The founder of GDC describes the event as "quickly turning into a dinosaur"

Chris Crawford, the visionary behind the Game Developers Conference (GDC), has expressed his concern over the "enormous expenses" associated with hosting the event. He believes these costs position GDC as a "dinosaur" compared to the minimal expenses of online interactions.

GDC was established by Crawford in 1988, initially taking place at his home in California. His career includes time at Atari during the 1980s and creating the influential Cold War game Balance of Power.

Crawford eventually distanced himself from the conference in the 1990s due to disagreements with other board members about its future.

This week, GDC has revamped its identity to become the GDC Festival of Gaming. However, The Guardian highlighted that this change might not be enough to preserve America's renowned gaming convention. Games editor Keza MacDonald criticized the event as being "excessively costly," observing that many global game developers are hesitant to travel to the US.

In response to inquiries from GamesIndustry.biz, Crawford admitted that although he might not have "valuable insights into GDC's future," due to his long absence from the industry, he shared some thoughts:

"Significant changes have reduced the importance of GDC. Initially, there were few avenues for developers to exchange ideas, which is why I started it. Now, multiple platforms exist for this purpose. Discussions on game design are abundant across social networks, and interactive video allows for global collaboration.

Considering the significant time and financial commitment of attending events like GDC compared to the negligible costs of online interactions, it seems GDC is quickly becoming outdated."

GamesIndustry.biz is awaiting a response from GDC for further comments and will update accordingly.