Training Leaders in Games Development and Design

A collaboration led by the University of York is to receive funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to train the next generation of researchers, designers, developers and entrepreneurs of digital games.

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence (IGGI) is a collaboration between the Universities of York and Essex, Goldsmiths College, University of London and 60 representatives from the world-leading UK games industry, networks and user groups.

IGGI postgraduate students will harness the potential of digital games to capture information about human behaviour on an unprecedented scale, providing powerful new scientific tools. They will investigate new research questions arising from the massive growth of digital games, in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and interactivity, as well as creating more fun and profitable games, delivering an internationally distinctive and research-aware UK games industry.

IGGI is one of over 70 new Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs), designed to train tomorrow’s engineers and scientists, announced by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts today. Total investment across the UK will be £350m.

Peter Cowling, Professor of Computer Science, York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis (YCCSA) at the University of York, leads the consortium. He said: “IGGI will revolutionise the link between research and industry in a vibrant but currently disjointed field, building on mutually productive research and recruitment links through direct engagement between PhD students and the UK games industry.

“IGGI will deliver a four year PhD programme which combines training in practical skills and cutting-edge research topics in big data analytics, software engineering, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, graphics, sound and game design. Students will experience the potential of digital games to capture information about human behaviour and preference on a previously impossible scale, providing powerful new tools for experimental computer science, economics, biology, psychology, sociology and art.”

IGGI has a total budget of £12.5m, which includes investment from the universities involved, partner organisations such as games companies, network organisations and user organisations, and the EPSRC funding announced today. The centre involves a pool of 82 academic supervisors who will train 55 PhD students in five yearly cohorts of 11 per year.

Science Minister David Willetts said: “Scientists and engineers are vital to our economy and society. It is their talent and imagination, as well as their knowledge and skills, that inspire innovation and drive growth across a range of sectors, from manufacturing to financial services.

 “I am particularly pleased to see strong partnerships between universities, industry and business among the new centres announced today. This type of collaboration is a key element of our industrial strategy and will continue to keep us at the forefront of the global science race.”