Most GDC parties are BAD. So so bad.
These parties are usually open bar but the line is crazy and the drinks are never good. And I’m pretty sure the original idea was for networking but they crank the music so loud you can’t hear yourself talk, let alone someone you’re talking to. The worst part is when there is no where to sit down.
The Game Developer’s Party was the best party I’ve ever been to during any kind of conference. It was this year’s Fairmount Hotel. People were actually comfortable and having a good time. After years of going to dog meat GDC parties, Dave Taylor thought about who goes to them and what they would want to do at a party, and designed his own around that.
The drinks were U
NBELIEVABLE. Seriously, I’ve worked in my share of bars. Nice ones. These drinks, sponsored by Bacardi rocked. They were fruity and tasty but somehow sophisticated at the same time. Now I’m no light-weight that has to have Appletinis. I can drink whiskey with the best of them but these drinks tasted sooo much better! The kumquats, fresh mint and essence of jalepeno weren’t there to mask the rum, they were there enhance it. There was even a drink with lightly whipped egg white on top! That might sound crazy but, trust me, it was good. The Mojitos were simple and perfect and the rest of the drinks on the menu were so unique and truly delicious. Not sure who’s idea that all was but it was genius. They were tasty, fun to try and a great ice-breaker for conversation. People were clearly impressed.
And then there was the food. Small fresh baguettes with carmelized onions and goat cheese. Yummy quiches, arugula and beet salad. Creme Brulee, fresh fruit and wicked good chocolate chip cookies. I think the company that did that was Crepe de Chocolate and I think they have a restaurant in the Bay Area somewhere. Or at least they really really should.
The last element for the perfect party was this, sort of, photo booth set up. Hal Bergman had a photography area with his strobes, camera and a back drop and people went nuts over it! If Hal ever thought the momentum was slowing down, he’d grab me and tell me to wrangle people. By then I’d tossed back so many cocktails, this was quite a fun assignment=)
I did manage to get a little bit of video from the night. It was at the Academy of Art which was right next to Moscone. I had this brilliant drunken idea to take some footage by the front door for some reason. This was followed by another great idea to video tape my cab ride home. Enjoy!
Game Developer’s Party from Naomi Mercer on Vimeo.
