David Jaffe to Keynote Game Career Seminar at GDC

[fitbabits]

Just got news that David 'I am the God of War" Jaffe will be keynoting an address entitled “From Grunt to God to Startup: Career Lessons from the Edge of Game Development" at this year's Game Developers Conference. The Game Career Seminar takes place at GDC on Thursday, February 21 from 5:30-6:30 and Friday, February 22 from 10:30am –5pm at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco.

Veteran developer David Jaffe has had to make difficult choices over the years between design and production in order to excel and advance his career, while still satisfying his creativity. He will speak about the pros and cons of his experience creating his own startup, as well as other insights from the edge of game development.

“By launching two blockbuster franchises and then going indie, Jaffe has a wealth of insights on how to advance your career in the game industry,” said Jamil Moledina, Executive Director of GDC, “Given his outspoken views on game design, attendees can expect nothing less than the unvarnished truth behind career development both inside and outside the traditional development landscape.”
Click the headline for the full press release.

[fitbabits]

SAN FRANCISCO – Feb. 4, 2008 – God of War game developer David Jaffe is set to keynote the Game Career Seminar, the single-track event at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) programmed by the GDC in association with GameCareerGuide.com for individuals interested in learning how to build a career in the videogame industry. In his talk, “From Grunt to God to Startup: Career Lessons from the Edge of Game Development,” Jaffe will give attendees a realistic view of his career path which has spanned a vehicular combat franchise, a breakthrough mythological action franchise, and his own indie startup. The Game Career Seminar takes place at GDC on Thursday, February 21 from 5:30-6:30 and Friday, February 22 from 10:30am –5pm at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco.

Veteran developer David Jaffe has had to make difficult choices over the years between design and production in order to excel and advance his career, while still satisfying his creativity. He will speak about the pros and cons of his experience creating his own startup, as well as other insights from the edge of game development.

“By launching two blockbuster franchises and then going indie, Jaffe has a wealth of insights on how to advance your career in the game industry,” said Jamil Moledina, Executive Director of GDC, “Given his outspoken views on game design, attendees can expect nothing less than the unvarnished truth behind career development both inside and outside the traditional development landscape.”

The Game Career Seminar provides opportunities for individuals to meet with HR executives from leading game companies, network with industry professionals and learn how to begin or advance their careers in the videogame industry. The speaker lineup includes top game and industry experts willing to share their experience and expertise with attendees.
I wonder if he'll take the opportunity to fire any broadsides?

[cppcrusader]

I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to attend this talk or not. Guess I'll wait and see what else is going on then first.

[TrackZero]

Mmmmmmmm JAFFE.

[Yeti2005]

Is Jaffe actually good or is he just a loud windbag? He seems to speak his mind which is good but I still feel like he's small potatoes compared to his peers.

[TrackZero]

Is Jaffe actually good or is he just a loud windbag?

Can't he be both?

[Yeti2005]

Can't he be both?

I guess he could be both but I get the feeling he talks a lot of shit for someone who hasn't done a lot.

[Meatgortex]

He speaks his mind about what he thinks publicly. Sadly that is so rare in this industry that it seems like a big deal.

Everything we here from developers tends to be filtered through a couple layers of PR teams and management threats. The end result is that most developers are faceless and nameless cogs that get little acknowledgement for the work they do.

Jaffe puts himself out there. As a result he gets credit for the work he's done, and he'll get hammered personally when his games don't deliver. Whether you like him or not that takes some balls.

[Hellstorm]

I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to attend this talk or not. Guess I'll wait and see what else is going on then first.
I got an early copy of his talk, it goes something like this: Blah blah fuck, fucking, fuck, blah, blah, God of War, fuck, fucker, blah...

[MrSatan]

Jaffe has made his contribution to gaming and he likes to speak his mind as well. I really like the guy and respect him for that.

[BloodPack]

If he does something good post God of War I think you can consider him a good developer, but given his previous work (twisted metal series) there is nothing telling me the guy is anything special.

[jeffbax]

Twisted Metal 2 is one of the best gaming experience of all time for me. God of War was sick, and Calling All Cars is good too. I'm excited to hear what he's working on.