Q&A: GDC director Alan Yu

Game Developers Conference director Alan Yu is the ubiquitous presence and guiding force behind the annual conference. Known for bringing together the best and brightest game developers, creators, and collaborators (including a few heavy hitters from the industry's corporate suites), the GDC kicks off in less than a week.

A full lineup of events is posted online at the GDC site, and a quick scan will make it clear that the event presents many an opportunity to hear and learn from the industry's masters.

With just a few days before GDC's opening bell, Alan Yu spoke to GameSpot. He addressed some of the show's highlights and talked about what it's like to go into the final stretch of an event that's been in the works for nearly a full year.

GameSpot:: Hi Alan, and thanks for speaking with us. Can you tell us what your overall goal is with the program this year?

Alan Yu: The goal of this year’s program is to highlight the evolving nature of game creation. Consumer and user expectations are so high, and developers are realizing that the old tricks of the trade have reached their expiration date. So where do we go from here? How will production processes and game creation change? The conference program is the gravity point around which intellectually honest discourse of the questions and topics will be discussed.

GS: What's the special message or topic you hope to illuminate through this year's lineup of sessions?

AY: The theme of the 2004 GDC is “Evolve.” The game industry is changing. At every GDC, developers are discussing what and how the industry will be in two and three years. Each year, it gets harder and harder to see that far out. This year’s sessions will reveal a glimpse of the industry’s collective crystal ball.

GS: Who are some of your bigger catches, personnel-wise?

AY: Obviously, the keynotes represent some very heavy hitters. But there are some speakers I feel it’s very important to note. We are very honored to have some of Japan’s leading developers speaking at the GDC this year. These game designers have revolutionized the way games are designed and played. They include Masahiro Sakurai of Kirby and Smash Bros. fame; Tetsuya Miziguchi, creator of Space Channel 5 and Rez; Toru Iwatani, the father of Pac-Man; and Eiji Aonuma, game director of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Their speeches will be simultaneously translated, which illustrates the global nature of both game development and the GDC.

GS: What are the two worst things that can go wrong at GDC?

AY: I have a recurring nightmare where I’m running through the halls during GDC and no one’s around. It’s sort of related to the nightmare where you show up to school with no shoes on. I mean, there are many, many things that can possibly go wrong, but that’s why we’ve been working so hard over the last year, to make sure we have everything covered.

GS: What's the one must-see item at this year's conference?

AY: The Experimental Gameplay Workshop is the must-see of the conference. Although the event has been going on for a while, I don’t think I’ve evangelized it nearly enough. Think of the EGW as a signpost for interesting paths and trends in the development of gameplay. We do tons of technical R&D in our industry (AI, shaders, etc.), and this is the GDC’s attempt at gameplay R&D. The goal is to bring new ideas and new forms of gameplay into the mainstream creative process. Eyetoy was presented for the first time here in 1999, and the focus of this year's workshop is how best to utilize physics in gameplay.

GS: What do you feel is the impact of this conference on the games we play? What can we see in what we play today that you feel we can thank GDC for?

AY: At the GDC, game creators come together to openly share ideas, technology, and methodologies. One of the reasons we are a $11 billion dollar industry today is this free exchange of ideas. Game developers stand on each other’s shoulders and build on each other’s successes. The conference itself is like a large chemistry set where different elements come together and inspire each other. At the end of the day, it’s the developers that make the game industry what it is today. There would be no industry to speak of without them.

GS: The Game Connection is a new feature for GDC and it seems sort of like speed dating for developers and publishers. Can you explain how the Game Connection works?

AY: Game Connection is an event produced in partnership with Lyon Game. It provides a convenient forum for developers and publishers to meet effectively over the first two days of GDC in half-hour chunks. Over the past two years, many developers and publishers have lamented the fact that they see fewer and fewer of the conference program because of meetings. Some have said there just isn’t enough time to do everything they needed to do at GDC. By adding Game Connection, we hope to give a little more structure and texture to all five days of GDC so it’s as productive as it can possibly be for all involved.

GS: What's your one favorite GDC story?

AY: Let’s see. There are so many. 2000 was a very exciting time for Drew Angeloff and Seamus Blackley, when the Xbox prototype stopped working the day before their speech. There was a flood of the registration area in 1996. In 2001, the president of Mexico complained that the attendees were too loud and keeping him awake. There are so many more that I’ve chosen to forget.