Games Research and Education (M.Sc. and Ph.D.)
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.
Find us on …
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.
Blog What we have been up to lately
Game Lecture: Jana Wendler
In our first May game lecture, Jana Wendler (University of Manchester / Playfuel) will be covering her work on designing and playing games in urban environments, and what features of this type of play (not considered in digital games) we should be … read more
Malta Global Game Jam featured in Think Magazine
The newest edition of Think Magazine features coverage by Edward Duca of the Malta Global Game Jam 2016, which was hosted by the Institute of Digital Games in January. For the full story, click here!
Game Lecture: Albert Gatt
Our second Game Lecture in April features Albert Gatt presenting the topic of natural language generation, a method of summarising data (such as game playtraces) into human-readable language. The lecture is on Tuesday 19th of April 2016 at 7:00 pm, and is … read more
Game Lecture: Michelle Westerlaken
In our next Game Lecture, Michelle Westerlaken will be discussing her work on the design and implementation of games for animals. The lecture is on Tuesday 12th of April 2016 at 7:00 pm, and is held at the Institute of Digital Games. The … read more
EvoMusArt conference 2016
Antonios Liapis, a lecturer at the IDG, presented his paper "Exploring the Visual Styles of Arcade Game Assets" at the EvoMusArt conference 2016 in Porto, Portugal. The paper can be found here (as a pre-print). EvoMusArt is the primary … read more
The Ludic Muse: The Form of Games as Art
Daniel Vella, a lecturer at the IDG, has published a paper titled "The Ludic Muse: The Form of Games as Art", in the latest issue of CounterText, an academic journal published by Edinburgh University Press which focuses on 21st-century extensions and … read more