Veteran programmer Michael Abrash currently serves as Chief Scientist at Oculus VR, but he didn't always work on virtual reality; from Valve to Microsoft to id to Rad Game Tools, Abrash's long career has spanned multiple corners of both the video game and computer graphics industry.

At GDC 2000, Abrash took the stage after a two-year sabbatical from games with a new appreciation for the beauty of game programming and new perspectives on some key areas.

He delivered a thoughtful talk on what he'd learned over nearly two decades of performance-oriented game and graphics programming, and how that time away from the field helped him understand what makes games programming such an exciting and idiosyncratic field. 

The recording of his talk has been digitally preserved for posterity, and now you can watch it for yourself right here for free on the GDC Vault.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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