New York State’s got game. So much so, that at the digital game development industry’s premier industry event in San Francisco from March 20-24, New York will be the first state in the country to lead a statewide pavilion at the 2023 Game Developers Conference (GDC). The pavilion showcases the growth of game development across New York State—home to top companies and iconic games—and to top-ranked university game development programs that are creating a pipeline of industry talent.
New York State is currently recruiting game development companies to join the statewide pavilion in March. Interested businesses can send an email to [email protected] for more details and include information about their company.
The New York State pavilion will feature more than a few surprises and some hands-on experiences that highlight all that’s happening in the state’s thriving game development scene.
Here are five fantastic things in store at New York’s Booth #P1547:
Get in the game: New York State is home to 10% of the top 50 digital game development undergraduate programs in the U.S. and some of those top schools will be at the GDC. New York University (NYU), the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)—the state’s university-based Game Development Centers—along with Marist College and SUNY Polytechnic Institute, offer top-ranked game development programs and a robust talent pipeline. Expect live demos of games students have developed for pavilion visitors to watch and play.
Get ahead of the curve: New York State is home to the nation’s fourth-largest number of video game companies. And the state’s GDC program will be packed with industry programming at the New York pavilion’s presentation space, where visitors can take a seat to hear about the industry in New York State—from representatives of companies, schools, accelerators and regional economic development organizations fueling game development’s growth—and experience game development in action.
Get a lay of the land: New York State has much to offer beyond New York City – and while many games are being developed in New York City, along with many of the top game development schools, representatives will also be on hand to detail the thriving Upstate game culture and industry which stretches to the Mid-Hudson, Capital Region and Finger Lakes regions and beyond.
Get down to business: Representatives of digital gaming companies will also be available throughout the conference to meet one-on-one with pavilion visitors to talk about opportunities for doing business, and finding success, in New York State. Representatives from Empire State Development, the state’s chief economic development agency, will be on hand to discuss how to help relocate or expand your business in New York State.
Get some bragging rights: Visitors will see lots of familiar faces and images from iconic games on display at the New York State Pavilion. That’s because these games, along with several others, are among the many that were created in New York State. Come see if you can name them all!