Preserving and expanding our understanding of game industry history is key to moving forward, which is why organizers of the 2020 Game Developers Conference are excited to welcome an expert in game industry histories to speak at the March conference.
In a special Advocacy track talk titled "The Uncredited: A Lost History of Labor in Games" New York University's Laine Nooney will recount the rise of the American computer game industry across the final decades of the 20th century, told via the point of view of three women who worked in sales, customer service, and technical support at Sierra On-Line.
This promising talk aims to expand our sense of "who counts" in the game industry, and offer a longer timeframe for thinking about labor politics in the industry. Coursing through the video game crash of the early 1980s, to the rise of the personal computer in American households during the late 80s and early 90s, to the massive mid-90s speculative investments in entertainment software spurred by the rise of the Internet, this talk will link the history of the industry's growth to contemporary debates around labor organization and unionization. Don't miss it!
Next year GDC 2020 runs from Monday, March 16th through Friday, March 20th. This will be the 34th edition of GDC, and now that registration is officially open, you'll want to take a look at the (ever-expanding) session schedule and your GDC pass options -- register early to lock in the best price!
For more details on GDC 2020 visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.