View, browse and sort the ever-growing list of sessions by pass type, topic, and format. With this Session Scheduler, you can build your schedule in advance and access it during the show via export or with the GDC Mobile App, once live. Sessions do fill up so please arrive early to sessions that you would like to attend. Adding a session to your schedule does not guarantee you a seat.
'Apex Legends': Fighting for Character Representation and Diversity
Speaker: Mohammad Alavi (Respawn Entertainment)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Plus Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Advocacy
Format: Session
'Erica': How and How Not to Score a Film-Game Hybrid
Speaker: Austin Wintory (Wintory Global Engineering)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Audio Pass
Topic: Audio
Format: Session
'Gears 5' Real-time Character Dynamics
Speaker: David Coleman (The Coalition - Microsoft)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Visual Arts
Format: Session
'Sunless Skies': A Narrative Postmortem
Speaker: Chris Gardiner (Failbetter Games)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
5 Keys for Building a World Class UA Program in Today's Landscape
Speaker: Brian Jacobs (Kongregate)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Business & Marketing
Format: Session
A Bloody Symphony of Characters: Music and Leitmotiv in 'Mortal Kombat 11'
Speaker: Wilbert Roget (Independent)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Audio Pass
Topic: Audio
Format: Session
Accessibility Best Practices: In-Game Communication
Speaker: Karen Stevens (EA SPORTS)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Plus Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Advocacy
Format: Session
Applying Reinforcement Learning to Develop Game AI in NetEase Games
Speaker: Tangjie Lyu (NetEase)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Programming
Format: Session
Art Direct for 100 MPH: Balancing Visuals with Performance for 'Forza Motorsport'
Speaker: Matt Collins (Microsoft-Turn 10)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Visual Arts
Format: Session
Avoiding the Chaos: Lessons in Project Management
Speaker: Clinton Keith (Cllinton Keith Consulting)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Production & Team Management
Format: Session
Best of the Best: Designing Ranked Leagues for 'Apex Legends'
Speaker: Chin Xiang Chong (Respawn Entertainment)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Beyond Games as a Service with Live Ops
Speaker: Crystin Cox (Microsoft)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Breaking Design Bottlenecks with Dialogue Stubbing
Speaker: Carrie Patel (Obsidian Entertainment)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Bringing Replays to 'World of Tanks: Mercenaries'
Speaker: Andrew Glover (Wargaming Sydney)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Programming
Format: Session
Bringing Streamers Back to a 5 Year Old Game: 'DayZ' Resurrection
Speaker: Anna Buenafe (Bohemia Interactive)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Business & Marketing
Format: Session
Speakers: Itay Keren (Level Ex), Steve Kane (Level Ex)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Call Me on My Cell Phone: The VR UI of 'Dance Central'
Speaker: Mary Yovina (Harmonix)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Visual Arts
Format: Session
Classic Game Postmortem: 'Q*Bert'
Speaker: Warren Davis (Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Colorful Characters: Working with Different Personalities in Game Development
Speaker: Erin Reynolds (Flying Mollusk)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Production & Team Management
Format: Session
Concrete Practices of Large Scale Team Management for 'Justice Online'
Speakers: Chao Song (Netease), Mei Ye (Netease)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Production & Team Management
Format: Session
Creating Paintable Fog and Dynamic 3D Flow Maps for 'Gears 5'
Speaker: James Sharpe (The Coalition)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Visual Arts
Format: Session
Custom Tool Time: Make More in Less Time
Speaker: Brett Taylor (My Dog Zorro)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Designing for Multiple Minds: Crafting the Craft of Player Dynamics
Speakers: Kimberly Voll (Stray Bombay), Weszt Hart (Riot Games)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Destructible Environments in 'CONTROL': Lessons in Procedural Destruction
Speaker: Johannes Richter (Remedy)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Programming, Visual Arts
Format: Session
Fascinating Rhythm: Bending the Power of Drums and Groove to Your Will
Speakers: Jason Graves (Independent), Kristin Naigus (Independent)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Audio Pass
Topic: Audio
Format: Session
Forgiveness Mechanics: Reading Minds for Responsive Gameplay
Speaker: Seth Coster (Butterscotch Shenanigans, Inc.)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
From Padawan to Jedi: Building the Character Controller of 'Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order'
Speaker: Joe Lubertazzi (Respawn Entertainment)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Programming
Format: Session
Game Dev Archeology: Unearthing and Preserving Japanese Game History
Speaker: Brandon Sheffield (Necrosoft Games)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Plus Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Advocacy
Format: Session
Game Server Performance on 'Tom Clancy's The Division 2'
Speaker: David Lind (Massive Entertainment - A Ubisoft Studio)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Programming
Format: Session
Incorporating Subscription to Increase Overall In-Game Revenue
Speaker: Maggy Larouche (Ludia)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Business & Marketing
Format: Session
Intrinsically Motivated Teams: Applying Self-Determination Theory
Speaker: Alexandre Moufarek (DeepMind)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Production & Team Management
Format: Session
Speakers: Christopher Reid (Tilting Point), Mona Ibrahim (IE Law Group), Greg Boyd (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC), Stephen McArthur (The McArthur Law Firm)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Plus Pass, Expo Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Advocacy
Format: Session
Lessons from 15 Years of 'World of Warcraft' World Building
Speaker: Ely Cannon (Blizzard Entertainment)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Visual Arts
Format: Session
Matchmaking for Engagement: Lessons from 'Halo 5'
Speaker: Josh Menke (343 Industries)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Mental Health State of the Industry: Past, Present & Future
Speaker: Eve Crevoshay (Take This)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Plus Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Advocacy
Format: Session
Metrics to Track for Every User Acquisition Campaign
Speaker: Jackie Yuan (Glu Mobile)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Business & Marketing
Format: Session
No Middleware, No Problem: Solving Audio Implementation Puzzles
Speaker: Laura Taylor (Sound by Laura LLC)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Audio Pass
Topic: Audio
Format: Session
Painterly Control of Detail Materials for Characters in 'Mortal Kombat 11'
Speaker: Keith Beu (Netherrealm Studios)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Visual Arts
Format: Session
Player Segments Based on Gaming Motivations: An Analysis of 400,000 Gamers
Speaker: Nick Yee (Quantic Foundry)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Business & Marketing
Format: Session
Representing LGBT+ Characters in Games: Two Case Studies
Speaker: Tori Schafer (Eggnut Entertainment)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Plus Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Advocacy, Design
Format: Session
Rules of the Game 2020: Five Unique Techniques from Distinguished Designers
Speakers: Richard Rouse III (Paranoid Productions), Justin Ma (Subset Games), Celia Hodent (Independent), Frank Lantz (NYU Game Center), Brian Moriarty (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Sexy Microtalks: Designing Sex and Emotions
Speakers: Emily Grace Buck (Freelance), Aubrey Isaacman (independent), Lindsay Grace (University of Miami), Heidi McDonald (Disruptor Beam), Kate Gray (KO_OP), Marina Diez (GamesAid), Kyle Machulis (Nonpolynomial), Francesca Carletto-Leon (Contigo Games)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Plus Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Advocacy
Format: Session
Speaker: Mike Acton (Unity Technologies)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Programming
Format: Session
Strength in Numbers: How Smaller Devs Can Band Together as In-Person Collectives
Speakers: Gerben Grave (Multiverse Narratives), Thomas Jager (Independent)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Plus Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Advocacy
Format: Session
The Art of 'Indivisible': From Prototype to Release
Speaker: Mariel Cartwright (Lab Zero Games)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Visual Arts
Format: Session
The Art of Optimizing Content for 'Borderlands 3'
Speaker: Strobel (Gearbox Software)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Visual Arts
Format: Session
The Audio Technology of 'Torchlight Frontiers'
Speaker: Guy Somberg (Echtra Games, Inc.)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Programming
Format: Session
The Pandora's Box of Modding in 'Arma' Games
Speaker: Karel Moricky (Bohemia Interactive)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Design
Format: Session
Speakers: Eric Vervaet (Electronic Arts BioWare), Cody Behiel (Electronic Arts BioWare)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Audio Pass
Topic: Audio
Format: Session
The Uncredited: A Lost History of Labor in Games
Speaker: Laine Nooney (New York University)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Plus Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Advocacy
Format: Session
Working Freelance: 15 Lessons from 50 Games in 15 Years
Speaker: Jeremy Bernstein (Freelance)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core+Summits Pass, Core Pass
Topic: Production & Team Management
Format: Session