My perspective and expectations
I'm a self-taught Game Developer / Programmer with the intention of attending this conference to learn as much as possible about the industry from people who are actually in it, and to use this information to build on my portfolio and help align my career trajectory. In short, to learn lots and get a job! So, my experience at CGX Ottawa is going to be a little different than that of a presenter or your run of the mill gamer. It might also be important to mention this was my very first conference/convention of any kind.
 Hitting the expo floor earlyâŚ
When I arrived at the conference first thing Saturday morning I was ready to go. I had a Masterclass with Nathan Pringle on "A Beginner's guide to video game neural networks" which is a subject I've been very interested in diving into, but never really had the time or opportunity. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances and in no fault of CGX the class was canceled. I caught the tail end of Celia Hodent's talk entitled "Developing a UX mindset on Fortnite" which was really interesting and by the end I was ready to hit the expo floor. As a self-taught developer in a city that has an almost non-existent scene it wasn't hard to realize I was missing out on some of the benefits of being in a social environment with like-minded individuals. The entire 2 hours I spent in the expo I felt like I was in my element. I made some real connections with other game devs and it really primed me for the rest of the conference.
I was the most excited for this event, and the most nervous. Although I did make some meaningful connections I felt more like it was a means to learn what is required for entry into the industry of AAA games. It was great to get some of my work in front of industry professionals, receive some helpful and encouraging feedback on my portfolio, and I took away a list of things I need to work on as well as a couple things I need to change entirely.
You don't need to limit your entries to 3 games.
As a programmer it's best to submit games where you had you're hands on just about every aspect of the engine (audio implementation, animation, AI, etc).
Provide small (1-2 classes) high quality examples of your code.
Provide easily accessible video footage of your games.
 Most AAA companies are looking for people with Unreal Engine experience and strong C++ skills. I had the chance to speak to someone working with EA/Frostbite and was surprised to hear they have a similar visual scripting component in Frostbite for quick basic implementations and prototyping. So, it seems a pivot from Unity/C# to Unreal/C++ is in order for me.
As much as I loved all the information I was able to gather from this event I have to say it was not at all what I imagined. The reps had no sign at their table to indicate studio name/positions available which led people to believe anyone sitting at a table was a rep (not the case). This led to artists waiting for a chance to speak to a rep only hiring programmers and vice versa. The chaos of people scrambling to try to speak to an industry professional meant time wasted. It felt like we were sharks circling prey. I understand the difficulties of organizing events like this but it could have only been beneficial for both the reps and the attendees if something was put in place to identify the reps and positions, as well as something as simple as a ticket system to add order to the chaos.
Sherri Flemings hosted this Masterclass. As someone who has not been working in the industry in an official capacity this was invaluable to me. Look forward to a separate post on this in the future. :)
End of Day 1 at CGX and now it's time to head to the party. This is an excellent opportunity to chat with people I met throughout the day in a more casual setting. I really enjoyed learning more about what people are working on and meeting some new developers and streamers. There was a lot of business card trading.
 UI and Cognitive Science Masterclass
Celia Hodent hosted this Masterclass. It was crammed with really useful information on UX and how it relates to the human brain. Again, another post is coming to talk more about this one.
This was an interesting event to attend. I wanted to get an idea of what kind of programs were available for developers to assist with funding and what the requirements were. Kitfox games was also there giving advice on how to pitch your game to publishers which was really useful. If you live in Canada then the Canadian Media Fund has some experimental programs for assisting game companies that are currently developing a game with production costs and marketing costs. Very exciting stuff!
For me, the mentor lounge was very similar to the Connect CafĂŠ. I used it to learn as much as possible about the AAA industry and what I needed to do to get into the industry. Again, this is from the perspective of a self-taught developer so I can't say what kind of courses you should take or what university you should attend but the portfolio information I mentioned earlier is really the key to getting into any studio.
This was a little more organized than the Connect CafĂŠ but the setup was a little misleading. Before the conference started I was provided with a registration form for the mentor lounge. It was designed to provide them with the information needed to pair me up with mentors who would best suit me as a programmer/developer. However, when I arrived it was the same format as Connect CafĂŠ. Just walk in and sit somewhere and talk to someone. Thankfully they had signs this time so that helped. There was supposed to be a time limit enforced to ensure everyone had a chance to speak to as many people as possible but that was pretty hit or miss. Again, I feel like I gathered so much information at this event, but I know it would have been more beneficial if it was more organized.
After leaving the Mentor Lounge I grabbed a bite and retired to my room. I poured the business cards out of my bag and made sure I connected with people on at least one social media network. I met a lot of great people with great ideas and games and I plan on staying in touch with all of them! :D
 What I wish I had time forâŚ
First, the expo. Talking to developers who are excited about their game is⌠exciting!! Talking shop isn't something that I get to do much so getting to talk to people in person like that was just an amazing experience. I left CGX feeling physically exhausted but mentally refreshed and re-energized. It was fantastic, so I wish I could have played more games and spoke with more developers.
 Second⌠so many awesome talks (In no particular order).
Cuphead - The Creative Process and 2D animation - Tina Nawrocki
Creative Direction for Small Teams - Tanya X. Short
Concept Design, World Building for triple A - Abe Taraky
Level Design: Getting Started - Travis The Evolution of Warframe: 5 years of Continuous Iteration - Jim Leedham
How to leverage government funding programs - Mark Allice
Who do you know? - Mike Mood & Jon Keon
I'll be posting full writeups on the master classes I attended as soon as possible. I'd like to thank everybody at the Mood Foundation who put this conference together and I'm VERY much looking forward to the next one. I hope any nobody takes offense to the criticisms I included in this post and know I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to attend. Anyone who's interested in game development, go to these. They are awesome!!