Free Giga pass to Game Developers' Conference
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Nov 26th 2005 at 5:30PM }
Besides the IGDA Scholarship, there's
another way to attend the Game Developer's Conference gratis this March. We've got to warn you in advance, however,
that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. You'll sweat for your ticket.
Here's the deal: click the link below to apply for a position as one of a hundred or so Conference Associates (CAs). Each CA is required to spend 20 hours of his time during the conference doing things like guarding doors, managing queues, stuffing conference bags, entering survey data into computer systems, and so on. It's more or less gopher work (hey, conferences are a lot of work and someone's got to do it), but the perqs are excellent:
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The program's managers (Tim Brengle and Ian MacKenzie) run a really tight ship. You'll learn a lot from them
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Lunch and breakfast Monday through Friday are included
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CAs receive full Giga pass privileges ($1325 value) when not on-duty
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Access to all events and parties including the IGF and Game Developers Choice Awards (part of the Giga pass)
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Reduced hotel costs by sharing rooms with other CAs
I participated in this program this past spring and highly recommend it to anyone who'd love to attend GDC but is on a tight budget. Post your questions below and I'll do my best to provide answers.
[Photo is from Iwata's keynote speech at GDC 2005]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
swissboy591 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Is there an age limt???
vc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
They accept apps from those under 18 and there were probably a couple folks in the program under 18, though most were between 18 and 30.
retro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Sweet. :) I'd love to volounteer for them.
jago @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
FYI to anyone who doesn't know anything about GCD, it is NOTHING like E3. GDC is where companies generally discuss tools, technology, etc. so don't expect to see little fanboys running around playing games.
John @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
do u think they will let a 15 year
Nodnetni @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Where is does the GDC take place?
vc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
GDC takes place in San Jose, CA this year.
15? My guess is: probably not, unless your parent accompanies.
Mark Korsak @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
i signed up for it not long ago, back when this was posted. im 17 and hopefully theyl accept me, its not like im that younger than 18 yrs old lol. wow i hope i get accepted. my only prob would be letting my parents find a way to get there, after all, I live on the east coast
Jon G @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
What's the general personality of the CA's? Is it humorous? Just judging from the application, it seemed to be. Anyways, this would be really cool to do!
vc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
The CAs are an awesome bunch to hang out with -- very cool group of people. Many of them are students in the process of making their own games. It's a good group of people -- one of the best things about the program is hanging out in the CA lounge with all the CAs.