GDC Summer offers lots of learning opportunities for game dev students

Students and would-be game devs, take note: when you log on to attend GDC Summer next month, there will be an entire channel of learning opportunities tailored specifically for your needs!

This is a unique strength of the virtual platform we'll be hosting GDC Summer on August 4th through 6th, and anyone looking to advance their game dev career or quickly learn new skills is invited to check out some of the cool content you'll find in the GDC Summer Student Channel.

Anyone with a GDC Summer Student Pass or higher will have access to the Student Channel's talks and interactive sessions, all of which address common concerns of junior and aspiring game makers. It's all part of the GDC Summer Student Program, a full Thursday (August 6th) of lectures, interactive sessions, and group discussions designed for aspiring devs and seasoned professionals seeking new opportunities and career advice!

Phoenix Labs' Garrett Fredley will be there to deliver a talk on "Increasing the Interview Odds Through Skill Set Diversification", for example, and it promises to be a practical talk aimed at helping students, grads, and experienced devs diversify skills and demonstrate enough prowess to clinch that next job interview.

Don't miss it, because you can expect to walk away with practical advice for avoiding skill set pitfalls, converting secondary skills into highlight strengths, and maximizing the chances of that next interview!

Plus, "Ask Me Anything: Whiteboard Interviewing Q&A with Ellen Beeman & Cal Reinhard" is a great opportunity for junior and would-be game devs to ask questions about the dreaded white board tests that are part of many game industry interviews. Together, Ellen Beeman from DigiPen and Cal Reinhard from Popcap Games will talk through the principles of what interviewers are looking for in these sessions and how to answer them, including the "Ask, Talk, Test" approach that Ellen has used to successfully mentor over a hundred DigiPen students!

Or check out "Pixel Art and Animation in the Hi-Bit Age", in which experienced game artist Tyriq Plummer (Catacomb Kids) will go over some techniques and best practices for approaching pixel art and animation for contemporary games.

He'll also explore some of the tools that are available to artists, and discuss some of the more innovative ways pixel art can be incorporated into games with a modern bent. If you're at all interested in learning pixel art or 2D game art, check it out!

More details on these sessions and many more are available now in the GDC Summer session schedule, so take a look and register to attend if you haven't already!

For more details on GDC Summer, scheduled to take place virtually August 4th through the 6th, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.

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