Summit: Haptic Design and Implementation of 'Marvel's Spider-Man 2'

2:10 – 2:40pm 
Room 3002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, AP, S 

Audio Summit: How Sound Can Make You Feel

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 3002, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, AP, S

 

 Wednesday,
March 20

 


Tunes of the Kingdom: Evolving Physics and Sounds for ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’

10:30 – 11:30am 
Room 2002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, AP, C

In Your Head: Audio-Driven Everything in 'Alan Wake 2' and its Mind Place

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 3006, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, AP, C

The Music of 'Tchia': Channeling the Soul of New Caledonia

4:00 – 5:00pm 
Room 3006, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, AP, C

 


The Art of Cherry-Picking: Selectively Ignoring Career Advice
 

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 3006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, AP, C

Thursday,
March 21

 

Creature Vocalizations: The Art of Creating Audio Nightmares with a Human Voice 

10:00 – 11:00 am 
Room 3002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, AP, C


Dial Up the Diegetics: Musical Sound Effects
 

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 3002, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, AP, C

Hearing Health in Video Games 

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 3002, West Hall

Pass Type: APT*


22nd Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards

7:30 – 9:30pm 
Room 2016, West Hall 

Pass Type: APT*

Friday,
March 22

Finding Space For Sound: Acoustics in 'Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora'

10:00 – 11:00am
Room 3006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, AP, C

Haptics: A Playful Collaboration Between Audio and Design

11:30am – 12:00pm
Room 3006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, AP, C 


Game Career Seminar: Finding Your Groove as Musicians in Game Audio

1:10 – 2:10pm
Room 301, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT 

                                                                                                                                                                     

 

 

Basic Information

The Game Developers Conference isn't just about standout sessions and events: It's also where careers get made. In our Game Career Development track, discover strategies for pitching your game, effective communication, how to land an investor/publisher, business development, and how to build your career in game development directly from industry experts.

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Attendees can also sign up for the Friday-only Expo Pass, which will grant access to Friday's Game Career Seminar. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Roundtables

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Tuesday,
March 19

Game Narrative Summit: It's Not in the Writer's Manual: A Q&A Session for New Writers 

12:00 – 1:00pm 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S


Independent Games Summit: Growing a Studio in a Post-Indie Industry
 

2:10 – 2:40pm 
Room 2009, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S, IGS


Xsolla Game Night

6:00 – 9:00pm 
Esplanade 156 & 158, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*




 

                                                                                                                                                                     

 

Wednesday,
March 20

 


Freelancers and Independent Contractors Roundtable Day 1: New Freelancers
 

9:00 – 10:00am 
Room 306, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

 

Surviving Your First Steps into the Management Journey 

10:30 – 11:30am 
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


Now Is the Time! Workers in Games Are Ready to Form Unions
 

3:30 – 4:30pm 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

 

 

The Art of Cherry-Picking: Selectively Ignoring Career Advice (Note: Audio-focused) 

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 3006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, AP, C

 

Thursday,
March 21


Staying in Play Roundtable: Gender-Specific Strategies Amidst Game Industry Layoffs (Presented by the IGDA)

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 203, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*

Game Industry Layoff Preparedness Roundtable 

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 308, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*

Getting Hired with a Personal Touch 

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*


Change the Rules! Co-ops, Unions, and Other Game Labor Structures
 

4:00 – 5:00pm 
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*


 

Friday,
March 22

 

Game Career Seminar: Who Are You? Building Your Profile Outside the Job 

10:10 – 10:40am 
Room 303, South Hall
 
Pass Type: APT


 

Game Career Seminar: Co-Managing: Building an Effective Manager/Direct Relationship 

11:10 – 11:40am 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: APT

Game Career Seminar: Build Your Promotability or Honor Your Values? Why Not Both! 

12:10 – 12:40pm 
Room 303, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT


Game Career Seminar: Learn From Our Mistakes: What Experience Has Taught Us About Leveling Up Our Careers
 

2:20 – 3:20pm 
Room 303, South Hall

Pass Types: APT 

 

Basic Information

Discover the latest tools and tricks for creating standout games. In our Design track, learn methods to create compelling interactions with realistic physics, facial expressions, and lighting. Get ideas for new games, tips to push your project forward, and learn how to understand and tune the interactions of an ever-increasing number of tools, systems, and techniques required to design great games.

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Roundtables

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Monday,
March 18

UX Summit: Difficult Games by Data and Design

10:50 – 11:50am 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Types: AA, S 

UX Summit: Designing Immersive UI for 'Star Wars Jedi: Survivor'

1:20 – 2:20pm 
Room 3016, West Hall 

Pass Types: AA, S


UX Summit: Lessons in Retrofitting Accessibility: 'A Legends of Runeterra' Story

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S

 


UX Summit: Loud and Clear: Improving Accessibility for Low Vision Players in 'Cosmonious High'
 

4:40 – 5:10pm 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S


 

Tuesday,
March 19

 

Level Design Summit: Layered Design: Developing the Mission Structures for 'Alan Wake 2'

10:50 – 11:50am 
Room 2001, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S


Level Design Summit: How the Heck do you Teach Level Design?: Educating in the Studio
 

2:10 – 2:40pm
Room 2001, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S



Level Design Summit: Hyper-Modular Structures: Sins of a Level Designer
 

4:40 – 5:10pm 
Room 2001, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S


Level Design Summit: Level and Quest Design Collaboration from 'Skyrim' to 'Starfield'

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 2001, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

Wednesday,
March 20


Developing 'Hi-Fi RUSH' Backwards and Finding our Positive Gameplay Loop
 

9:00 – 10:00am 
Room 2005, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 



2D and Tomorrow: How the Developers of ‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder’ Find New Joy in Creating Classic Side-Scrolling Adventures
 

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 2002, West Hall

Pass Type: APT*

Dark Patterns: Shining a Light on Unlawful Game Design 

3:30 – 4:30pm 
Room 3005, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

Bringing a Star Wars Cantina to Life in 'Jedi: Survivor'

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C


Thursday,
March 21


The Secrets of 'Baldur's Gate 3

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 303, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C




Classic Game Postmortem: 'Karateka'

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 2002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 





Characters and Humor: Problem-Solving-Aid in 'Dave the Diver'

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 2002, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Little Hands, Foul Moods, and Runny Noses: Designing Games for Kids 

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 2014, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C

Friday,
March 22

Revisiting Fun: 20 Years of A Theory of Fun

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 



Minigames as Worldbuilding: Designing a Card Game for 'Saltsea Chronicles'

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 2001, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


Experimental Game Workshop

1:30 – 3:30pm 
Room 2002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 


 



Crafting Characters in 'VALORANT': Designing Deadlock

3:00 – 4:00pm 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 


 

Basic Information

Change is happening in the video game industry, and it's important to be part of it. In our Advocacy track, address topics ranging from diversity to censorship to quality of life within the realm of social advocacy in the game industry—topics include diversity, equity, and inclusion, sustainability, accessibility, and achieving a healthy workplace. As part of our mission to support growth in the game industry.

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops—most Advocacy sessions are accessible at all pass levels (except Friday-only Expo Pass). Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Fair Play Workshop (Tuesday, March 19)

Roundtables and Other Workshops

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

 

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Monday,
March 18

Game Narrative Summit: Creating Diverse Characters: Writing What you Know and Don't

10:50 – 11:30am 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

 

Fair Play Workshop: Non-binary By Design

2:20 – 2:50pm 
Room 209, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

 


Fair Play Workshop: Kind Games: Designing for Prosocial Multiplayer

4:30 – 5:30pm 
Room 209, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

 

 

Fair Play Workshop: Digital Thriving in a Post-Pandemic World: A Prosocial Blueprint

5:50 – 6:50pm 
Room 209, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 




 

Tuesday,
March 19

 

 


Climate Crisis Workshop: Use Your Game Developer Superpowers to Fight the Climate Crisis
 

10:00am – 6:00pm 
Room 209, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*  

 

                                                       

                                                        

 

                                                        

 

 

Wednesday,
March 20



Advocacy Microtalks: Culture, Civics, & Karma

9:00 – 10:00am 
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

 



The Black Designers' Dilemma
 

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*  



Now Is the Time! Workers in Games Are Ready to Form Unions
 

3:30 – 4:30pm 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 


Building Cognitive Accessibility Into Your Games 

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 215, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT* 

Thursday,
March 21


#1ReasonToBe

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 207, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*  



ROI on T&S: Toxicity and the Bottom Line

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 





Change the Rules! Co-ops, Unions, and Other Game Labor Structures

4:00 – 5:00pm  
Room 215, South Hall
 
Pass Type: APT*  

 

Breaking Boundaries Roundtable: Transgender, Non-Binary, and Non-Gender Conforming Game Developers 

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 312, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

Friday,
March 22

Age-Friendly Design for the 50-Plus Gamer

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 215, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT 





Being an Effective Ally Roundtable (Presented by the IGDA)

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 211, South Hall

Pass Type: APT 

 

Authentic Representation of Black Hair in Games 

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 215, South Hall
 
Pass Type: APT 

 


Building a Resilient Industry Through Worker Organizing & Empowerment Roundtable 

3:00 – 4:00pm 
Room 306, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT 

Basic Information

Are you going to the Game Developers Conference for the first time? Eager to know about the best talks and networking events for fresh faces at GDC 2024? This guide features some of the "Greatest Hits" GDC is known for.

For first timers, we highly recommend GDC 101 (your one-stop shop to learning how to navigate the event), the GDC Main Stage presentation, at least one Classic Game Postmortem, and the GDCA and IGF Awards.

Below our Tips Sheet and Video/Article Picks, you will find a Sample Schedule with all the talks and events we recommend for first-time attendees. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

10 Tips for Making the Most of Your First GDC

  1. Complete your Swapcard profile: GDC is using Swapcard as the go-to system for all GDC networking activities. Make sure to fully complete your profile to stay connected during GDC. You can also request meetings with any fellow attendee registered through Swapcard—with the ability to search attendees by job title, professional interest, and other filters.

  1. Book your hotel with us: Don't try your luck with some random travel website—GDC has discounted rates on hotels near the event for attendees. It's the best way to get the best room near the convention center.

  2. Join a roundtable: Our talks and panels are amazing, but be sure to bookmark at least one roundtable during your time at GDC. They're a great way to get hands-on with a topic of interest, as well as network with your industry colleagues.

  3. Do a speed networking session: There are many ways to network at the Game Developers Conference, like using Swapcard (once available) to set up meetings in our Connect Lounge. But if you're looking for variety and entertainment, join one of our Speed Networking sessions! 

  4. Attend a sponsored talk: Many of our wonderful sponsors host sessions and talks throughout the Game Developers Conference. Some of them showcase latest products and services, while others are about helping game developers navigate opportunities and challenges that they themselves have experienced. They're open to attendees of all pass levels. It's worth checking out what studios and companies are speaking at GDC that are of interest to you!

  5. Plan your Expo tour... then wing it: The GDC 2024 Expo Floor features many booths and exhibitors, showcasing some of the latest games, technologies, and career opportunities. Be sure to visit our interactive Floor Plan so you can map out the booths you want to visit. But don't forget to set aside some time for an unstructured lap around the Expo Floor. You might be surprised by what you find—one time I discovered a popcorn machine! A vital snack in the afternoon.

  6. Check out alt.ctrl.GDC: If you're wanting to see the latest innovations in game programming and alternative controllers, look no further than alt.ctrl.GDC on the Expo Floor. Several developers have brought their groundbreaking (and often unexpected) games and controllers to showcase at GDC. Attendees of all pass levels can play them for free, and chat with the devs. 

  7. Relax in our community spaces: Not only are they a place to unwind during the day, they're also the perfect spot to network with industry colleages and prospective employers. Head to our Floor Plan to see our community spaces throughout the Expo Floor, including fun interactive spaces and the GDC Play Lounge. 

  8. Get food recs from an SF ambassador: Trying to find something to eat in between sessions? Keep an eye out for the city’s official Welcome Ambassadors–in their signature bright orange jackets, with the words “Welcome Ambassador” written on the back. They'll be hanging around GDC and may have recommendations on interesting spots to grab a quick bite or a more hearty meal.

  9. Attend the GDCA and IGF Awards: Last but certainly not least! On Wednesday, March 20 at 6:30pm PT, the GDC Main Stage hosts the Independent Games Festival Awards and the Game Developers Choice Awards—two prestigious ceremonies that celebrate the game industry and standout games and developers of the past year. Best part: It's free for attendees of all pass levels.

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Tuesday,
March 19


GDC 101

12:20 – 1:50pm 
Room 2007, West Hall 

Pass Types: AA, AP, S

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                      

 


 

                                                                                                                                                                     

 

 

 Wednesday,
March 20

 

 

Tunes of the Kingdom: Evolving Physics and Sounds for ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’

10:30 – 11:30am 
Room 2002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, AP, C 

 

GDC Main Stage: A Developer's Concert 

12:30 – 1:30pm 
GDC Main Stage, West Hall, Street Level

Pass Type: APT* 



Now Is the Time! Workers in Games Are Ready to Form Unions

3:30 – 4:30pm 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

 



2024 Independent Games Festival Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards

6:30 – 9:30pm 
GDC Main Stage, West Hall, Street Level

Pass Type: APT*

 

Thursday,
March 21

 

The Secrets of 'Baldur's Gate 3' 

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 303, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C
 

 

 

#1ReasonToBe 

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 207, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*  

 


GDC Pitch: Day 2
 

12:45 – 1:45pm 
GDC Partner Stage, Expo Floor, North Hall
 

Pass Type: APT*  


Getting Hired with a Personal Touch
 

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

Friday,
March 22

 


Game Career Seminar: Who Are You? Building Your Profile Outside the Job
 

10:10 – 10:40am 
Room 303, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT 

 


GDC Encounters: Speed Networking

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 205, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT 

 

 

Classic Game Postmortem: 'Star Wars: TIE Fighter' 

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

The Future of Hybrid, Remote and In-Office Work 

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


Basic Information

Generative AI, virtual reality, and augmented reality are exploding in the games space—and paving the way for the future. In our Future Realities track, learn to create amazing, immersive VR and AR experiences for games and entertainment. Be inspired, learn from experts, and share best practices to create augmented and virtual reality for games, films, and other forms of entertainment. In the Artificial Intelligence (AI) sessions, learn the latest tools and techniques for Generative AI and other AI. 

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Roundtables

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Monday,
March 18

Future Realities Summit: Operation: Spectacle: Designing the VR Cinematics of 'I Expect You to Die 3' 

1:20 – 1:50pm 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, S

 

Future Realities Summit: Techniques for Efficient Development of VR Games Using Unreal Engine 5 

3:50 – 4:20pm 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

 

AI Summit: From Text to Gameplay: Generative AI's Influence on Behavior Trees

4:40 – 5:10pm  
Room 2002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S

 

 

AI Summit: Little Learning Machines Postmortem: A game about training Neural Networks

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 20002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S

 

 

Tuesday,
March 19

 

 

AI Summit: Practical Utility AI 

9:30 – 10:30am 
Room 2002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S





Future Realities Summit: Creating for the Physical and the Virtual: Learnings from Mixed Reality at Meta 

10:50 – 11:50am 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, S


Future Realities Summit: Developing Action-Packed Multiplayer Gameplay for Mobile AR
 

2:10 – 2:40pm 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, S

 

AI Summit: The Simplest AI Trick in the Book

4:40 – 5:10pm 
Room 2002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S


 

Wednesday,
March 20

 

AI Roundtable Day 1: Deep Dive with Experts

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 2020, West Hall

Pass Type: APT*

 

 

Harnessing Generative AI to Create Unlimited Content Within Game Worlds (Presented by Amazon Web Services)

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 3009, West Hall 

Pass Type: APT*

 

Asgards Wrath 2: How We Built VR's Largest Open-World RPG (Presented by Meta)

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 2024, West Hall 

Pass Type: APT*

 

 

ARTificial: Ethics and Aesthetics of AI and Copyright 

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 207, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*

Thursday,
March 21

 

How Generative AI is Transforming Game Development, Discovery and UGC (Presented by Roblox) 

10:00 – 11:00am
Room 3006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, AP, C

 

Navigating Legal Challenges with Generative AI 

11:30am – 12:30pm
Room 2014, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C


 

AI Roundtable Day 2: Quick Q&A for Beginners

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 306, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C

 

                                                                                                                                                                     

 

Friday,
March 22

 

 

AI-Assisted Player Support in the 'Among Us VR' Community

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 207, South Hall

Pass Type: APT


 

AI's Impact on Voice in Games Roundtable (Presented by the IGDA) 

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 211, South Hall

Pass Type: APT

 

AI Roundtable Day 3: Open Discussion

3:00 – 4:00pm 
Room 308, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C


                                                                                                                                                                      

Basic Information

Indie games and their creators breathe life into the game industry—uplifting voices, challenging norms, and paving the way for the future of the field. In our Independent Games track, hear from the best and brightest indie game creators. Attend lectures, postmortems, microtalks, and panels representing diverse voices, experiences, and perspectives, including many former and current Independent Games Festival finalists and winners.

Passes: All Access provides access to all GDC 2024 sessions. Attendees can sign up for the specialty Independent Games Summit Pass, which provides access to IGS-related sessions (limited availability). Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Monday,
March 18


Independent Games Summit: Protecting Your Team: Founding Your Studio on People Not Product
 

9:30 – 10:30am
Room 2009, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, IGS, S

Independent Games Summit: Making Accessible Games with Indie Resources

3:50 – 4:20pm 
Room 2005, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, IGS, S 

 




Independent Games Summit: Challenging or Approachable? Pick Two
 

4:40 – 5:10pm 
Room 2009, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, IGS, S 

 

 

Independent Games Summit: Indie Soapbox

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 2005, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, IGS, S  



 

Tuesday,
March 19

 



Independent Games Summit: Pitching from the Indie Dev Perspective
 

10:50 – 11:50am 
Room 2009, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, IGS, S  

 

Independent Games Summit: Growing a Studio in a Post-Indie Industry

2:10 – 2:40pm 
Room 2009, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, IGS, S 

Independent Games Summit: How Poetry Can Help Us Make Better Games

4:40 – 5:10pm 
Room 2009, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, IGS, S 


Independent Games Summit: The Steam Secrets Nobody Tells You...Until Now
 

5:30 – 6:00pm 
Room 2009, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, IGS, S 

Wednesday,
March 20

 

'Against the Storm' Postmortem

9:00 – 10:00am 
Room 2014, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 




The Marketing Money Talk: How to Budget your Indie Game's Promotion Campaign
 

10:30 – 11:00am 
Room 2006, West Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, C 


 

GDC Pitch: Day 1 

12:30 – 1:30pm 
GDC Partner Stage, Expo Floor, North Hall

Pass Type: APT*  

 

Take My Money! Everything You Need to Know to Score Funding

3:30 – 4:30pm 
Room 2006, West Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, C 

Thursday,
March 21


Occupational Burnout in Games 2024: Causes, Impact, and Solutions

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 207, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT* 


#1ReasonToBe

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 207, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT*




Lore, Don't Tell: A Guide for Telling Culturally Rooted Stories Like 'Venba'

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 3016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 


Change the Rules! Co-ops, Unions, and Other Game Labor Structures

4:00 – 5:00pm 
Room 215, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT*  

Friday,
March 22

Game Career Seminar: Who Are You? Building Your Profile Outside the Job

10:10 – 10:40am 
Room 303, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT 


 



Game Career Seminar: Steam Best Practices: Developing an Audience While Developing Your Game
 

10:50 – 11:20am 
Room 303, South Hall 


Pass Type: APT 

 

Experimental Game Workshop 

1:30 – 3:30pm 
Room 2002, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C






Basic Information

Video games are serious business, and leaders help pave the way to success. In our Leadership focus, learn tactics for managing game production and guiding your team and studio to success.

Core Concepts sessions take place Wednesday-Friday (March 20-22). Scroll down for recommended sessions for developing core leadership skills, managing your team, and growing your career.

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Roundtables

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Tuesday,
March 19


Production Workshop: An In-Depth Guide to Solving Tough, Real World Production Problems

10:00am – 6:00pm 
Room 213, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 

                                                                                                                                                                     

 

                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                     

 

 

 Wednesday,
March 20

 

 

Adventures in Mentoring 

10:30 – 11:00am 
Room 2005, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 



Empowering Your People Through
Hackweek and Experimental Projects
 

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 2005, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 



Leaders Working at the Heart of the Team 2024
 

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 2010, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C  

 



Retaining Diverse Employees: Taking the Next Step in DEIB
 

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 2010, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

Thursday,
March 21

Rise of the Female CEO: Perspectives from the Frontline

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 207, South Hall

Pass Type: APT*  

 

Don't Let Poor Technical Leadership Hold Your Innovation Back

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 




Lightning in a Bottle: How to Run Effective Cross-Functional Brainstorms

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2010, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 






We Need to Talk About Games Leadership
 

4:00 – 5:00pm 
Room 301, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

 

Friday,
March 22

 

Game Career Seminar: Co-Managing: Building an Effective Manager/Direct Relationship

10:10 – 10:40am 
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: APT

 

 

Game Career Seminar: Fostering Long-Lasting Studio Creativity through Ideation and Prototyping

10:50 – 11:20am 
Room 215, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT

 

Best Practices for People, Planet and Profit Roundtable

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 314, South Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, C 

 


The Future of Hybrid, Remote and In-Office Work

3:00 – 4:00pm
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: APT

 

Basic Information

Finding the best ways to market and sell your games can make all the difference. In our Business and Marketing track, gain insight into game industry trends, identify business opportunities and partners, and learn new strategies for marketing games.

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Monday,
March 18



Community Management Summit: How to Grow Your Game by Fostering Inclusivity and Diversity in Your Gaming Communities

9:30 – 10:30am 
Room 3002, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

Community Management Summit: Roll Play: The Strategy Behind 'Baldur's Gate 3' On TikTok

2:10 – 2:40pm 
Room 3002, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

Community Management Summit: Method to the Madness: Practical Science for Community Management 

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 3002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 




Community Management Summit: Streamers Don't Want
To Play Your Game

4:40 – 5:10pm 
Room 3002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 


 

 Wednesday,
March 20

 

All Game Trailers Are Not Created Equal

9:30 – 10:00am 
Room 3014, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 

The Marketing Money Talk: How to Budget your Indie Game's Promotion Campaign

10:30 – 11:00am 
Room 2006, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 




Avoid the Fines: What You Need to Know About the UK / California
Age Appropriate Design Code

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Rethinking Mobile Game Discovery & Growth

5:00 – 5:30pm 
Room 2014, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

Thursday,
March 21

Steam's New Meta: The Latest Trends in PC Game Marketing

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 207, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C   

 

Subscriptions Impact on Game Lifecycles

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2014, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 




The Integrated Marketing Approach: Designing Impactful Game Launches

4:00 – 5:00pm 
Room 2010, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C
 




Creative Partnerships: A Better Way to Influencer Marketing
 

5:30 – 6:00pm 
Room 2010, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Friday,
March 22

 

Game Career Seminar: Steam Best Practices: Developing an Audience While Developing Your Game

10:50 – 11:20am 
Room 303, South Hall

Pass Type: APT

 

Performance Marketing: Profitable Growth Strategies

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 3005, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Best Practices for People, Planet and Profit Roundtable

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 314, South Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, C 

 

                                                                                                                            

 

 

Basic Information

Video games love a good story. Tales that make us think, adventures that show us a good time, or even experiences that frighten or challenge us. In our Game Narrative track, learn about interactive narrative in all forms, including AAA blockbusters, indie games, mobile, and social projects from fundamentals of story development theory to practical case studies.

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

 

Monday,
March 18

Game Narrative Summit: Creating Diverse Characters: Writing What you Know and Don't

10:50 – 11:30am 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S

Game Narrative Summit: Writing A Story Treatment ('Stranger Things' Style)

2:10 – 2:40pm 
Room 2016, West Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, S 

Game Narrative Summit: Cooking with Chemistry: Recipes for Attraction in Narrative Design

3:50 – 4:20pm 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S


Game Narrative Summit: Casting Light on the Black Box
 

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 2016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

Tuesday,
March 19

 

Game Narrative Summit: Comics to Games: Great Adaptations

9:30 – 10:30am 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 


Game Narrative Summit:
It's Not in the Writer's Manual: A Q&A Session for New Writers

12:00 – 1:00pm 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type, AA, S 


Game Narrative Summit: Branching On
A Budget: Creating Agency Without Wrecking Scope

2:10 – 2:40pm 
Room 2006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 


Game Narrative Summit:
It's All in the Ending: Storytelling and Design Strategies in 'Jedi: Survivor'

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 

Wednesday,
March 20

Lost the Plot: Writing Story for "Storyless" Games

10:30 – 11:00am 
Room 2001, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

Game Narrative Roundtable Day 1: Professional

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 308, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 


Make a Choice and See What Happens: CD PROJEKT RED's Dialogue System

3:00 – 4:00pm 
Room 2016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

ARTificial: Ethics and Aesthetics of AI and Copyright

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 207, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT*  

Thursday,
March 21

Game Narrative Roundtable Day 2: Conceptual

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 308, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 


Lore, Don't Tell: A Guide for Telling Culturally Rooted Stories Like 'Venba'

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 


The Cozy Craze: Secrets Behind Beautiful, Safe, Ritual Experiences
 

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 


'Storyteller': Turning Stories into Gameplay
 

4:00 – 5:00pm 
Room 2006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

Friday,
March 22


Making Linear Story Playable: The Narrative Design of 'Alan Wake 2'

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 303, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 


Starting A Story You Can Finish: Narrative Design Structure and Scope

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 3005, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C

 

                                                                                         

                                                                                                     

Basic Information

Knowing how your players think is key to a game's success. In our Product Management and Business Intelligence focus, learn from industry leaders, Omdia analysts, and more on how to find success. 

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Core Concepts sessions take place Wednesday-Friday (March 20-22). Scroll down for recommended sessions for product management and business intelligence. 

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Monday,
March 18

Free-to-Play Summit: The Year in Free-to-Play Games

9:30 – 10:30am 
Room 2006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 




Tabletop Summit: 15 Years of Insight: The Evolution of China's Board Game Market Across Two Generations

10:50 – 11:50am 
Room 3004, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

Free-to-Play Summit: Navigating the Difference Between 'Roblox' and Mobile Free-to-Play Games

3:50 – 4:20pm 
Room 2006, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 



Free-to-Play Summit: 5 Things About Game Monetization That Could've Saved Millions of Dollars (If Only I Had Known Them Before)
 

4:40 – 5:10pm 
Room 2006, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 



 

 Wednesday,
March 20

 



Sugary Statistics: What We Have Learned About 'Candy Crush' Content After 10 Years and Over 15,000 Levels

9:00 – 10:00am 
Room 2010, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


How LiveOps Allows Games to be Played as Intended, Always
 

10:30 – 11:00am 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 



Live Service Games: A Data-Driven Analysis (Presented by 
Omdia)
 

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 2006, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C  

 

 

Rethinking Mobile Game Discovery & Growth

5:00 – 5:30pm 
Room 2014, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Thursday,
March 21


Asian Publishers' New Games Strategies: Lessons for Western Developers (Presented by
Omdia)

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 301, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


Beyond the Norm: Innovative Game Formats for Boosting Retention of
Hypercasual Games

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2014, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


Analytics and Data Science Roundtable (Presented by the IGDA)

4:00 – 5:00pm 
Room 203, South Hall

Pass Type: APT* 

 

 


Games Research and User Experience Roundtable: Insights and Innovation (Presented by the IGDA)

5:30 – 6:00pm 
Room 203, South Hall 

Pass Type: APT*

 


Friday,
March 22

 

Unpacking the Impact of Games Library Subscriptions (Presented by Omdia)

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 3014, West Hall
 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 

Best Practices for People, Planet and Profit Roundtable

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 314, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 



Unlocking Growth in a Privacy Centric World: 'Sago Mini's' 40% ROI Boost

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2014, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C  

 

                                                                                                                            

 

Basic Information

Video games are serious business, and production leads the way to success. In our Production and Team Leadership track, learn tactics for managing game production, no matter the size or scope of your game. From AAA console games to emerging platforms with new challenges, producers need to keep teams and projects on track and increase efficiency along the way to ship games on time.

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Core Concepts sessions take place Wednesday-Friday (March 20-22). Find Related Sessions Here.  

Roundtables

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Tuesday,
March 19



Production Workshop: An In-Depth Guide to Solving Tough, Real World Production Problems

10:00am – 6:00pm 
Room 213, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 

                                                                                                                                                                     

 

                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                     

 

 

 Wednesday,
March 20

 


Cinematic Workflow and Pipeline of 'FINAL FANTASY XVI'

9:00 – 10:00am 
Room 2006, West Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, C 

 



Surviving Your First Steps into the Management Journey

10:30 – 11:00am 
Room 215, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 





Creating Accountability: 4 Simple Steps for Managers

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 3005, West Hall
 

Pass Type: AA, C  

 



Accountability Matters! How
Owlchemy Labs Leverages Ownership-first Production

3:30 – 4:30pm 
Room 2010, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

Thursday,
March 21



A Ticket to Redemption: How CD PROJEKT RED Utilized Technical Support Data and Insights to Improve 'Cyberpunk 2077'

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


Too Much Playtesting? 5 Games in the Top 50 Say "No"
 

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 2014, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 



The Way We Work: Embracing Human Sustainability in Game Development
 

4:00 – 5:00pm 
Room 2006, West Hall
 

Pass Type: AA, C  



Developing and Sharpening Your Design Sense

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 2006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 

Friday,
March 22

 


Between Legacy and Modernity: Creating an Homage Game to the
15-Year Old 'Assassin's Creed' Franchise

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 2001, West Hall
 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Agile Spikes in Game Dev: Getting to the Point

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 2010, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 



Shipping 'Diablo IV'

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 2001, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 


The Future of Hybrid, Remote and In-Office Work

3:00 – 4:00pm
Room 215, South Hall

Pass Type: APT

 

Basic Information

Programmers from all over the world come to the Game Developers Conference to learn the latest tools, tips, and methods for developing incredible games. In our Programming track, learn the latest tools, middleware, and technical skills to develop games across platforms and solve difficult development problems.

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Roundtables

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Monday,
March 18

 

Advanced Graphics Summit: Raytracing in Snowdrop: An Optimized Lighting Pipeline for Consoles

10:50 – 11:50am 
Room 303, South Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

AI Summit: Level Generation With Large Language Models

1:20 – 1:50pm 
Room 2002, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

Machine Learning Summit: From Photo to Expression: Generating Photorealistic Facial Rigs

4:40 – 5:10pm 
Room 2010, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

 

Advanced Graphics Summit: All You Can Ask! 

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 303, South Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, S  

 

 

Tuesday,
March 19

 

 

AI Summit: Every Day I'm Shufflin': Neural Network Variations for Digital Deck-Builders

1:20 – 1:50pm 
Room 2002, West Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, S 

 

Machine Learning Summit: Taming the Beast: Leveraging Machine Learning to Curb the Cost of Continuous Integration

2:10 – 2:40pm 
Room 2010, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

Machine Learning Summit: Analyze Your Bugs Automatically: Root Cause Analysis with Causal Models

4:20 – 5:20pm 
Room 2010, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S  

AI Summit: Building ML Bots at Ubisoft La Forge: From Research to Production

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 2002, West Hall
 

Pass Type: AA, S  

Wednesday,
March 20

 


Tunes of the Kingdom: Evolving Physics and Sounds for ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’

10:30 – 11:30am 
Room 2002, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, AP, C 

 


Building Game Worlds with
OpenUSD

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 2005, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 


 

 

Refining the Rogues Gallery: Building Boss Fights in 'Marvel's Spider-Man 2'

3:30 – 4:30pm 
Room 3016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

3D Toon Rendering in 'Hi-Fi RUSH'

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 2016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C  

Thursday,
March 21


ECS in Practice: The Case Board of 'Alan Wake 2'

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 2016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 


 

How to Launch an Online Game and Still Attend the Launch Party

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 2005, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 



MergeBot: Activision's Merge and Resolve Infrastructure

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


Terminal Velocity: Lessons Learned from Server Scaling During the Launch of 'Fall Guys'

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 2016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

Friday,
March 22

Anatomy of a Frame in 'Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty'

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 301, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Building the Fully Connected Multiverse in 'Suicide Squad'

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 3016, West Hall

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 

Pondering Orbs: The Rendering and Art Tools of 'COCOON'

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 3016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


Saving the Galaxy: Managing State in 'Star Wars Jedi: Survivor'

3:00 – 4:00pm 
Room 2016, West Hall
 

Pass Type: AA, C  

 

Basic Information

Games continue to grow in size, scale, and depth—and having the right tools to make them is more important than ever. In our Tools focus, learn the latest advancements in game tools to develop your games. 

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Roundtables and Sessions

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Monday,
March 18



AI Summit: Modularize Your AI Tools to Create Behavior Instead of Code

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2002, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 




Visual Effects Summit: Climb Your Mountain: Tools for Intentional Learning 

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 3006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 


                                                                                                              

 

                                                                                                      

 

Tuesday,
March 19

 


Independent Games Summit: Critical! Combat Presentation Tools for 'Darkest Dungeon II'

1:20 – 1:50pm 
Room 2005, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, IGS, S 

 


Technical Artist Summit: Using Generative AI as a Tool for Tech Artists
 

4:10 – 5:10pm 
Room 3004, West Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, S 

 


                                                                                          

                                                                                              

Wednesday,
March 20

 

Automated Testing Roundtable Day 1: Process

10:30 – 11:30am 
Room 308, South Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 


Building Game Worlds with 
OpenUSD

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 2005, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 


 

 

Tools Design Roundtable Day 1: Design & UX

3:30 – 4:30pm 
Room 308, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 


Tools Roundtable Day 1: Engineering

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 308, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

Thursday,
March 21


Tools Design Roundtable Day 2: Production & Strategy

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 306, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 


Tools Roundtable Day 2: Assets 

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 308, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2016, West Hall
 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

4:00 – 5:00pm 
Room 312, South Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Friday,
March 22

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 308, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 308, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 


Pondering Orbs: The Rendering and Art Tools of 'COCOON'

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 2016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

                                                                                                                                                           

 

Basic Information

When it comes to video games, it's not just about how they play: It's about how they look and feel as you're playing them. In our Visual Arts track, be inspired by leading artists' work from stellar concept art to post-production and learn about the process behind the work. Acquire methods to create quality art and animations for all kinds of games under tight deadlines; from stellar concept art techniques to post-production best practices and everything in between.

Passes: All Access Pass will get you into all GDC 2024 sessions, roundtables, and workshops. Register for GDC 2024 here. 

Summits and Sessions

Roundtables

Watch and Read (Before GDC)

Sample Schedule

AA = All Access | AP = Audio Pass | C = Core Concepts | S = Summits | IGS = Independent Games Summit Pass | All Pass Types = APT, APT*

*does not include Friday-only Expo Pass

Monday,
March 18



Visual Effects Summit: Procedural Cinematic Symbiotes in 'Marvel's Spider-Man 2'

10:50 – 11:50am 
Room 3006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S  

 

 

2:10 – 2:40pm 
Room 3006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 


4:40 – 5:10pm 
Room 2001, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 2001, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

              

 

Tuesday,
March 19

 




Art Direction Summit: The Synergy of Architecture and Structural Engineering in Game Art and Design

10:50 – 11:50am  
Room 3016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

 

1:20 – 2:20pm 
Room 3004, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S
 



2:40 – 3:40pm 
Room 3004, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S

 

Art Direction Summit: Deciphering Dogtown: How We Built the Last District of Night City 

4:10 – 5:10pm 
Room 3016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, S 

Wednesday,
March 20

Building a User and Developer Friendly Cross-DCC Animation Pipeline 

10:30 – 11:00am 
Room 2014, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 



Concept Art Postmortem: How Creative Principles Shaped Visual Development of '
Returnal'
 

2:00 – 3:00pm 
Room 2006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 

3:30 – 4:30pm 
Room 2006, West Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, C 

 

5:00 – 6:00pm 
Room 301, South Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Thursday,
March 21

11:30am – 12:30pm 
Room 2005, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

2:00 – 2:30pm 
Room 2001, West Hall
 
Pass Type: AA, C 

 

From Firefighters to Service Providers: Technical Art as a Service 

3:00 – 3:30pm 
Room 2001, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Art Direction Processes 

5:30 – 6:30pm 
Room 2005, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Friday,
March 22

10:00 – 11:00am 
Room 2010, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 

11:30am – 12:00pm 
Room 2006, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

 

Pondering Orbs: The Rendering and Art Tools of 'COCOON'

1:30 – 2:30pm 
Room 2016, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

3:00 – 4:00pm 
Room 2010, West Hall 

Pass Type: AA, C 

 

Advertisement

Connecting the Global Game Development Community