game education in UTRECHT (NL)

1. game education in UTRECHT (NL) Jeroen van Mastrigt / Marinka Copier

5. Utrecht University • Utrecht School of the Arts • Cooperation

6. UTRECHT UNIVERSITY Marinka Copier Teacher/ Researcher

7. Game Education Department of Information and Computing Sciences Center for Geometry, Imaging and Virtual Environments Ma Game and Media Technology Department of Arts Institute for Media and Re/Presentation Ba minor New Media and Digital Culture Ma New Media and Digital Culture

8. OVERVIEW

9. Department of Arts Utrecht University is firmly founded on tradition, this year the University celebrates its 370th anniversary. The Department of Arts is one of the largest faculties of Utrecht University. The study of... Language, Culture, Art, History Institute for Media and Re/Presentation Theatre, Film, Television, New Media...Games.

10. Facts and Figures Department of Arts Staff 350 Students 4.500 International Students 250 New Media and Digital Culture (start: 2000) Staff 2-15 Students minor 50-250 master 80 (start: 2003)

12. Program Themes New Media and Digital Culture Ba/Ma State of the Art debate Media Specificity and Interrelation between Media Communication and Technology Popular Culture Identity and Participation

13. Ba Game Culture Field: Culture, Players, Games Game research as a network Game research methodology

15. Ma New Media Digital Culture 1 Year 4 Courses Research Environment Internship and Research Master-thesis

16. Courses: “games are everywhere” The Spaces of (New) Media: Spatiality in Digital Audiovisual Cultures Get Real! The Making and Meaning of Computer Generated Imagery The Wireless Future: on the Cultural Impact of Mobile Telecommunication Technobodies in Cyberspace State of the Art: Game Studies Virtual Worlds: Role-Play in and around Virtual Worlds

17. Ma Role-Play in and around Virtual Worlds Virtual Worlds MMORPGs Mediated Cultural Environment Fantasy Game Culture Role-play and Identity Construction

18. Ma Role-Play in and around Virtual Worlds Research Project Literature research Mixed Methodology (quantitative and qualitative, research ethics) Blogging (group and individual) Paper Alternative presentation of research material

20. STRONG

21. Theme oriented education instead of object oriented The study of games and gameculture in a broader context, play becoming a perspective in working on other themes Working in a research environment, closely connected to actual research Cooperation with other disciplines and educational programs (Informatics, School of the Arts) Cooperation with game industry and game artists (guest lectures and internships) Multidisciplinary: teachers all from other disciplines Usage of various methodologies Reflection on game research and methodology

22. WEAK

23. Students think a good gamer automatically makes a good game researcher Students often turn to analyzing games as they would have analyzed literature or film Working from the perspective of a (new) media-institute Colonization: games are more than a medium Setting up interdisciplinary instead of multidisciplinary connections is in practice a very slow and though process

24. UTRECHT SCHOOL OF THE ARTS Jeroen van Mastrigt / Professor / Dean Utrecht School of Art & Technology

25. HKU: Utrecht School of The Arts • One of the largest educational institutions in the field of art in Europe • 3000 +, Staff 800 + • Dept Fine Art • Dept Music • Dept Theatre • Dept Art & Economics • Dept of Art, Media & Technology

26. DEPT. OF ART, MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY - Since 1989 contraction of all activities at the time which combined art, media and technology • Department has therefore no prior or limited history in ‘traditions’ • Dedicated BA/MA in a.o. Audiovisual Media, Digital Video Design, Image & Media Technology, Animation, 3D Animation & Special Effects, Interaction Design, Composition, Music Production, Sound design, Audio design and Game Design & Development • 1000 + students, 150 + staff

27. GDD@HKU

28. GAME DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT • Since 2002 (First graduates in September 2006) • 100+ Students • Dedicated BA (bat) in Game Design • Major: Game Design • Minor: Game Art & Animation • Minor: Game Development • Minor: Level Design • Dedicated MA (ma) in Game Design

29. EMPHASIS • Game Design as an unique discipline • Game Design as dynamic systems design • Game Design as an interdisciplinary field • Design, art, animation, technology, audio, music, sociology, psychology etc. • Games are more then entertainment • Multiplatform, multigenre, multipurpose, innovation driven

30. STRONG

32. STRONG POINTS • Emphasis on a good understanding of what games actually are • A very broad view on what games can be • Not ‘invading’ games from an existing discipline • Game designers, artists, engineers together in one program • Working together with other disciplines

33. STRONG POINTS • Combining theory and practice • Department: professionals from the industry, combined with academics, artists • Working on real projects

34. WEAK

36. WEAK POINTS • Newbie game design students think that being a good game player also means you’re a good designer • Students tend to mix up ‘content’ and ‘structure’ • Students are distracted by the ‘bright lights’ of the game industry • A lot of differences in the level of students on certain subjects (because of the multidisciplinary emphasis)

38. WEAK POINTS • Dutch game industry is just beginning to occur • People from the game industry don’t understand the essence of game-education • People from the game industry define games narrowly, put emphasis on ‘content’ • Students that are kidnapped by the industry

39. Interdisciplinarycooperation

40. COOPERATION • UPGEAR: education • DIGIDARC: IGDA student game developers club • AGS: research • New Faculty / Department at the Utrecht University in which the cooperation between design and research (HKU & UU) will take place: Strong Emphasis on games.

41. CHALLENGE

44. URLS • www.hku.nl/games/ • www.hku.nl/gdd/ • www.let.uu.nl/ • www.newmediastudies.nl • www.upgear.nl • www.gameresearch.nl • marinka.copier@let.uu.nl • jeroen.vanmastrigt@kmt.hku.nl