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. Independent game creators and studios heading to the Game Developers Conference: This Session Guide and Walkthrough will help you make the most of your GDC 2023.
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.
The track features sessions exclusively from: Independent Games Summit, with one section for design and storytelling, and another focused on business and marketing.
Sign Up For GDC 2023 Here
The 2023 Game Developers Conference 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 helpful guide. Head here to view all previous GDC 2023 session guides.
It features some standout sessions, panels, and events dedicated to helping your career and company growth efforts. In addition, we've got tips on making the most of your GDC, and links to GDC Vault videos and Game Developer articles that will help you get pumped for GDC 2023.
Be sure to visit our Session Viewer for a full list of Independent Games talks at GDC 2023 and get started on prepping that schedule. Attendees can sign up for the Independent Games Summit pass, which provides sessions on the IGS track. The IGS Pass also includes access to the GDC Expo and Sponsored Content, Networking & Meetings, Career Development and Advocacy Sessions, Special Events, GDC Main Stage and Community Spaces, and the 2023 IGF & Choice Awards.
Design/Storytelling Session Picks for: Independent Games
Independent Games Summit: Gorillaz, Monkees, K/DA, and OFK: Creating Virtual Identity
Teddy Dief (Creative Director & Vocalist, OFK)
Location: Room 2005, West Hall
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "The director of the OFK project, and lead singer of OFK, will walk through how virtual identity has progressed since the 1960s across television, music, games, and VTubers. Then they will dive into the meat of how OFK was conceived and constructed: the design pillars, techniques, and social priorities of Team OFK."
Independent Games Summit: Hitting the Right Notes: Tying Gameplay to Music in 'Soundfall'
Nick Cooper (Co-Founder, Game Director, Drastic Games)
Location: Room 2009, West Hall
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "This session will cover how everything in the game was synced to the beat: animations, SFX, VFX, enemy behaviors, input, abilities, and more; how this worked across a wide range of BPMs and even through mid-song tempo changes; and the tricks behind getting this all feeling smooth and seamless in online co-op."
Independent Games Summit: Building the World of 'Webbed': A Painter's Approach to Level Design
Noah Seymour (Game Design, Sbug Games)
Location: Room 2005, West Hall
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 1:20 pm - 1:50 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "In this talk, Noah Seymour, co-developer and level designer of Webbed, will be discussing how they tackle the daunting process of creating something from nothing. They will do this by covering how their history as a painter helped them create the world of Webbed, while going through the reliable steps they use to learn any creative medium."
Independent Games Summit: Indie Soapbox
Chris Wilson (Design Director, Cardboard Sword)
Nick Kaman (Studio Head, Aggro Crab)
Paige Wilson (Community Developer, Aggro Crab)
Kirsty Gillmore (Voice & Casting Director, Independent)
Charis Reid (Brand Manager, Radical Forge)
Phillipe Bosher (Actor & Director, Freelance)
Location: Room 2005, West Hall
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "Indie Soapbox is the chance for indie devs from diverse backgrounds and projects to come together to share their thoughts, lessons and provocations about indie game dev in this long standing micro talk format. Attendees will enjoy a rich and varied set of themes and topics, all in a punchy format that has something for everyone."
Independent Games Summit: Finding Inspiration and Planning Luck: A Story of a Solo Dev-Dad of Color
Adam Kareem (Game Developer, Independent)
Location: Room 2009, West Hall
Date: Tuesday, March 21
Time: 1:20 pm - 1:50 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "Adam will share insightful and entertaining stories for how he went from being a solo game dev hobbyist to landing a publishing deal with Humble Games."
Business/Marketing Session Picks for: Independent Games
Independent Games Summit: 30 Steam Marketing Mistakes in 30 Minutes
Chris Zukowski (Creative Director, How To Market A Game)
Location: Room 2005, West Hall
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 3:50 pm - 4:20 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "In this talk Chris Zukowski, Creative Director at How To Market A Game, will outline the most common and easily avoidable mistakes so game developers can be more confident in their launch. Get ready for an actionable talk full of examples from real developers and data from thousands of Steam page launches."
Independent Games Summit: Business Development for Self-Publishing Studios and Developers
Lucas Pessoa de Freitas (Business Developer, Robot Teddy)
Richie de Wit (Founder, Partner Account Manager, Bear Knuckle, Raw Fury)
Location: Room 2009, West Hall
Date: Tuesday, March 21
Time: 10:50 am - 11:50 am
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "In this session, Lucas Pessoa de Freitas, Business Developer at Robot Teddy, and Richie de Wit, Founder / Partner Account Manager at Bear Knuckle / Raw Fury, discuss the practical and ideological differences between publishing and self-publishing."
Independent Games Summit: 'Unpacking' Fan Expectations and Driving Engagement Post-Launch
Emily Hummel (Community & Social Media Manager, Witch Beam Games)
Location: Room 2005, West Hall
Date: Tuesday, March 21
Time: 1:20 pm - 1:50 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "In this talk, Unpacking community and social media manager Emily Hummel will discuss steps you can take to plan out what things look like after launch—including how to determine if you need additional help—and sharing tools like templates and calendars that help make that easier."
Independent Games Summit: How Publishing Agreements Go Wrong (and How to Fix Them)
Kellen Voyer (Managing Director, Voyer Law)
Location: Room 2009, West Hall
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 1:20 pm - 1:50 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "By drawing on over 10 years’ experience negotiating publishing agreements and witnessing relationships between publishers and developers break down, this session leverages stories of failed relationships and conflict to educate developers on risks in publishing agreements and how to avoid repeating them."
Independent Games Summit: Get Your Money! An Indie Dev's Guide to OST Profitability
Neha Patel (Composer & Sound Designer, Freelance)
Location: Room 2009, West Hall
Date: Tuesday, March 21
Time: 2:10 pm - 2:40 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Description: "Video game soundtrack releases often comes as an afterthought and miss their mark on profitability. The goal of this talk is to shed light on how to maximize revenue from soundtrack sales, in the perspective of both studio leads and composers."
5 Tips for Making the Most of Your GDC
1. Plan your Expo tour... then wing it: The GDC 2023 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.
2. Read 2023's "Road to the IGF" Series on Game Developer: Game Developer is profiling the nominees for this year's Independent Games Festival Awards with a series of in-depth interviews talking about their craft and practice. You can read them here, and find out more about the upcoming ceremony.
3. Visit the IGF Pavilion: Looking to play this year's IGF Awards nominees, and chat with the developers? They'll be available at the IGF Pavilion in the GDC Expo. Head to our Floor Plan to see our community spaces throughout the Expo Floor, including interactive spaces for certain disciplines and the GDC Play Lounge.
4. 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 breakfast or lunch.
5. Attend the GDCA and IGF Awards: On Wednesday, March 22 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
(ARTICLE) Handling dystopian news in NotGames' Not For Broadcast: Joel Couture (Game Developer)
(ARTICLE) Playing with pieces of the world in randomerz's Slider: Joel Couture (Game Developer)
Watch more Independent Games talks on GDC Vault here.
This is the latest in our series of Session Guides for GDC 2023, with recommendations for sessions, events, networking opportunities, and more. Head here to view all previous GDC 2023 session guides.
Of course, the only way to see these sessions, and so much more, is to sign up for GDC!
Register for GDC 2023 Here
We can’t wait to see you at GDC 2023, taking place March 20-24, 2023 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California. Head here for information on booking a hotel and other travel inquiries, and follow the #GDC23 hashtag for the latest news and updates for this year’s exciting event.
GDC returns to San Francisco this March 20-24, 2023, and registration is now open! For more information, be sure to visit our website and follow the #GDC23 hashtag on social media.
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