The 2022 Game Developers Conference delivers the industry’s greatest source of content and connections—with a commitment to having a positive social and environmental impact on the game development community and the world.
For years, the GDC team has taken steps to make sure it’s creating a safe space for all and supporting underrepresented voices in the industry through a variety of programs and partnerships. GDC is likewise committed to reducing the event’s carbon footprint and bringing attention to climate change issues to produce a more sustainable event.
In 2022, we are proud of our commitment to having a positive environmental and social impact on the communities and industries we work within, and have taken the following steps to achieve these goals during this year’s in-person and virtual event.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Supporting Social Advocacy: Attendees can expect access to a diverse array of talks aimed at supporting aspiring game devs and highlighting broader issues of social advocacy in the game industry. These include “Black Developers Matter Roundtable (Presented by the IGDA),” “Making ‘Temtem’ Gender-Inclusive Across Languages: Case Study,” and “UX Summit: Sensory Overload: Accessibility Best Practices.” Head to our Session Viewer for more.
Closed Captioning Accessibility Improvements: GDC provides closed captioning in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Japanese) for many of our sessions available on-demand, through Swapcard and GDC Vault.
International Accessibility: GDC 2022’s virtual component encourages attendees from anywhere in the world, bringing in a higher percentage of international attendees who otherwise may not be able to participate.
Purposeful Partnerships: As part of our commitment to the sustainable development of the game industry and its wider impact, each year we have over 20 partnerships with organizations like Girls Make Games, I Need Diverse Games, Game Devs of Color, and Gay Game Industry Professionals. These partners are helping to shape the future of the industry by providing opportunities to and amplifying the work of game developers from underrepresented communities.
Sustainability
Renewable Energy Commitment: The Game Developers Conference is powered by renewable energy, which is a step towards attaining our goal of Net Zero. Energy efficient lighting and equipment will be used throughout the event.
Digital Tote Bags and Guides: GDC has switched to digital event guides to reduce paper use. In addition, the contents of a normal GDC promotional tote bag have been recreated in an exclusively digital format for both in-person and virtual attendees.
The Climate Change Workshop: GDC 2022 is hosting a variety of talks about climate issues and sustainability, including the full-day Advocacy workshop “Use Your Game Developer Superpowers to Fight the Climate Crisis Workshop” on Monday, March 21 from 10:00am to 6:30pm PT, available for all pass holders. Head to our Session Viewer for more.
These efforts are ongoing and evolving; we are committed to actively deepening our relationships and support. We hope you’ll join us in our goal of having a positive environmental and social impact on both the communities and industries we work within.
GDC returns in-person to San Francisco, March 21-25—registration is open! For more information on GDC 2022, including our virtual options, be sure to visit our website and follow the #GDC22 hashtag on social media.
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Game Developer and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa Tech.