Game conference is not a new event at all. Perhaps they are one of the most visited in the world. So, DreamHack or E3 collects hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

Below we present a list of the best conferences to be held in 2020. Regardless of your choice, you will receive a lot of emotions and useful information. Well, if you are developing the industry as a developer, then you need to attend as many such events as possible.

Why gaming conferences are so popular

Virtual games are not just a way of entertainment, but another industry that improves our world. First, many animated effects for marketing are often borrowed from games. Secondly, there are the most creative ideas. Thirdly, this is another platform for finding and solving code writing problems.

All these things are discussed at annual conferences. In addition, hundreds of tournaments are organized at most congresses. They help to highlight industry flaws and encourage developers to upgrade.

PAX

Site: PAX

Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Date: 20-22 November, 2020; 9-11 October, 2020

Cost: registration is closed, so prices are still unknown

Penny Arcade Expo is an annual conference series that brings together thousands of participants around the world. In 2020, a conference was already held in San Antonio and Boston. Today's next event is PAX AUS, which will be held in Australia, followed by PAX Unplugged.

But you should follow the updates of this conference, as PAX Dev is also in this series. The last time it was held in August 2019, so new information may appear soon.

This is one of the largest series of conferences for gamers: each event gathers up to 70,000 participants and visitors. Here you can find out all the details about upcoming innovations in the entertainment industry, as well as try yourself in the development.

Key topics:

• a career in the gaming industry and the disappointment of your parents;
• advantages of family gaming;
• gamification of the workplace;
• educational games.

We want to draw your attention to the fact that these topics were discussed at the last three conferences and many participants had something to add. Because it is highly likely that PAX Unplugged and PAX AUS will help reveal the remaining details.

The list of speakers, as well as the schedule, is still unknown. To fuel interest, let's say that at PAX East, which was held in Boston, there were speakers such as John Baze (co-founder of Behemoth), Chandana Ekanayake (creative director of Outerlopp Games) and Beka Soltsman (co-founder and CEO, Finji).

Comic Con International

Site: Comic Con

Place: San Diego, California, USA

Date: 22-26 July, 2020

Cost: free

Comic Con is another popular conference series. Over 20 events are held annually around the world. Comic Con appeared in the distant 70s, so today people are looking for information about the upcoming conference or exhibition a year in advance.

The key event of the entire series is Comic Con International, which is held in San Diego and gathers the most companies, start-ups and regular participants. It is here that the biggest achievements of the past year are discussed, and also the largest number of new products are demonstrated.

The Comic Con International 2020 program has not yet been announced, since several people take part in each performance at once. And despite the fact that Comic Con pays more attention to comics and films, game lovers should not miss this event. In addition, the conference will be useful to game designers, as here you can get unusual ideas for new games.

E3

Site: E3

Place: Los Angeles, California, USA

Date: 9-11 June

Cost: $165 (for gamers; exhibition only), $990 (full access), free for anyone who develops the gaming industry (you must pass the appropriate registration)

E3 is more a summit than a conference, because there are no speeches as such. The E3 format provides for a huge exhibition, as well as networking on various topics with the participation of CEOs of world leaders in the gaming industry. Today, no game developer or designer allows himself to miss this event. After all, it is here that new games are born, the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches are analyzed and the wishes of users are evaluated.

Since the E3 format does not provide for performances from the stage, there are no specific topics here. It all depends on the area you visit. Anyway, here you can always meet thousands of developers and even CEOs of the best companies.

Dream Hack

Site: Dream Hack

Place: more than 10 cities, choose on the site

Date: all year round (the nearest event is May 8-10, 2020 in Tours, France)

Cost: depending on the place (the cheapest passes are $ 50, the most expensive are 500)

If you are fond of video games, you have definitely heard of DreamHack. It all started with a modest gathering of several players in Sweden, and today has grown into the largest LAN event. Every month, DreamHack is held in different cities. In 2020, the list included Leipzig, Anaheim, Dallas (Texas), Rotterdam, Valencia, Montreal, Seville and others.

Like E3, DreamHack is not aimed at performances and even a question-and-answer format. The key idea of the event is holding tournaments for various games. However, DreamHack will also be useful to developers and company executives. It is here that you can chat live with those who study different games to the details and keep in mind a lot of ideas for improving them.

VFX Fest

Site: VFX Fest

Place: London, Great Britain

Date: 16-18 March, 2020

Cost: £15-45

VFX is a festival for all game and game animation developers. This conference is attended by hundreds of leaders, it gathers large brands of the market. Thanks to VFX, many developers and architects are expanding their skills, allowing them to bring a new user experience.

The event is divided into VFX Edu and VFX Emerging Talent. The first part is devoted to the basic skills of game development and is more suitable for Junior specialists who want to connect their lives with the gaming industry. The second is more suitable for senior specialists and project managers, since it examines the individual elements of each development phase.

Also there is VFX Afterhours - a kind of party where you can chat with colleagues on unrelated topics.

Key topics:

• problems of developing game animation;
• basic programs for creating animations;
• key stages of creating games.

VFX Fest is aimed at training developers, so there will be many specialists among the speakers, such as: Phil Stewart (Head of Real Time in Blue-zoo), Josh Parks (Senior Compositor in MPC Advertising) and Valentin Kozin (Lead Technical Artist in Rare).

GamesCom

Site: Gamescom

Place: Cologne, Germany

Date: 25-29 August, 2020

Cost: tickets will be available at the end of April (the price will be known at the start of sales)

GamesCom is one of the largest exhibitions in the world, which collects more than 300 thousand visitors, up to 10 thousand journalists and almost 1000 exhibition places. Developers, cybersportsmen and simple enthusiasts attend this event to share and discuss the latest trends and the future of the gaming industry.

The GamesCom format does not provide educational panels, so there will not be a clear list of topics and speakers. Despite this, nothing prevents you from approaching any exhibition site and getting to know its team. They will reveal to you all the intricacies of modern game development.

Gamesbeatsummit

Site: Gamebeatsummit

Place: Los Angeles, California, USA

Date: 28-29 April, 2020

Cost: $230-1390

The Venture Beat hosts the Gamesbeatsummit every year and is constantly gathering more and more participants. This summit brings together the leaders and heads of the entire gaming industry in one place. The main theme of the 2020 congress is Dawn of the New Generation. The goal is to talk about how companies are moving to more modern technologies and business models.

Key topics:

• investing in gaming industry;
• the effect of globalization in the industry;
• monetization of any game;
• game design;
• game psychology;
• AI, AR, VR conferences;
• implementation of the blockchain in the gaming industry conferences.

Gamesbeatsummit 2020 is 3 scenes, 2 days and 100 speakers, including: Kelly Santiago (Head of Developer Relations in Niantic Inc), Josh Igado (co-founder and president of Jam City), Marie Takahashi (co-founder of Smosh Games), Brent Bushnell (CEO at Two Bit Circus) and others.

Develop: Brighton

Site: Develop:Brighton

Place: Brighton, Great Britain

Date: 14-16 July, 2020

Cost: £100-940

Develop: Brighton conference since 2006 unites the European community of game developers. Here you can meet companies of any level: from global stars to micro-indie. That is why Develop: Brighton is a chance to learn from colleagues at any stage, share your own experience, learn about industry news and the most effective development tools.

Key topics:

• design and animation;
• code writing;
• creation of mobile applications;
• establishing partnerships in the development.

A more detailed program and a list of speakers for 2020 are not yet available. But the conference is not held for the first year, so the scales can be judged by previous years. So, in 2019, among the speakers were Jack Gilson (art director of Rovio), Lian Lombe (head of the Riot Games research laboratory) and Jan Griffiths (f2p developer at Hutch),

Nordic Game

Site: NordicGame

Place: Malmo, Sweden

Date: 27-29 May, 2020

Cost: €60-700

One of the largest conferences in Europe - Nordic Game - will once again delight visitors with interesting matches. This event is for professionals in the gaming industry, which gathers hundreds of speakers and thousands of visitors. During the summit, the latest gaming topics are discussed and new ideas are put forward to improve the industry.

Key topics:

• development of games based on real events;
• improving the quality of animation;
• VR and AR games as the future of the industry.

Want to hear the best in gaming? Then Nordic Game can be a great event for you. In 2020, you can hear Emmy Dallas (CEO and co-founder of ClutchPlay Games), Chris Pietrowski (creative director and co-founder of CAPY), Thomas Lindgren (CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Wanderwood), Jason Della Rocca (co-founder of Execution Labs) and many others.

Not included in the list

Finally, I want to add a few words about the Game Developers Conference, Unite by Unity and the Oculus Conference. These three events are considered one of the best in the world, but the dates for their holding in 2020 have not yet been announced.

GDC organizers were preparing a conference at the end of March, but recently reported a summer reschedule (without a specific date). Unite and Oculus conferences were held in the fall, so at the moment the organizers are preparing new summits.

Therefore. Stay tuned for these three conferences and try not to miss them.

Best Gaming Events 2020 key takeaways:

#1. Why gaming conferences are so popular
#2. PAX
#3. Comic Con International
#4. E3
#5. Dream Hack
#6. VFX Fest
#7. GamesCom
#8. Gamesbeatsummit
#9. Develop: Brighton
#10. Nordic Game
#11. Not included in the list