GDC is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

GDC 2022 Session Viewer

View, browse and sort the ever-growing list of sessions by pass type, topic, format and viewing experience. Use the experience filter to view sessions and roundtables that will be available on the virtual GDC event platform. Virtual sessions will be available to watch on-demand through April 1st, 2022 at 5pm PT. All days/times are displayed in Pacific Time.

Use the Viewing Experience filter to see which sessions will be available on-site, on the virtual platform, or both:

  • In-Person: offered on-site, not available within the virtual platform. Check the session’s listing to see if it will be recorded for GDC Vault after the conference.
  • Virtual: offered in the virtual platform at its scheduled time.
  • In-Person/Virtual: offered onsite and the recording will be available to watch-on-demand within 36 hours of the session start time on the virtual platform until April 1st at 5pm PT
  • In-Person/Virtual Livestream: offered on-site and will be livestreamed to watch on the virtual platform at its scheduled time. The recording of the video will be available to watch-on-demand within 36 hours of the session start time on the virtual platform until April 1st at 5pm PT.

All registered attendees will be able to build their personal schedule in the virtual GDC event platform and mobile app. Download the Informa Tech Events app to gain access to the Game Developers Conference 2022 virtually. Login with the email address you used to register.

Sign In Create Account Export | Need Help?
All Sessions Speakers My Schedule

Independent Games Summit: Making Indie Games with Public Domain Content

Chris Totten  (Assistant Professor & Founder, Kent State University/Pie for Breakfast Studios)

Location: Room 2010, West Hall

Date: Monday, March 21

Time: 3:50 pm - 4:20 pm

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass - Get your pass now!

Topic: Independent Games

Format: Session

Viewing Experience: In-Person

Vault Recording: Video

Audience Level: Yes

Independent game development is a practice in limitations: limited technology, limited asset creation resources, limited access to popular intellectual property (IP), etc. Widely unused are free resources that other mediums have used for years: public domain content – images, music, books, and other things whose copyrights have expired. Showing a variety of implementations from his own games, award-winning game designer Chris Totten shows how to use public domain content for building unique visual and audio identities, making games from recognizable IP, or even promoting your game to new audiences. Through topics such as how to find public domain content, how to confirm a work's copyright and trademark status, how to use and cite this content, and recommendations for best honoring the original work. By doing so, this talk provides a clear roadmap on how to maximize the use of these useful and freely available resources in your games.

Takeaway

Develop an understanding of how to find, utilize, and make the most of public domain art and visual assets, settings, and franchises. Learn how to find the copyright and trademark status of IP and how to build interest for your game among fans of the content's original implementation.

Intended Audience

Game makers who want to find new sources of in-game assets and project inspiration will benefit from this talk. This talk is relevant to independent designers looking to make games based on established IP. Also, those interested in making literary or art games that can attract attention from interdisciplinary audiences.