Monday, March 09, 2026

"It doesn't feel safe" - Many int'l game devs skip GDC in US

This week, tens of thousands of game developers and producers will once again gather in San Francisco, as they have since 1988, for the weeklong Game Developers Conference. But this year's show will be missing many international developers who say they no longer feel comfortable traveling to the United States to attend, no matter how relevant the show is to their work and careers.

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More from the article ...

... Dozens of those developers who spoke to Ars in recent months say they're wary of traveling to a country that has shown a callous disregard for -- or outright hostility toward"the safety of international travelers. That's especially true for developers from various minority groups, those with transgender identities, and those who feel they could be targeted for outspoken political beliefs.

"I honestly don't know anyone who is not from the US who is planning on going to the next GDC," Godot Foundation Executive Director Emilio Coppola, who's based in Spain, told Ars. "We never felt super safe, but now we are not willing to risk it." ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-09 12:15 PM

"It doesn't feel safe"

This is what I voted for.
--Boaz

#2 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-03-09 03:33 PM

#2 | Posted by snoofy

He'll blame SF for that.

#3 | Posted by morris at 2026-03-09 03:47 PM


He'll blame SF for that.
#3 | POSTED BY MORRIS

And he wouldn't be wrong.

#4 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-03-09 03:49 PM

This weekend ...

Violent stabbing attack in San Francisco's Chinatown captured on video
www.ktvu.com

#5 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-03-09 03:57 PM

The reddest part of red Florida:

Mother accused of stabbing 6-year-old daughter more than 20 times, killing her

#6 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-03-09 04:02 PM

"It doesn't feel safe" - Many int'l game devs skip GDC in US

Rene Nicole Good was murdered

#7 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-03-09 04:05 PM

"Violent stabbing attack in San Francisco"

I voted for that
~ Snoofy

#8 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-03-09 04:16 PM

Rene Nicole Good was murdered

I voted for that
~onepigironheadedsmoothbrainaut

#9 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-03-09 04:21 PM

Mother accused of stabbing 6-year-old daughter more than 20 times, killing her

I voted for that.
~onepigironheadedsmoothbrainaut

#10 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-03-09 04:22 PM

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