The DeanBeat: Previewing the madness at next week’s GDC

Next week is the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and there are so many things I want to do there that I’m feeling overwhelmed. I’ve got interviews booked, talks to attend, press events to cover, and exclusive parties to go to. It’s such a first-world problem to have. One of the reasons I have this issue is that GDC has grown so much from its roots as a geek gathering where developers came together to discuss their craft. It has morphed into place where you have to be if you’re in the game business. That business has expanded so that it includes not only the hardcore PC and console industries but also free-to-play, mobile, social, and online businesses from around the globe.