This article originally appeared in Game Developer’s Game Career Guide 2006.

Events

One of the best ways to become better informed about the video game industry is to attend its major events—here’s a primer.

Game Developers Conference
www.gdconf.com
In the industry, there’s no mistaking these three letters: GDC. The Game Developers Conference is a professional conference held annually in the San Francisco Bay area in March. Educational or career-enhancing conference sessions and keynote speeches mark the daylight hours, while the Game Developers Choice Awards, Independent Games Festival, and a smattering of lively parties round out the evenings. GDC is owned and operated by CMP Media, which also owns Game Developer and Gamasutra.com.

Austin Game Conference
www.gameconference.com
The Austin Game Conference is a mid-sized event featuring professional lectures and workshops for game developers, students, and people trying to get a foot in the door. What makes it unique is its emphasis on local development trends, which in Austin means massively multiplayer and other online games. The conference, which is held in the early fall, is now in its fourth year.

E3 EXPO
www.e3expo.com
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), has been an industry staple since 1994. As the most highly attended industry event, E3 attracted tens of thousands of game professionals to southern California each May. There, developers and publishers unveiled their upcoming games, partied with colleagues, and savored the heady atmosphere. The week-long affair was owned by the Entertainment Software Association and was closed to the general public. E3 is changing by narrowing its focus starting in 2007.

Serious Games Summit
www.seriousgamessummit.com
The Serious Games Summit, also owned and run by CMP Media, was created to support those who make or use serious games—or video games made for non-entertainment purposes. Professionals from the military, health care sector, and educational institutions join game developers and publishers at this informational summit held near Washington D.C. every fall.

D.I.C.E. Summit
www.dicesummit.org
Created by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences as an exploration of the creative process in game development, the D.I.C.E. Summit began as an industry workshop event in 2003, and includes both high-level business talks and a yearly game development awards ceremony. The event is held in Las Vegas every February.

Tokyo Game Show
http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/english
Japan’s consumer oriented Tokyo Game Show welcomes the general public with the same open arms that it welcomes industry professionals. Organized by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association and Nikkei Business Publications, the event takes place in Chiba City, just outside Tokyo.

Game Convention
www.gc-germany.de
Leipzig, Germany is home to the Game Convention. Held this year in late August, the show attracts professionals from around Europe because of its comprehensive show floor, where developers can test out new technology.

Chinajoy
www.chinajoy.net
China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, or Chinajoy, aims to be the Chinese equivalent of E3 or the Tokyo Game Show. Chinajoy, which encourages international gamemakers to move into the Chinese market, is organized in part by the government of China. The 2006 show will be held in late July in Shanghai.

London Games Festival
www.londongamesfestival.com
The London Games Festival, a new industry event as of 2006, plans to launch during the first week of October. The event will comprise a number of smaller events, including GDC London (which organizers say will be the European equivalent of GDC), the BAFTA Awards (media awards given by the U.K. organization of the same name), and a London Game Career Fair.