This year was anecdotally one of the best Develop Conferences yet. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the increase in non-corporate, fringe events. Maybe it was the free ice cream. Or maybe my judgement was clouded by the sun-drenched rooftop balcony at our Air BnB. Who can say? But for the first time since I started attending, it was the kind of event that I might have considered inviting a non-developer to. 

Hanger 13 Ice Cream Van

Hanger 13 Ice Cream Van

For years now, the UK's brightest and best developers have gathered in Brighton for an annual conference, which consists of talks and 'business' meetings during the day and shmoozing and boozing in the evenings. It's a key date in the game development calendar and it has always been fairly formulaic. But something has started to change over the past few years. The rise of the indie scene has compelled the organisers to cater for a broader section of the game development community; namely those who are unable to afford the exorbitant conference pass fees and don't move in AAA studio circles, but who might just be the next global indie success story. Cheaper tickets and more fringe events have begun to change the focus and makeup of this conference, to the point where there is almost an anti-conference taking place alongside the main event.

This year felt like the first year that a sizeable number of people were there simply to recharge, to catch up with existing friends and to make new ones. There were more informal meetups, whether that be Breakfast Swim, Ice Cream Social, Marioke (yes, it's exactly what you'd hope it would be https://www.singmarioke.com/) or Simon Barratt's Birthday Party (which is a fundraiser for Special Effect https://www.specialeffect.org.uk/). It felt like more of a playful, social event than a networking event.

Don't get me wrong, there were still deals being done and suits being worn, but there were also conversations about unionisation, about wellbeing and about how to put on more inclusive fringe events as well. In past years, it felt like much of the focus was on what is wrong with the industry; this year it felt like more of a celebration of what is right with it.