The Game Developers Conference has always been less flashy than the Electronic Entertainment Expo, otherwise known as E3. In fact, there is almost no flash, even on the expo floor. No dramatic lighting, no uber-expensive booths, and best of all no scantily-clad "booth babes". So what makes GDC so great then? Well, if you seek massive consumer hype, then I would say nothing. However, if you are an industry-minded type, and enjoy hearing long lectures about what's next in the games industry, I would say you are in the right place.
As some may know, I live in sunny Southern California within the San Diego area, so attending the conference has always been something I try to make room for. As many don't know, my wife drives a hybrid car, namely a Honda Insight. Luckily, I was able to complete the six hour, non-stop drive to San Jose using about eight gallons of gas. But this wasn't the most amazing part of the drive. For those who might live in California, I highly suggest driving along the 152 (which connects highway 101 and the 5) during the rainy season. It is quite possibly the best drive I have ever experienced. The only thing that could have made it better was the company of my travel buddy. Needless to say, I was able to show my wife some pictures, but it wasn't the same.
As mentioned before, the conference lacks some flash, but the services are quite nice. Those who have full passes can enjoy a small breakfast and box lunch each day. This makes staying at the conference for long periods more bearable, and it becomes quickly apparent that the developers in attendance appear happy and taken care of. Microsoft even went to the effort of providing a "Developer Lounge" for people to relax their feet, play some Xbox 360, and even grab a cocktail.
Of course for Revolution Report, the highlights of the event revolved around the visual presence of Revolution hardware, and Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's keynote speech. Revolution Report was the first to break the images of the (still code-named) Nintendo Revolution from the show floor, but this almost wasn't the case; I had forgotten the necessary hardware to retrieve pictures from my camera.
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