Informa Tech, the organizers of the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event for professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, have kicked off GDC Summer, the first completely virtual GDC, consisting of three days of multidisciplinary educational and inspirational talks, running today through Thursday, August 6.

GDC Summer was built from the ground up as a virtual conference and capitalizes on the unique benefits of going fully online with a tailored platform to present all-new types of sessions and community activities alongside the top-notch content on which GDC has built its industry-leading reputation.

The virtual conference brings the top-quality content of a GDC conference, with sessions hosted by top video game professional across the tracks of Design, Programming, Business & Marketing, Production & Team Management, Visual Arts, Audio, Career & Studio Development, Advocacy, as well as a Student Program and sponsored content from top tech companies. Sessions will cover current and notable issues in the games industry, including talks addressing the effects of COVID-19 on the industry, diversity in the industry, accessibility, funding, the topic of unionization and much more. The event’s program will also include popular GDC sessions including the Experimental Gameplay Workshop for its 18th annual edition. This showcase of upcoming games is known as the platform where games that went on to become legendary debuted, including games like Katamari Damacy, flOw, Braid, Portal and Storyteller.

Unique to GDC Summer will be a series of Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions with industry veterans, an Interactive Skill Building Series designed to give hands-on instruction on how to use tools and techniques, plus several virtual community events, including live music, yoga instruction and an online art gallery.

“Our goal with GDC Summer is to bring the same expert content, networking opportunities, and chance to come together as a community that attendees have come to expect from a GDC event,” said GDC General Manager Katie Stern. “We’re very pleased to be able to capitalize on the virtual nature of the conference with new ways to connect with each other and unique sessions such as AMAs and skill building sessions, but at the end of the day, we’re most happy to be able to offer an authentic GDC experience.”

Those that are interested in experiencing GDC Summer can still register to attend now from home, throughout the end of the conference at the official GDC website.

For more details on the GDC Summer, please visit the GDC’s official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. Official photos are available via the Official GDC Flickr account: www.flickr.com/photos/officialgdc/.