GDC: A Chance to Connect with our Community!

If you could be at my desk right now, you wouldn't actually be able to see my desk. There are so much dead tree carcasses that I can't even remember what the original color of the desk is. It's true that I'm normally a little messy, but the reason my desk has quickly become a paper graveyard is that I'm pulling together the logistics for one of the biggest conferences in the video game industry. That's right, folks, we're down to one month and counting to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco!


Matt Langley looking gangsta in a GDC Booth of Years Past.

Although I am not fond of the bureaucracy that surrounds such a major event (I just sent off a 16-page fax to place an order for the booth), I am excited because I will be meeting a bunch of YOU on the show floor. And I'm not just talking about YOU (the more visible members of the site who I get from every day), but also YOU (the lurkers who make games and then stealth ninja me at the show with your awesome Torque games, like last year). I'm equally fond of both of YOU, and here's our chance to connect to the real person behind the GG login handle.

The GG Roster

Quite a few of us are going. I'll be there to talk to students looking for art, marketing, and programming internships with us this summer, as well as see if I can snag some contacts for future Torque developer interviews. Matt Fairfax will be giving some insight into Torque 3D development. Derek Bronson will be scouting for new 3rd party products, like genre kits and art packs. Davey Jackson will be talking to educators and potential console licensees. And Michael Perry and Ken Holst round out the bunch to help answer your questions about Torque.


Seeing us in the booth is about as close as you can get to talking with us during one of our infamous lunch potlucks.

Booth Demos and Other Neat Stuff

Part of the reason for us to go to GDC is to put our best foot forward and show off Torque to both our current community and aspiring game developers. This year, we're showcasing a collection of engine tech and games that we think you'll enjoy.

If you've been following us at all during the last two months, It should come as no surprise that our latest 3D engine will feature prominently on the booth floor. We plan on having a pretty solid pre-launch version to show off at GDC so you can check it out on a workstation as well as see some live demonstrations. With new features like Collada support, the Torque Toolbox (formerly known as the "Torque Launcher"), and web publishing, we've got a lot of ground to cover. Matt Fairfax is in charge of doing the live demos, and he's always open to suggestions, so if you have anything in particular you want to see, post away in the comments below!


Torque 3D isn't the only tech we will be showing off in the booth. I'm lining up developers to talk about what's happening with our other game engines. One game engine we will demonstrate for sure isTorque X 3D. John Kanalakis, designer of the Torque X 3D editor and author of The Complete Guide to Torque X, will be available at our booth in the afternoons to answer your Torque X questions and also give a demonstration of the latest editor beta.


If you're more interested in Torque games than tech, you might be interested in Perfect Dork Studios. We first met these guys at the Austin Game Developer Conference last September, and they have continued to wow the socks off of us with their tenacity of making their small studio a success in the game industry. They have a more polished prototype of the Torque X game they were promoting last time we saw them. Called Box Macabre, in this unique 2D platformer with 3D elements, your soul has been trapped in a box, and you must jump, swing, roll and fly your way through a bunch of different levels. If you have questions about how to network in the game industry and need tips on how to virally market your game, I'm sure founder Billy Garretsen can give you some ideas you've never even dreamed of!


Can two former industry artists leave the rat race of big studios behind and strike it out with their own studio? If Harvey and Simon of Stickman Studios are any indication, yeah, you can! Harvey and Simon have been huge supporters of Torque and GarageGames, prototyping their flagship game Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy in TGE over two years ago. They're since ported it to TGEA and have released their pirate-themed game on Steam. (In case you missed it, we interviewed them last year about their experience.) If you want to know how they made their game look so ridiculously gorgeous, have a secret pirate fetish, or just want to talk to some guys who have made their indie dreams come true, Harv and another Stickman representative will be at our booth showcasing the latest version of Buccaneer.


And hey, even if you're not on our "short list" of demonstrators, we plan on having a Community Box in our booth where you can upload your Torque game. It's a great way to connect to other members of the Torque community and show-off your game at one of the most important conferences in the industry! The expo will be open March 25 and 26 from 10 am to 6 pm, and on March 27 from 10 am to 3 pm. We hope you can make it!

And Finally, A Reward for Being a Good Community Member!

Now, at this point, I know a few of you are thinking, "Man, I wish I could go, but GDC is SO expensive." And it's absolutely true...GDC eats up cash like I scarf down cookies. However, we do have some good news for you. We have 5 extra expo passes that we want to give away to the community. These passes will get you access to the expo so you can witness firsthand all of the stuff we mentioned above.

So how do you score one of these passes? The process is simple! Send an e-mail (subject line: GarageGames Expo Pass) to deborahm@garagegames.com with your name, a link to your GarageGames profile, and the reason why you think you are an awesome GarageGames community member. We're going to take all those names and make a list a la Santa Claus: those who have been active and helpful to others on the site will be chosen to receive a free expo pass. We feel it's time to reward those of you who make GarageGames.com a better place. I'll collect names until Friday, March 6th, and announce the winners on March 9, 2009 in a blog that profiles the expo pass winners.

Well, that's all I got for now. If you have any other comments or suggestions for what you'd like to see at GDC, post below. This show is as much about you as it is us, so help us make it happen!