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View, browse and sort the ever-growing list of sessions by day, pass type, topic, and format. With this Session Viewer, you can view GDC 2023 session details and speakers, and share your favorites via social media. You will be able to build your schedule and access it during the show via export or Mobile App, once live. Sessions do fill up and seating is first come, first serve, so arrive early to sessions that you would like to attend.

Level Design Summit: A Visual Approach to Level Design in 'Gotham Knights'

Simon-Albert Boudreault  (Senior Level Designer, Warner Bros. Games Montréal)

Location: Room 303, South Hall

Date: Tuesday, March 21

Time: 10:50 am - 11:50 am

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass

Topic: Design

Format: Lecture

Vault Recording: Video

Audience Level: All

With today's fragmentation of roles, a very common trap for level designers of all skill levels is to take refuge in a ''gameplay is king'' mentality. As a result, many designers will—out of ignorance rather than laziness—make unimaginative grayboxes that lack shape, silhouette, composition... with the belief that the art team will swoop in and just make it look great.

Through an in-depth visual postmortem of the first four missions of Gotham Knights, this talk will refute this common silo mentality by examining the impact of having a strong visual direction coming from the level designer themselves, and how maintaining and negotiating it throughout the major production gates might completely change how a level looks and plays.

Takeaway

Attendees will walk away with stronger foundations regarding the role of level art within level design and vice-versa, as well as a more robust confidence with their everyday interaction with their artist (or designer).

Intended Audience

This is for level designers working in close collaboration with level artists, as well as level artists looking to tie in their work more closely with their designer partners.