GDC 2026 Special (Part 2)

The episode is a conversational recap of the hosts' second half of GDC 2026. Dale starts by describing sessions from Monday and Tuesday, including 'Weaponize Play' about online safety extremism and a voice acting table read with Jennifer Hale and Ben Starr. Mark talks about Wednesday sessions like 'Decolonizing Play' on African game development and 'Silent Hill F' on melee-only horror design. Lydia discusses a sponsored talk on affordable market research that revealed developers often misjudge what players want. The hosts collectively critique the smaller GDC festival hall, noting missing major companies like Unity and Unreal and disorganized layouts. They share personal networking stories, like Mark reconnecting with his first producer and getting a tattoo inspired by her. The episode covers the Independent Games Festival awards, where Mark's game was nominated four times but lost all categories. Thursday narratives include talks on narrative design friction and a game developed for type 1 diabetes management. Throughout, the hosts reflect on the balance between attending talks, networking, and the exhausting yet valuable social aspects of GDC.

As heard by us

A snowy GDC wrap that turns feedback and oddball inspiration into practical game-dev talk.

Nice Games Club closes its 2026 GDC special from snowed-in Minneapolis with a conversation about feedback, inspiration, and the scramble to get home as winter storm warnings hit the Midwest.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get a snowy GDC debrief that still cares about useful feedback.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify