GDC is coming. And we all love GDC. The sessions, the people, the talks… the parties. Ah, the parties. The crossroads and inns where bands of merry adventurers converge to engage in the real conversations. Where we can relax, meet new people, get some good hang time with our old pals, and even discuss elite new techniques with folks from faraway lands.

That is until…

"What? Wait…what?  I CAN’T HEEEEEAR YOUUUUU!"

The after-party crits you for 120 decibels of ear damage! You also suffer a lost voice debuff!

You just spent half of your gold to get to San Francisco, the shining city where a 3x multiplier has been applied to the cost of all drinks. You spent the other half of your gold on a GDC pass (or a LOT of time spent grinding to put a talk together, or a LOT of time slaying feral latecomers as a CA volunteer).

You’ve fantasized of spending your days immersed in talks and conversations, and spending your evenings regaling friends new and old with tales of your journeys… all to have your hopes and dreams shattered by DJ Archdemon wielding The Unholy Axe of Bass Thumpening, smiting you for six hours straight!

But wait, you scream to yourself, this is why you went to GDC! But you can’t HEAR ANYTHING AT THIS PARTY. We are even playing games together at this party (YES, YOU VENUS PATROL), and I can’t hear what the other players are telling me. THE A BUTTON DOES WHAT? THE ROBOT ON DONUTS? SKIPPER DONGLE HULA WEASEL SNORP? WHAAAAT?!?!?

And that’s just Sunday night! By the time Wednesday arrives, with the main conference, the expo floor opening… Your lost voice debuff is in full effect from shouting at bars and parties! And everyone thinks that you have the dreaded GDC PLAGUE! Now other adventurers dare not summon you to their get together!

By Friday, everyone avoids you like the hoarse-voiced and life-drained leper that you have become. You can’t talk. You can barely hear. And you’re constantly weeping bitterly over your squandered fortune. Everyone will remember you as the sickly noob that made everyone shout into your earhorn.

Let’s also consider some facts about this sad scenario…

Noise Inducted hearing loss is a real and permanent condition that can result from prolonged exposure to loud noise, or even a one-time event (gunshot, explosion, bass drop from the PA woofer, etc.).

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) states that an estimated 1.1 billion young people may be at risk for hearing loss caused by unsafe listening practices. One out of every 20 young people now suffers from hearing loss, largely due to poor listening practices and earbuds cranked to full volume.

Various annual GDC parties are easily measured at 95-120 decibels. That would be like standing next to a chainsaw or an airplane for a few hours. Or having your head impossibly close to a really long train. Or working on a car engine, with your head under the hood, while the engine is running, all day long. Seriously!

Many of the GDC participants rely on the ears and their voices for their careers. The dangers of loud environments affect their ability to work. If you were an artist, you wouldn’t want to be subjected to direct sunlight in your eyeballs for 4-6 hours a night, would you?! 

We are asking that the organizers of the parties at GDC this year (not the GDC organizers), please consider the volume levels of their public address system (PA) and the music that they’re playing. Any smartphone can measure the decibel levels with a free app, and we would suggest that music not exceed 85 decibels. Attendees can still dance and rock out at 85 decibels.

There is absolutely NO REASON to go beyond 85 decibels for your party music.

Extreme loudness does not make your party better! 

Extreme loudness does not make you cooler! 

Extreme loudness is only highly annoying!

At the end of the day, we’re gathering together to enjoy the company of our fellow adventurers, to entertain each other with tales of our exploits, to wax poetic as bards of this industry. We hope that you’ll consider our pleas to provide a fun after-hours environment for us to enjoy without our ears bleeding.

SIDE QUEST: If you are attending a party this year at GDC where you are experiencing extreme loudness, please do not be shy about explaining to the party hosts, or the DJ that you are there to talk with people, and that you don't wish to experience early hearing loss! If they hear it from just a few people they will TURN IT DOWN!

Thank you.