San Francisco Moscone Center hosting Game Developers Conference
The 2025 theme centers around the power of gaming to bring people together, a concept that resonates with industry professionals and fans alike. A mural dedicated to that message is currently on display on Powell and Geary, created by artist Max Ehrman.
Concept designer Temarius Walker, a prominent voice at this year's event, emphasized the unifying nature of gaming.
"The gaming world brings people together by creating shared experiences where people from all parts of the globe can play and interact," Walker said.
The conference features a wide array of lectures, panels, and networking opportunities. According to a survey by the GDC, one in 10 developers reported being laid off in the past year, making the gathering even more critical for industry professionals.
"GDC is just an exciting place where developers, artists, tech artists, and 3D artists alike collaborate and learn new cutting-edge tools on how to build unique and crafted stylized worlds," Walker added.
As San Francisco continues its post-pandemic recovery, Stephanie Hawkins, the event director for the GDC, reaffirmed the conference's role in the city's economic and cultural landscape.
"The show has been in SF for nearly 20 years now. So, it's definitely our home, and we are happy to be here. There are so many great parks in the area, it's such a walkable city, there's the international airport, and Moscone has all the space we need," Hawkins said.
The GDC shop features nostalgic merchandise ranging from Super Mario Brothers to Final Fantasy. While attendees are excited by the array of merchandise and memorabilia, for many, the true value of the conference lies in the connections it fosters.
"This conference is just a great opportunity to connect with other game developers, meet new people, and build lifelong and lasting friendships that just go beyond video games," Walker said.
As the industry continues to evolve, the GDC remains a cornerstone of innovation, collaboration, and global connection.
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Forbes
6 days ago
- Forbes
Imagining What's Next For MTG: Universes Beyond
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Forbes
7 days ago
- Forbes
The First Looks For MTG: Avatar: The Last Airbender Are Here
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USA Today
7 days ago
- USA Today
Goodbye, 'brat summer.' It's time for 'cringe summer.'
"The Summer I Turned Pretty?" More like "The Summer I Turned Cringe." Unlike last year's "Brat Summer," all about dancing out our messy side to Charli XCX's album, Summer 2025 has been one cringey moment after the next. Kissing billionaires teetering on water taxis at the Bezos Venice wedding. The unrelenting eye contact of a Labubu (or Lafufu). The shuddering horror of the Coldplay couple. President Donald Trump's awkward moment on stage with Chelsea after the team's FIFA Club World Cup victory. Travis Kelce wearing a construction vest in the ocean. All these moments have us covering our eyes – but not necessarily for the same reason. What's "cringe" to one person may not bother another. Plus, for all you know, someone might think you're cringe. And some argue that's actually worth embracing. If the zeitgeist is so "cringe," should we all just lean into being ourselves? 'I'm feeling embarrassed for you' "Cringe" happens when we see something awkward or humiliating and internalize that discomfort, according to Alicia M. Walker, professor of sociology at Missouri State University. "You're doing something that is so gauche and so tacky and so lacking in self-awareness and you have no idea," Walker says, defining the term. "You're not feeling embarrassed, so I'm feeling embarrassed for you." We shudder, blush, giggle because we take on that embarrassment second-hand, Walker says. Take Lena Dunham's Netflix series "Too Much," it's sex-obsessed characters made audiences recoil as they candidly discussed intercourse at work functions. Or "The Summer I Turned Pretty" fans watching through their fingers as mismatched characters slow danced at a college frat party. Ellie for the Girls helps Gen Z flirt The proof is in the pictures. The unabashed interactions in these shows make us reflexively cringe because they remind us of somewhere, sometime, we've been the gawky one, Walker says. We've all been the uninvited guest or the too-passionate dancer or the one caught on camera, and seeing these buried memories recast in pop culture takes us right back to that terrifying social trauma. Do you need attention span rehab? You may not be alone. It's important to ask why we have such a strong aversion to being called cringe or seemingly cringe things, says Cassie Willson, 30, a Brooklyn-based comedian and content-creator. We post "cringe" in social media comments to shame each other's idiosyncrasies, almost to the point it "that becomes a little scary and dangerous," Willson says. Take how the internet mocks millennial cringe compilations, tallying the ways 30-somethings are un-cool. "If you have a cringe reaction to something, it is worth listening to," says Willson. "Write it down. Figure out the actual definition of cringe for you. We have to pay attention to how we react to the things we see." 'Cringe' can be cool Some are taking to social media to say that "being cringe" can be empowering. "If you have to be nonchalant around your friends, those aren't your real friends," said one TikToker encouraging others to "be corny" and be themselves out loud. "We are discouraging them from setting themselves apart in any way," another TikToker said. "Fear of cringe can create a fear of curiosity and discovery." As summer turns to fall, take the opportunity to be cringey self, Willson says. We're "climbing the cringe mountain," and no matter if people call you embarrassing, she says, you're being yourself.
