Joey and I left Adelaide to attend GCAP and PAXAus in Melbourne last week. They were conveniently in the same building with only one day in between. We were able to do this because Formula C was chosen for the GCAP Student Showcase, which allowed us to show our game and came with one free ticket to the conference.
GCAP (Game Connect Asia Pacific)

All the winners of the student showcase were setup in a line with computers provided, but of course it started with difficulties. The organisers said they would print a poster for us but unfortunately they hadn’t been able to do so. Also, the provided computer hardware (Alienware Alpha) didn’t support the Oculus Rift DK2, and strangely it wouldn’t even run Formula C. We still haven’t been able to determine what caused that, but it hasn’t been a problem on any other computer. Fortunately Keirron Stach was willing to lend his gaming laptop to us, which allowed us to demonstrate the game (although still not in VR).
The organisers (especially Liam Esler) were very helpful in trying to make sure we were all sorted and everything else went smoothly after those initial difficulties. We manned the booth in the breaks and were still able to attend a number of talks. That meant we could talk to people while they played our game, and we didn’t need to miss out on the great presentations going on (although they did run a few at a time so we couldn’t see them all).
GCAP ran for two days and we had a meeting with people from Surprise Attack at the end of the first day, to discuss marketing. They seemed quite negative, which was disappointing, but they did give us a couple of useful tips. We also got to talk to a number of other people around the conference and the people who played our game. Generally, they gave us much more positive feedback and advice. There are too many people to mention, but all that advice has given us a stronger sense of direction for Formula C and more confidence in what we are doing.
This event has been a great opportunity to meet other developers. We haven’t really participated much in the Adelaide game development community yet, and it’s not a very big one compared to other cities around Australia, so being exposed to the largest gathering of Australian developers was a bit of a surprise. We got to see just how many people there are in this industry and how positive and welcoming they all seem to be. We were also able to establish some connections which we hope will grow and enable us to be an active part of the Australian game development community.
The catering was really good, with great food during the conference, an open bar near-by on the first night plus another open bar for an award ceremony on the second. Joey was attending the conference on a student ticket which didn’t grant access to the award ceremony, but thankfully they were kind enough to let him in anyway. Those nights just added to the atmosphere of a vibrant and welcoming community, which we are proud to be part of.
PAXAus (Penny Arcade Expo Australia)
We only attended the first day at PAX because the middle day was already sold out by the time we knew we were going to GCAP. However, we didn’t feel like we needed more than one day. PAX was a big game convention with a lot going on but the highlight for me was being able to check out a huge number of indie games and meet the developers, as well as catching up with some that we met at GCAP.
As developers, PAX didn’t really compare to being able to show our game at GCAP but it was still fun to attend as gamers. It was also a useful experience to know how it works for next year, when we plan to show our game at PAX.
Summary
The entire trip was very informative and enjoyable. We learned some invaluable lessons, such as how to manage social media, what to research when using VR in your game, the importance of community events and perhaps most importantly, how to prepare for next year!
Finally we would like to thank everyone involved: The organisers of GCAP, for running the event and providing this opportunity, all the speakers at GCAP for their time and information and the people who took the time to play our game. We hope to see most of you again next year!