GDC Europe 2014: Report

The 2014 Game Developers Conference (GDC) Europe was held in Cologne, Germany from August 11 to 13.

The 2014 Game Developers Conference Europe, the continent's largest professionals-only game industry event, was held at the at the Congress-Centrum Ost in Cologne, Germany from August 11 to 13.

Held in conjunction with gamescom, the leading European trade show for the game industry, GDC Europe hosted over 80 sessions and featured the latest games on the GDC Europe Expo Floor. The sessions covered both technical and business aspects of the game industry, offering insights into every area of game development, from computer and mobile games to social and independent games. Developers had the chance to learn and share their experiences with different aspects of the game industry, from community building and crowdfunding to pitching, marketing, and different monetization systems.

The conference was divided into five main tracks. The Design Track offered insights into exploiting the possibilities of new technologies and mastering disciplines like psychology and drama to create compelling, immersive content. The Production Track provided developers with specific tactics required to manage production of games of any scope. The Business, Marketing & Management Track educated developers about different ways to improve their business. The Programming Track focused on the challenges and opportunities presented by the rising demand for high production value, a competitive market, new handhelds, and mature game consoles. The Visual Arts Track informed artists and technical artists about the different methods and best practices for producing animations and game art while reducing costs.

GDC Europe hosted a number of interesting speakers, including Chris Roberts, who discussed his work on Star Citizen and Wing Commander and shared ideas on reviving the space sim genre, and Barry Meade, co-founder of Fireproof Studios, who talked about the studio's work on franchises including Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, and Forza. Fred Wester, CEO of Paradox, shared a few tips on finding a unique vision for games in a market flooded with imitations and borrowed ideas, while Tameem Antoniades, co-founder of Ninja Theory, shared his experience with some of the challenges his studio faced in the AAA industry.

This year's event marked the debut of the Student Pass, created to allow qualified students to attend the conference for learning and networking opportunities. All the passes for GDC Europe also allowed attendees to visit gamescom 2014.

GDC Europe is produced by UBM Tech Game Network, a provider of award-winning print, online and event products, including Game Developers Conference and Gamasutra.com.