Games Research and Education (M.Sc. and Ph.D.)

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Welcome to the Institute of Digital Games, the research and education centre at the University of Malta, focusing on game design, game analysis, and game technology!

Our work is at the forefront of innovative games research. We explore games and play, uncovering new playful and generative possibilities in game design and technology. We delve into everything games can teach us about ourselves.

Our multidisciplinary academic team spans computer science, literature, game design, philosophy, media studies, and social sciences.

Click here to read our annual report for the year 2022/2023.

David developed an innovative model for understanding board game involvement for his thesis.

It is an environment roaring with ideas, thoughts, games, prototypes, concepts. It was a period when I felt constantly inspired.

Rebecca is researching narrative in games. As part of her thesis, she developed a choice-driven video game.

Practice in the form of game project assignments and a supportive teaching staff really boost your confidence as a game designer!

The Institute feels like a little community that you're part of.

William's research explored the procedural generation of multi-floor levels for first-person shooters.

Being involved in the research process, I realised how passionate everyone at IDG is about their research.

David C.
Graduated in 2015
Rebecca P.
Graduated in 2017
William C.
Graduated in 2015

Blog What we have been up to lately

Wrap-up of 2016 games: Bard

December 18, 2016

During the 2015-2016 academic year, IDG student Sven Kniestedt developed a video game titled "Bard" for the purposes of the Prototyping for Game Designers course. Bard is an educational game designed to help children recognize musical notes and … read more

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Wrap-up of 2016 Game Lecture Series

December 18, 2016

During the calendar year of 2016, the Institute of Digital Games was happy to host many experts in the field of games and academia in general, in our ongoing Game Lecture Series. Find below a summary list of all Game Lectures in 2016. Don't forget that Game … read more

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GAMEJOURNAL issue n.5

December 5, 2016

G|A|M|E is a journal dedicated to a comparative, critical, and theoretical analysis of videogames. This week the fifth issue of G|A|M|E was released, as usual online and open access. The Institute of Digital Games is involved in a number of ways with G|A|M|E … read more

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November's Board Game Night

November 18, 2016

Every last Thursday of the month, the Institute of Digital Games at the University of Malta is opening its doors to the public for an informal event where we play board games and socialise. Attendees can play one of the many board games … read more

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Game Lecture: Experience Machines - Real Virtual Reality a …

November 13, 2016

We are kicking off the Game Lecture Series for the new academic year (2016-2017) with IDG's own Stefano Gualeni taking 'The Experience Machine' and moving it to the modern era -- where virtual worlds and virtual reality are... well... … read more

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POCG16 Conference wrap-up

November 8, 2016

From the 1st to the 4th November, the IDG hosted the tenth edition of the influential Philosophy of Computer Games conference series (http://gamephilosophy.org). Run by Dr. Daniel Vella (Program Chair) and Dr. Stefano Gualeni (Organization Chair), the … read more

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