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Pocket Gamer’s ultimate GDC 2018 party guide

Stay busy during the evenings at GDC

Pocket Gamer’s ultimate GDC 2018 party guide

GDC 2018 is almost upon us – but how are you going to fill those long evenings and nights in San Francisco away from the hustle and bustle of the daily sessions and meetings?

Well don’t worry, we’ve got your covered. There are a whole host of parties and gatherings taking place throughout the week.

Party on

So to help you plan your week in an orderly fashion, we’re supplying a list of events going on around one of the biggest games industry conference of the year.

We’ll be adding more parties as we hear about them, so keep checking back for more.

Got a party to recommend? You can email PocketGamer.biz Editor Craig Chapple at craig.chapple@steelmedia.co.uk, tweet us at @pgbiz or let us know at the Facebook group Games industry events, gatherings and parties.

Sunday, March 18th

  • Blockchain Game Meet-up

When: 4pm to 7pm
Where: Coin-Op San Francisco, 508 4th St, San Francisco, CA, 94107
How: Register here
Cost: FREE
More info: A gathering of blockchain-based games professionals to network and share best practices

  • Dutch Courage meets Belgian Beers (pre GDC mixer)

When: 8pm onwards
Where: The Great Northern, 119 Utah Street, San Francisco, California
How: Register here
Cost: FREE
More info: 15 developers from the Netherlands, Belgium and more will be showcasing their new games. There’s of course also a bar and a limited number of free-drink tickets.

Monday, March 19th

  • GDC Mobile Summit Mixer (Presented by Zynga)

When: 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Where: Second Level, West Hall (Moscone Centre)
How: Just turn up! GDC passholders only.
Cost: FREE (Except for that GDC pass!)
More info: Grab a drink and network with mobile games industry professionals

  • GDC Mobile Masters Meet Up

When: 5pm to 8pm
Where: Topsy's Bar, 260 Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA 94104
How: Register here
Cost: FREE
More info: An evening of drinks, music and a whole lot of F2P before the Pocket Gamer Party kicks off just after! Presented by Gram Games, Mobile Free to Play, Deconstructor of Fun and Mobile Dev Memo.

  • Pocket Gamer Party @ GDC 2018 with Pixonic

When: 8pm to 11:30pm
Where: The Grand, 520 4th St, San Francisco, USA
How: Register here
Cost: FREE
More info: Join us in San Francisco during the awesome GDC week for another spectacular PG Party courtesy of our friends at Pixonic.

Tuesday, March 20th

  • The Jagex Big Night Out: GDC San Francisco

When: 7pm to 1am
Where: Swig, 561 Geary St, San Francisco, CA
How: Invitation only
Cost: FREE
More info: Lots of that there alcohol and much of that partying.

  • The Other Party

When: 8pm to midnight
Where: 715 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
How: Register here
Cost: FREE
More info: Party, drink, play indie games and listen to some beats from the in-house DJ, all presented by Game Jolt, DreamHack, Good Shepherd and Devolver Digital.

  • VFX Bootcamp After Party

When: 7pm to 10pm
Where: 360 Ritch St, San Francisco CA 94107
How: Just turn up!

Wednesday, March 21st

  • The Big Indie Pitch and Big Indie Drinks at GDC 2018

When: 3pm to 7pm
Where: Courtyard by Marriott, 299 2nd St, San Francisco, 94105
How: Register here
Cost: FREE
More info: Pitch games, spectate, network with indies. You can also stick around for the Big Indie networking drinks afterwards.

  • Game Developers Choice Awards

When: 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Where: GDC West Hall (Moscone Centre)
How: All GDC attendees invited to attend
Cost: GDC ticket required
More info: The Game Developers Choice Awards recognise and celebrate the creativity, artistry and technical genius of the finest developers and games created in the last year.

  • IGF Awards Ceremony

When: 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Where: GDC West Hall (Moscone Centre)
How: All GDC attendees invited to attend
Cost: GDC ticket required
More info: The IGF competition awards winners in eight categories during GDC. Join thousands of attendees to honor innovative and independently created video games from around the world with any GDC pass before the Game Developers Choice Awards.

  • UK industry drinks reception @ GDC 2018

When: 7pm
Where: B Restaurant and Bar San Francisco, 720 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
How: Invite only - Request an invitation here
Cost: FREE
More info: Network with the UK games industry over some drinks

  • Unity at GDC Party

When: 8pm onwards
Where: The Village | 969 Market St, San Francisco
How: Details here
Cost: FREE
More info: A party combined with a special announcement from Unity.

  • Vungle Party at GDC 2018

When: 9pm to midnight
Where: 620 Jones Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102
How: Register here
Cost: FREE
More info: A rooftop party with a live DJ and open bar that runs until 11pm

Thursday, March 22nd

  • Zynga Happy Hour - A Night at the Races

When: 5:30pm to 8pm
Where: Zynga HQ, 699 8th Street, San Francisco
How: Register here
Cost: FREE
More info: A cocktail mixer for GDC attendees and other industry guests at GDC’s HQ

  • 5th Latin American Gathering at GDC

When: 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Where: Local Edition, 691 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
How: Register here
Cost: $20
More info: The event that brings together the video game community of Latin America with the international industry at large.

  • Microsoft Mixed Reality Networking Reception

When: 6:30pm to 9:30pm
Where: 680 Folsom St, Suite 145, San Francisco, CA, 94107
How: Register here
Cost: FREE
More info: Networking, food, beer, wine and hands on demos with HoloLens and Microsoft’s other headsets.

  • Caffeine presents: MARIOKE @ GDC 2018

When: 7pm to 2am
Where: Public Works, 161 Erie Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
How: Register here
Cost: $20 (Also tickets available on the door)
More info: 500-ish karaoke songs rewritten with jokes about video games. What more could you ask for? Oh, and drinks.

Friday, March 23rd

  • GDC 2018 Japan Party Powered by Amazon

When: 5:30pm to 9pm
Where: Canton Seafood & Dim Sum Restaurant, 665 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94017
How: Register here
Cost: $45
More info: A chance to network with Japanese developers. Tickets include food and two drinks.

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Craig Chapple is a freelance analyst, consultant and writer with specialist knowledge of the games industry. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.