"It doesn't feel safe"–Many international game developers plan to skip GDC in US

There’s an opportunity for someone to set up a GGDC (Global Game Dev Conference).

Canada or somewhere in Europe would be very appealing.

Yeah, definitely not taking the risk with personal travel at all - especially travelling with young children. Sorry but Disneyland will have to wait until the next election.

Work would have to promise to pay me even if a hired goon locked me up for a few months before I’d consider a business trip.

It might be a good time to move PyCon US to Canada again.

I live in America, and even I want to skip America.

Safety shouldn't be a feeling. But that's not my point.

Some years ago when I was still somewhat "woke"-aligned and I had the opportunity to travel to the US for a conference and a few days around that for work and leasure. I almost didn't do it because I thought I'd rather not visit the US while Trump was in office (lol) or that Texas of all places wouldn't be the best choice to get a first impression of the US. I was full on "muh EU is the future", you know. I was stupid and naive.

I'm glad a colleague from my team talked me out of this nonsensical stance and so I booked my flight, did my ESTA, went through some post 9/11 security theatre thanks to SSSS being printed on my ticket.

I would've regretted it so much if I hadn't gone. Everyone, from cops to homeless people to supermarket workers to baristas, as well as restaurant staff, event folks, tech people - well, basically everyone was just the full package of a friendly and kind human being. Even some open carry dudes where ready for a nice chat when you stared at their gun. All had perfectly reasonable explanations for why their had one.

You can heal from Trump Derangement Syndrome and 99% of what's said of the US probably won't affect you even the slightest once you're there.

Same here. I'm not in the gaming industry but I'll refuse going to the US for work these days. Not that that happens a lot because I work for an EU company, but we do have a sizeable US presence. But just no, I'm not willing to travel there anymore.

I'm very 'woke' by US and even European standards so I just wouldn't feel safe there. I don't expect any problems with my employer even if I'd be asked to go and refuse.