http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/gdc-and-dice-may-go-inviteonly/0/19512/?biz=
After E3 was massively scaled back it became an invite-only show for press. The same may be happening to both GDC and D.I.C.E., the respective show organizers revealed.
Posted by James Brightman on Thursday, February 28, 2008
According to a report in Kotaku, two of the industry's best trade shows could become invite-only events for the press, similar to what happened to E3 when show organizers abandoned the old, huge scale of the expo.
"We don't have it nailed down, but we are looking at moving to an invite model for press access at GDC," said the show's executive director Jamil Moledina. "It's meant to be a networking event for people who make games, but more and more we are seeing a lot of individuals who are obtaining press credentials who aren't full-time press. It's kind of open to being spoofed, in a way."
Moledina noted that keeping GDC's scale in check and making sure the show remains focused on learning are key priorities. "I am concerned that if we don't focus on what makes GDC work we will face some complications down the road," he said.
Similarly, the D.I.C.E. Summit is looking to cut down on press attendance as well. "The academy's role, first and foremost, is to make sure the academy members are comfortable and that the role of the media is to be there to watch and not participate," said Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Changes were already in effect this year, as GameDaily BIZ was notified during registration that we could only send a limited number of editors from our outlet (we sent one – the author of this story).
Olin said that last year's D.I.C.E. got a bit too journalist heavy and that some were too eagerly going after interviews, which was somewhat distracting to the developers who were there to focus on the show. "The opportunity to be among so many high-profile signature members of the game-making community is that it creates this opportunity to be, 'There's so and so, I need to go talk to him'," Olin said. "Some of our high profile members said they felt uncomfortable."
"We will be reviewing our policies for 2009," he added. "I'm going to get a lot of feedback from our attendees and (journalists)."
