About GDC
The Global Gathering for Everyone Who Makes Games Happen
GDC is changing the game—and has been for nearly four decades. As the industry evolves, so do we. This is where technical expertise meets creative thinking, where connections are made, and where ideas become the next generation of games.
Today, that legacy lives on as the GDC Festival of Gaming—reflecting an industry where making games happen takes an entire ecosystem. From concept and production to publishing, marketing, and player engagement, GDC is designed to help you solve production challenges, discover new technologies, close deals, find partners, build your career, and expand your network.
As we celebrate our 39th year, GDC remains the place where people making games come together to celebrate and help define where games go next.
We also want to give a big thank you to the GDC Advisory Board.
Our Mission
Every shipped, successful game is a miracle. It takes vision, collaboration, and resilience to make it happen.
At GDC, we believe in miracles. The GDC Festival of Gaming unites the entire games industry to learn, connect, collaborate, and celebrate. Whether you're building games, funding them, publishing them, or launching your career in the industry—if you make games happen, welcome home.
The Journey
Where is Began
GDC began in 1988 as a small, peer-to-peer meetup of game developers, literally in the living room. Built on curiosity, candor, and shared problem-solving, those early gatherings became the definitive annual meeting place for professionals who build interactive entertainment.
How It Grew
Through the ’90s and 2000s, GDC became the global destination for technical learning, iconic postmortems, platform shifts, and industry-wide dialogue – adding cornerstones like the Independent Games Festival (IGF) and the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA).
Where It Is Today
GDC Festival of Gaming is the modern expression of GDC’s original spirit: a five-day, city-wide celebration built for how games are made now. The Festival brings the full B2B game-making ecosystem together to learn, connect, and celebrate – with community at its heart.
Beyond the Festival
GDC Vault
Keep learning long after the Festival. GDC Vault houses thousands of sessions – deep technical talks, design postmortems, production case studies, and business insights – from decades of GDC. Revisit breakthroughs, compare approaches, and put proven ideas into practice.
GameDeveloper.com
Stay current between Festivals. GameDeveloper.com delivers daily reporting and analysis from across the industry – spotlighting trends, tools, postmortems, and the people shaping what’s next. It’s your year-round digital companion to GDC.
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