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Open Source Game Development Summit: The Hidden Challenges of Growth Under Self-Governance

Nathan Lovato  (Founder, GDQuest)

Location: Room 3007, West Hall

Date: Tuesday, March 21

Time: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass

Topic: Programming

Format: Lecture

Vault Recording: Video

Audience Level: All

Every open source project faces some apparent issues: technical ones, like how to organize the development, and financial ones, like how to do a lot with very little and how to promote your project without money.

As a project grows, many new, subtler, and tougher challenges arise. How do you promote your project and grow with limited funds? How do you fund your work when users and companies have little incentive to support you financially? How do you stay on track with thousands of contributors who may not share your vision?

As people participate freely and willingly in open-source projects, the solutions to scale are unlike traditional companies.

Using the Godot game engine as a case study, Nathan Lovato, Founder at GDQuest, will explore the many challenges such a massive project encounters: choosing features, fostering kindness, respect, and inclusivity, funding, promoting a project without funds, and more. For each challenge, this session will look at ways to mitigate those issues.

Takeaway

Attendees will gain a broad overview of the many challenges open source projects face, the tradeoffs they have to make, and potential solutions to each challenge. Attendees will better understand the vision and mindset of open source project leaders, allowing better participation and benefit from these projects.

Intended Audience

This is for anyone interested in leading or participating in open source projects. No programming knowledge is required.