10 Things We’re Looking Forward to at GDC 2019
With GDC 2019 just around the corner, it’s just about time to start looking at that show planner and penciling in the best of what the event has to offer. As your dance card starts to fill up, don’t forget that GDC isn’t just about sessions, GDC Play and afterparties, but also the off-site gatherings, the many demo and open play community spaces, and, this year, even a lowkey garden to listen to music and relax in during one of those rare free moments when you’re not in the halls of the Moscone Center. Here’s what we’re looking forward to this year.
alt.ctrl.GDC
One of the most creative and exciting parts of GDC, alt.ctrl.GDC is a contest showcase highlighting the innovative use of alternate controllers in videogames. This year promises some especially intriguing titles, like Plünge, a one-button game played with a toilet plunger; Koo-Koo, a multiplayer game that is played with the mechanisms of a cuckoo clock; and Neon Nemesis, an arcade game with a literal secret backdoor. Among the many other promising entries (the winner receives a $3000 prize) is Cook Your Way, a political game that is played with a cooking playset and acts as a comment on the immigration process, and HELLCOUCH: A Couch Co-Op Game, which uses LED lights to turn your couch cushions into playable game controllers.
The games will be available from Wednesday to Friday, March 20-22, 2019, of the event. The full list of all 20 games can be seen at the official page.
Day of the Devs
I try not to play favorites with the many clusters of amazing games dotting the floors and halls of GDC, but I gotta say, Day of the Devs is pretty special. This year it will be once again held at North Hall, on the lower level at the bottom of the escalators. The games shown this year will include an unannounced DoubleFine game that will be available on Wednesday through Friday. The rest are as follows (* denotes titles that are playable for the first time).
Afterparty
Atomicrops *
Carto
Consume Me
Inmost *
Jenny LeClue Detectivu (playable only Monday-Tuesday)
Samurai Gunn 2
Sloppy Forgeries
Spelunky 2
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
Void Bastards (playable only Wednesday-Friday)
Wooden Nickel *
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For more information on each game, be sure to check out the list over at the GDC site.
Indie Megabooth
A total of 24 games will be shown in the Indie Megabooth this year, the highlights of which can be seen in this year’s trailer above. As in years past, only half of the games will be shown the first half of the week, and the other 12 during the last three days. The schedule will run as follows (note: * denotes titles that have been recently revealed and/or are publicly playable for the first time either globally or in North America, ** denotes titles that will be showcasing new content).
Monday, March 18, 2019-Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Airborne Kingdom *
Anew: The Distant Light
DiceTrek *
Disco Elysium **
Looking For Heals *
She Dreams Elsewhere **
Those Who Remain *
Tick Tock: A Tale for Two
TwinCop **
Where the Bees Make Honey **
while True: learn() *
Wintermoor Tactics Club **
Wednesday, March 20, 2019-Friday, March 22, 2019
Black Future ’88 **
Heaven’s Vault **
Hell is Other Demons *
Kaisuo
Losswords **
One Step From Eden **
Shadow Brawlers **
Sloppy Forgeries **
The Wild at Heart **
Unannounced Title *
ValeGuard **
Wave Break **
You can find the Indie Megabooth in the West Hall on the second floor. For more information and trailers for all the games being shown this year, check the site.
Lost Levels
The “unconference” of GDC lives on! The annual Lost Levels, the off-site gathering held each year to offer an open creative space for students and developers not “officially” attending GDC, will once again be held near the gazebo at Yerba Buena Park on Thursday, March 21 (Friday if it’s raining). As a reminder, be sure to avoid amplified sound (no mics or megaphones), pass around/follow the sign-up sheet, and clean up after yourselves at the end of the day. For more general rules and details, head over to the site.
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