Each year, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) partners with the Game Developer Conference (GDC) to bring programming and opportunities to attendees of the Festival of Gaming. The longstanding collaboration has been instrumental in advancing the organization’s mission to support and empower game developers worldwide. 

At its core, the partnership is about access – access to knowledge, networks, and opportunity. Through this relationship, not only does the IGDA community benefit from access to discounts, but our Special Interest Group (SIG) leaders benefited by contributing their knowledge to GDC by leading roundtables, as a part of the official programming. By providing access to our SIG leaders to run this programming, the IGDA is able to provide access to knowledge to the greater attendance at GDC. We ran over 25 roundtable discussions, as well as a number of Chapter and SIG meet ups which contributed to the overall success of the event. Every roundtable and meet up was incredibly well attended, and the feedback we see year after year about them is a testament to the wonderful volunteer leaders we have in this organization.

The impact of this partnership does not end there – this year, we had the honor of running not one but two mentor cafes, which are specifically designed to provide opportunities for those starting their careers to speak with experts in the industry. These events are instrumental to the growth of the industry, and ensuring knowledge sharing between generations. We had over 80 mentees experience the program across the two days, with our dozens of mentors who shared their time and expertise. 

Lastly, thanks to this partnership we had the opportunity to be on the show floor. This makes such a difference in our exposure to the industry as a whole. While we partner with others to help execute the vision of the booth, the overall impact would be nothing without the help of our volunteers. Thanks to our partnership with GDC, we are able to provide badges to our volunteers who help us work the show floor, and they continue to be incredible examples of our community. Not only that, but they are probably the ones who benefit the most from the partnership with GDC – volunteering can often be one of the best forms of networking, and the feedback from some of the volunteers really showcases the impact attending GDC has had on them. 

“This was my first GDC and I came with excitement and left with so much motivation. I’m relatively new to the IGDA and getting to speak with so many like minded people just wanting to get involved in their community got me so pumped for the things that are coming down the track for the San Diego chapter. This opportunity was so fun and inspiring and I can’t wait to volunteer again next year given the chance. Thank you so much [to the IGDA] for letting me jump in at the last second and experience such a fun week of meeting other game makers and making new friends!” – Chris Burt

“Volunteering with IGDA [at GDC] is always the highlight of my year. The sense of community I have for that week, and seeing the returning volunteers is always a refreshing breath of air. Getting to educate people on options on how to continue this vibe throughout the year is always fun! I have more passion and gusto in my spiel now that I am a board member myself. Seeing all the work and efforts of Parker coming together, from the mixer to the booth, I am always amazed. The booth this year was amazing so thank you to Dell and NVIDIA for that amazing upgrade! Thanks to GDC for spreading the word of all the good IGDA does through talks, events and more.” – Giselle Dougan

As the games industry continues to grow and evolve, partnerships like the one between the IGDA and GDC will remain critical. They ensure that access to opportunity keeps pace with industry expansion, and that diversity, inclusion, and community are not afterthoughts, but foundational priorities.

In an industry driven by creativity and collaboration, the IGDA’s presence at GDC is more than symbolic. It is a catalyst for connecting people, amplifying voices, and helping shape a more equitable future for game developers everywhere.