Each year, thousands of industry professionals gather at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco to discuss new technological advances, attend seminars on industry policies and practices, see the industry's newest products, and spend an exciting week chatting (and partying) with other passionate artists and technicians who consistently raise the bar on technology and entertainment. Eager animation students also roam the floors, demo reels in hand, talking to one studio after another to receive invaluable feedback on their work. And if they have the talent, passion, networking skills, and a little bit of luck, a few students walk away with job offers in hand!

Many prospective animators reading the above paragraph would immediately assume the convention in question is SIGGRAPH, but few realize that a similar convention happens every year in San Francisco - the Game Developers Conference (GDC). This year, over 18,000 game developers, business professionals, and students attended the conference held March 9-13. Among those were a few Animation Mentor students and alumni attending the conference for the first time. Even after the first day, their general consensus was, "Why don't more Animation Mentor students attend this?!"

Patrick McPeck, currently a student in Class 4 (Introduction to Acting), traveled to San Francisco from Ohio for the opportunity to meet with animators and connect with recruiters. "I didn't know what to expect, but I knew I couldn't miss the chance to talk to the creators of my favorite games," says McPeck. Once he arrived, he was delighted by the prospects available to GDC attendees. "Hundreds of companies are here looking for people. Everyone here is interested in talent, and every company wants animators. We ran into the creator of the game Pain, and when he found out we were animation students, he gave us his card and told us to contact him immediately. And this was on our first day!"

For prospective animators who typically spend the majority of their time working in front of a computer screen, the Game Developers Conference offers an opportunity to practice another important skill - networking with peers. Class 4 student Daniel Harman took advantage of the opportunity to converse with other animation students and recruiters who attended the event. "One of the biggest improvements I made at GDC was my social confidence. I was always nervous when meeting new people, but here you are talking to so many people that you can't help but improve. Approaching recruiters, animators, and fellow students again and again made me feel more self confident, and I am much more at ease when it comes to interviews." Patrick McPeck agrees, "I was surprised at how easy and willing people are to talk here. Everyone is down to earth; they have a passion about what they do and are eager to talk to you about it - directors included!"

Patrick Rossano, a Class 4 student from Atlanta, adds, "When you are here you see how big of a community the games industry is. Suddenly it feels much more 'real' than it ever did just reading about it on the computer. It is hard not be excited here. The amount of energy and the level of work constantly motivate me to improve my work. I want to get into the game industry as soon as possible!"

All three students agreed that an added benefit was getting the chance to meet other Animation Mentor students. "[It is] great to finally meet fellow students in person, to see them without 'pixels on their face,'" states Patrick Rossano, jokingly referring to the avatars and webcam feeds Animation Mentor students use to communicate with each other online.

When asked if the conference met their expectations, the Animation Mentor students could not contain their excitement. "This far exceeded my expectations," says Patrick McPeck. "I found so many studios that I have never heard of and would not have found on my own. My goal before arriving was to have a few leads [from studios], but just a few days into it I have more leads than I know what to do with!" Daniel Harman adds, "I learned how to network through trial and error and gained more confidence in my abilities than I could have hoped. I am graduating in nine months and I now know studios will be hiring when I graduate, so I can follow up with the recruiters when I am ready to enter the industry!" Patrick Rossano also acknowledges this and says, "I made some solid connections and I can now send my work to even more people for feedback. Feedback is essential! And GDC is the place to get it. You also never know who you may meet here beyond recruiters and animators. We went out to dinner and unknowingly sat next to Steve Wiebe from the documentary The King of Kong and were able to talk to him. I never would have expected that to happen when planning for GDC but it definitely was a high point of the trip."

Beyond the networking opportunities, feedback on demo reels, practice for interviews, and seminars on new programs like Maya 2011, GDC offers animators another oft-overlooked feature - GAMES! The floor hall is full of new and old games just waiting to be played. Sony showed off the new Playstation Move controller, designed to recreate every body movement the player makes on screen. New 3D televisions were spread across the floor displaying the next visual upgrade to gaming. Students and developers alike lined up to play hot upcoming games, including Starcraft 2 and ModNation Racers. Indie developers demonstrated their innovative new creations. Microsoft created fun, animated flipbooks for anyone brave enough to dance on camera while wearing a Viking hat. And the aforementioned Steve Wiebe attempted another high score in Donkey Kong while scores of fans cheered for him. "I loved meeting everyone, but GDC also let me play lots of fun games, get lots of cool swag, a chance to win prizes (Patrick McPeck won an awesome Disney bag full of toys, clothes, and tickets to Disneyland), and find out about the next cool big thing before my friends," says Heather McNabb, an Animation Mentor alumnus from San Francisco.

So the big question remains, "Why don't more Animation Mentor students attend the Game Developers Conference?" Maybe they don't know what they are missing. Heather explains that she loves attending the conference because of its unique networking opportunities in the field of animation. She says, "GDC is smaller than SIGGRAPH, which makes it easier to talk and meet with people. It is more focused too; SIGGRAPH includes so many disciplines and businesses that it is easy for animation to get lost in the shuffle."

"I don't understand the negative reaction to game animation," says Patrick Rossano. "Good animation is good animation no matter what medium it is created for." Daniel Harman agreed, "The level of work here is amazing. Game studios want good animation like everyone else, including film studios. It isn't just 'game animation.' You need a solid knowledge of animation foundations, body mechanics, and acting, and you must execute it well." Heather McNabb notes, "AAA games such as Heavy Rain and Uncharted 2 are approaching film animation quality levels while casual games reach almost as many people as film – this is a huge shift in how our culture tells stories and animators need to be aware."

"We met many game animation directors who began in film," states Patrick McPeck. "One AAA studio animator said that the rigs he uses are just as complex, if not more, than the movie rigs he used when he started in the industry."

One perk many animators may not realize is the widespread location of game studios. "Game studios are more spread out – this is great for prospective film animators with families or objections to moving to Los Angeles. GDC is a great place to make recruiter connections, especially with smaller [local] studios you may not have known about," says Heather McNabb. Patrick Rossano realized this during a one-on-one with a producer at major game studio based in Atlanta.

Patrick Rossano and the other Animation Mentor students and alumni know why they attended GDC. They gained knowledge and experience that will help to facilitate their professional careers in animation. Now it is time for all the prospective animators to ask themselves, "Why don't I attend GDC?" The Game Developers Conference in 2011 begins February 28, so start planning now!

 

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Jay Epperhart is an Animation Mentor graduate and technical care specialist at Animation Mentor.