The Kids Are Alright
The kids are alright. This is the thought running through my head this morning after a week on the ground at the Game Developers Conference #GDC2025 in San Francisco.
It’s not the diminutive “kids”, as spoken by an older generation unwilling to let go of their positions of power or unable to accept the beauty of change as a constant. It’s the full emotional embrace of the next generations of incredible folks and their energy. The people who are catalyzing change in their own image while bringing together the community. (Because of course that’s what we’re talking about here)
I saw and felt the #GameAudioGDC community ebbing and flowing this past week, in a glorious display of everything that is right in the world. Coming together with good intentions, supporting and lifting each other up, while navigating the complexity of the world around them. It’s not just the conference that requires this extreme navigation, but the whole world and our places in it. What I saw was an inspirational display of cooperation and warm sentiment in the words and actions expressed throughout.
If you think I’m living in an echo chamber or bubble of positivity at GDC, please let me know. If you experienced something other than a community doing their best to operate in world that has been artificially divided, please reach out. I want to believe that my experience was not unique (and folks I spoke with shared the same positivity) while acknowledging that there are still things we need to work together to solve.
You’re getting these deep thoughts as a reflection of my experience because now, more than ever it’s my feeling that, we need to rise to the occasion and resist the toxic narrative that we’re being fed about the distance between people. I overwhelmingly saw the opposite and hope that it can be viewed as a barometer for a rising resistance against the bad actors and negativity seeping up through the cracks.
All of that to circle right back to the start. The kids are all right, they’ve got their eyes trained on a future that is inclusive, diverse, and removed from the generational trauma that some people would like to drag us back into. They’ve got the energy, intelligence, and aptitude to face adversity when it comes along and work towards positive change.
Maybe I’m talking about #GameAudioGDC while hoping that this positivity and the small slice of humanity represents a bigger picture of the population. Regardless, I’m here for it, standing alongside the force of goodness I see embodied in the future generations. It’s my hope that as these stars fall back into orbit that they shine bright in a beautiful display of potential.
In the meantime, here are recordings from the Morning Audio Community Meetup hosted at Game Audio Podcast...thanks to Nicholas & Jocelle for the recordings and Anton for the uploads!
GDC 2025: Morning Audio Community Meetup - Day 5
Along with this year's Purple Guide to Game Audio GDC
"Each year I attempt to frame the opportunities that exist in the biggest multiplayer game-of-game developers in the world. A choose-your-own-adventure of: education, community, celebration, and camaraderie. There’s no wrong way to play, no points or high-scores. You’ll need all of your wits, a few maps, a bag of holding, at least some gold (and likely a bit of magic) to get you through. You’ll emerge on the other side having gained experience, witnessed wonders, and hopefully bent an ear, and had your ear bent, in the direction of all that’s good in the world of audio."
Until next year, stay good, and see you soon!
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