Today our GDC meetings and events start in earnest, but yesterday I had plenty of time to wander around and get the lay of the land, including a walk around the official GDC store, located in a small area off to the side of the second floor of the convention center.

Conference stores like this one not only provide valuable items like books, hats, and t-shirts to the conference going public, but they also serve as a way to prove to your loved ones that you actually went to a conference and didn't simply hang out in San Francisco for a week getting drunk. Hit the jump for more on what's in store at the...store.

Since early man first stood upright and wanted to make sure everyone knew he was there for it, the t-shirt has been the ultimate way of documenting your presence at a major event. At the GDC store you can get anything from babydoll tees for your girlfriend ($15) to baby jumpers for your actually baby ($16). They even sell some more expensive items, like the swanky GDC soft shell jacket, which goes for $75. Unfortunately they were already out of my size (2X), but the nice lady handling the clothing area had one ordered special for me, to arrive by Friday.

Then of course you have hats, bags, pads of paper and pens, and that sort of stuff. Far more interesting is the book store, where you can get all sorts of books that you'd generally never find in a bookstore. From books that teach you how to create with Maya to extensive studies of gender in the video game industry to arts books featuring some of the most iconic characters in the industry, there is no shortage of viable bathroom reading. If you hurry you can still pick up a copy of Flash Game Programming for Dummies, which I can't imagine anyone at this conference purchasing without wearing some sort of elaborate disguise.

The store also carries a nice selection of instructional DVDs that no one outside of a game development aficionado has any hope of understanding, plus a selection of hard to find video game soundtracks, including the much sought after Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus soundtrack.

My total for the store so far is $106.95. $75 for the potential of owning a jacket, $15 for a shirt for the girlfriend, and $16.95 for the Myst soundtrack I picked up for my mother, who is the closest thing you're likely to find to a Myst fangirl. I'll probably pick up a few books before I head home on Saturday, including Lucky Wander Boy, which has been in my Amazon cart going on a year now.

Just thought I would give you folks a little peek at what game developers and bored reporters spend their money on at the Game Developers Conference when we aren't busy eating, rubbing elbows, attending meetings, or hiking our sorry butts all over San Francisco in search of appointments that may or may not actually exist. Michael Fahey