GDC Summits are your gateway to immersive learning, taking place over two intensive days, Monday and Tuesday. Designed to provide in-depth knowledge on specific game development disciplines, the Summits feature thought-provoking sessions led by industry experts at the cutting edge of innovation.
Each Summit is carefully curated by our Summit Advisors to offer tools, techniques, and strategies that can be directly applied to your projects. Whether you’re honing a specific skillset, exploring emerging trends, or seeking inspiration for your next project, the Summits have you covered.
With 19 Summits covering everything from advanced graphics to machine learning, game narrative to community management, and more, there’s no better place to gain actionable insights that will transform your work.
Explore the Summits
Uncover the cutting-edge techniques driving the future of real-time graphics. This summit offers in-depth sessions on rendering, ray tracing, and GPU optimizations to help you deliver visually stunning games.
Discover the art and science behind creating captivating game animations. From motion capture to procedural animation, this summit provides deep insights into bringing characters and worlds to life.
Learn how to craft a compelling visual identity for your games, from concept to final execution. Tap into concentrated art-specific knowledge that addresses the most pressing issues and industry realities today.
Immerse yourself in the art of game sound. From sound design to technical implementation, this summit covers everything you need to know to create unforgettable audio experiences in games.
Master the art of engaging and growing your game’s community. Learn practical solutions and strategies for handling feedback, fostering loyalty, and building long-term player engagement.
Dive into best practices for training the next generation of game developers. You’ll explore curriculum design, innovative teaching methods, and the intersection of academia and the industry.
VR, AR, and human spatial computing are unlocking new possibilities to design immersive experiences. This summit focuses on the technologies shaping the next generation of interactive experiences.
Explore the latest advancements in game AI, from physics and animation to creating adaptive, player-focused systems. This summit will equip you with the tools to design smarter, more dynamic games.
Level up your storytelling skills at this summit dedicated to interactive narrative. Explore cutting-edge techniques, ethical challenges, and the role of writers in franchise development.
Celebrate the creativity and challenges of indie game development. Whether you’re learning from case studies or exploring innovative design techniques, this summit will help you thrive in the indie space.
Explore the business and design strategies behind successful live service games. From monetization models to community-driven content updates, this summit offers valuable insights for developers running long-term, evolving games.
Explore the business and design strategies behind successful live service games. From monetization models to community-driven content updates, this summit offers valuable insights for developers running long-term, evolving games.
From improving artificial intelligence (AI), behavior trees, and machine learning techniques, you’ll discover revolutionary applications that are shaping the future of games.
Bridge the worlds of tabletop and digital games. Whether you're designing for board games or integrating tabletop mechanics into video games, this summit provides a unique perspective on game design.
Technical artistry is the glue between creative vision and programming. This summit dives into the latest workflows and tools that allow teams to push the boundaries of visual fidelity and performance.
Dive into practical, hands-on methods to design for inclusive spaces, resilient communities, and prosocial play. Inspired by the new Design Playbook for Digital Thriving.
From problem identification to design, implementation, and iteration, this summit brings together industry professionals to share actionable insights and lessons learned from creating essential game development tools.
Discover the principles of user experience design that help create seamless, engaging gameplay. This summit covers best practices for designing intuitive interfaces and crafting engaging experiences.
Special effects are what make games visually thrilling. This summit explores techniques and technologies that elevate the visual effects in games, from real-time simulations to advanced lighting and particle systems.
