Audio guru Damian Kastbauer's guides to game audio at GDC are nothing short of legendary - and it's a great pleasure to bring you his guide for GDC 2019 here on A Sound Effect. If you want to know what to hear, see and do when it comes to game audio at GDC, look no further than his excellent guide below: Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 takes place March 18-22 in Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, CA, US.

Written by Damian Kastbauer Please share:

Written by Damian Kastbauer









The Game GDC is a pure expression of interactivity. There’s no right way to traverse the path from start to finish. From the moment you hit the ground in San Francisco you are faced with a (myriad of options splayed-out before you, do you: BART? Car-share? Cab? Walk (don’t try it!)? But you’ve already been making decisions about how to navigate your time on-the-ground for months: lining up travel & accommodations, printing contact cards, breaking in new shoes, getting plenty of sleep, all in preparation for an intensive week of maximizing time with the largest gathering of game developers in the CONUS. Or maybe you haven’t, and you’re just going to take it as it comes, find the good conversations and pinball-around the conference based on your moment-to-moment experience. It’s all up to you! After 12 years of GDC interactivity, my days end up anchored around a pleasurable routine that attempts to leave room for the dynamic possibilities that emerge day-to-day: 10 PRINT WAKE UP

7-9am Game Audio Podcast GDC Morning Meetup community check-in

Grab a breakfast burrito on the way to Moscone for some audio hallway time.

First session of the day: settling-in for epiphanies, deep thinking, and brain-work.

Grab-and-go lunch on-the-run to the audio meetup behind the carousel around noon

CarouselCon providing solid perspectives from crowd-sourced micro-talks

Afternoon dynamics: presentations? Expo Floor? Coffee? Meetings?

Is there time for dinner Y/N?

Where’s the parties?

Is it morning yet?

GOTO 10 No matter what pattern your interactive GDC falls into, the conference is usually best experienced with people. To me, there’s nothing better than making a new friend and randomizing your day with a shared passion. Whether new or old, friends provide additional context and perspective on everything from: where to eat to what is the future of game audio. Don’t be afraid to take the adventure off-script, tamp-down the FOMO and get the most out of the day on your own terms, interactively, in the best way possible. With or without people, make sure there is time in your day to recharge your batteries (literally and figuratively) and take care of yourself. Each day is a sprint and the week of GDC can feel like a marathon. Pace yourself. We choose this opportunity as ambassadors of audio in the game development community, so lead with the greatest optimism, collaboration, humbleness, and grace in-conversation Have a look at the GDC Code of Conduct before you hit town and engage its guidelines while onsite (and continue to adhere to its sensible advice even outside of the presentation hall). Forming relationships and cultivating conversations should begin with mutual respect; always stay positive and within the bounds of social etiquette. Find ways to include people in your adventures when possible. Find ways to bring other people into your conversations, and always treat people in the best way possible. We choose this opportunity as ambassadors of audio in the game development community, so lead with the greatest optimism, collaboration, humbleness, and grace in-conversation. Keep your social media trained at #GameAudioGDC on twitter for up to the moment information and don’t forget to share insight and epiphanies there and with the #GameAudio community at-large. One of the greatest feelings is being able to extend knowledge learned on-the-ground to folks who are unable to make it to the conference to experience it first-hand. Twitter doesn’t always make sense in this strange world of social media, but I have seen it work wonders on-the-ground towards pulling together people towards the goal of socializing and keeping in-touch during the week.





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News of the World Monday March 18th Game Audio Podcast GDC Morning Meetup

After years at the venerable Sightglass coffee, this years conversations will be held on the ground floor of the Sennheiser SF retail location near Union Square. What started as a small group of folks with a shared-love for good coffee and game audio has evolved into a community-catalyzing force that helps set the tone for each days activity during the conference. From 7:00-9:00AM Monday through Saturday folks gather and unravel their experience as part of a group discussion that hovers around game audio and touches on topics in-between our professional aspirations and personal stories. Moving locations to Sennheiser SF is an attempt to increase accessibility and lower the noise floor for the event. I hope you can join us and be part of the conversation. Monday March 18th through Saturday March 23rd

7:00 – 9:00 AM

Location: Sennheiser SF, 278 Post St







For folks with an All Access, Summits, VRDC Add On passes, Monday begins with some incredible talks! Monday, March 18 | 10:00am – 11:00am

INTEGRATING LIVE ACTORS INTO NON-LOCATION BASED IMMERSIVE THEATER VR EXPERIENCES

Speakers: Tanya Leal Soto (Tender Claws), Samantha Gorman (Tender Claws), Tara Ahmadinejad (Piehole), Julian Ceipek (Tender Claws)

Pass Type: All Access, VRDC Add On Monday, March 18 | 11:20am – 12:20pm

MENTAL MODELS AND SYSTEMS FOR SPATIAL COMPUTING

Speaker: Timoni West (Unity Technologies)

Pass Type: All Access, VRDC Add On Monday March 18th – Night Keep your ears tuned to the wind (and to #GameAudioGDC on twitter) for info on any audio group meetups that might materialize. Be ready for the spontaneous, the goose-hunt, the wild sheep chase through the streets of San Francisco on a moments notice. Be safe, travel with friends when possible, and take care!





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Jazz Saturday March 24th One last Game Audio Podcast GDC Morning Meetup at Sennheiser SF before attendees are scattered to the four-winds of everyday life. The world subtly shifted, the colors twice as bright, and the sounds more detailed. Each year brings new opportunities to align oneself with their career path, hopes, dreams, and vision of the future. My last suggestions for you in this Bohemian Guide to Game Audio GDC are to: make friends, make memories, and envision the role you will play in the future of game audio. I look forward to seeing you in San Francisco.





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A big thanks to Damian Kastbauer for sharing with us his a guide to #GameAudioGDC! Learn more about Damian Kastbauer here











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