Top Video Game Design and Development
Conventions to Attend for School

Learning how to create great games is often like learning how to play them: from the experience of others who have done it before. After you acquire the skills at one of the many schools of video game design and development, you can continue to grow your knowledge at the many conventions for video game design and play.

It's a sign of how huge the business of video games has become that many specialized gaming conventions and conferences now exist. Some are focused on fans, with tournaments, contests and entertainment, providing game developers with the opportunity to mingle and learn from the people who will be playing the games they create. Others are geared toward industry insiders and professionals, offering a chance to become aware of product trends, make contacts and expand skills. As a video game designer, you are likely to attend some of these important events.

Gamer Developer's Conference (GDC)

Held in March, in a different U.S. city each year (in San Francisco's Moscone Center in 2010), GDC is intended for professional game developers. The emphasis is on practical information, much like that gained at schools of video game design and development, to help developers keep pace with the rapidly changing tools and techniques. Experts from universities and video game companies such as Electronic Arts offer workshop sessions and panel discussions on hard-core issues of video game design, production and programming. Other versions of GDC are held in Europe, China and Canada, as well as an autumn session in Austin, TX.

Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)

Held in June at the Los Angeles Convention Center, E3 is the annual industry trade show of the Entertainment Software Association. This is where companies show off their product lines to retailers at booths on the convention center floor. The most important industry event of the year, it's also where exciting announcements are made and previews are shown of games and technologies to be released in the coming year.

BlizzCon

Every August, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California, Blizzard Entertainment holds this festival for fans of its popular online role-playing games "World of Warcraft," "StarCraft" and "Diablo." In addition to developer panels and product announcements, the two-day event features game tournaments, contests (including for fan art, songs and costume), and headlining entertainment on closing night (the 2009 conference featured Ozzy Osbourne).

Penny Arcade Expo (PAX)

This three-day celebration of all things "nerdcore" is held in Seattle, Washington by the publishers of the gaming culture webcomic "Penny Arcade." This festival for tabletop, video games and PC games offers tournaments, panel discussions and concerts, and drew 60,750 attendees in 2009. An East Coast version of PAX is launching in Boston in 2010.

Just as avid video gamers learn how to beat the monsters or solve the puzzles from friends, so can the game designer learn from what others in the industry are doing. Following these events will give you a head start on your way toward a degree in game design.

Sources:
BlizzCon
Electronic Entertainment Expo
Game Developer's Conference
Penny Arcade Expo

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