Welcome to the Games Institute
The Games Institute (GI) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Waterloo, advancing the study of interactive and immersive technologies and experiences.
News Bites
Stay up-to-date with the latest GI activities. Our News Bites report on recent conferences, keynote addresses, and recent research activities of our members.
Research Spotlights
For more in-depth breakdowns of ongoing research projects, check out our Research Spotlights for full write ups of events and up close and personal testimonies with our researchers and members.
News
GI Faculty Members Drs. Gerald Voorhees and Daniel Harley Publish Book on ADE Speaker Series
Drs. Gerald Voorhees (Communication Arts) and Daniel Harley (Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business) have published ADE for Games: Approaches to Anti-Racism, Decolonization, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Games Research and Creation, a book generated from the ADE Speaker Series. This book is available as a free online resource, or a paid physical copy, through Play Story Press.
The Games Institute Welcomes Dean of Arts, Dr. Alexie Tcheuyap
On January 9th, the Games Institute (GI) welcomed a delegation from the Faculty of Arts including Drs. Alexie Tcheuyap (Dean of Arts), Anna Esselment (Associate Dean, Graduate Studies), and Ana Ferrer (Associate Dean, Research) for a tour of the Institute.
The Games Institute Showcases Research at the Tech Horizons Executive Forum
On November 26th, the GI showcased a selection of member research projects at the Tech Horizons Executive Forum event in Toronto, hosted by WatSPEED and CIBC. Pamela Maria Schmidt (Interdisciplinary Project and Communications Manager) and Dr. Emma Vossen (Knowledge Mobilization and Research Impact Officer) represented the GI and the multitude of interdisciplinary research projects that were created by GI members.
Blog
Games Institute Seed Funding Program
In 2022, the GI ran its first-ever Seed Grant competition in which both faculty and students, who are active members of the GI, could apply for up to $15,000.00 to invest in a new collaboration or project with fellow members of the Institute. The awarded research groups had until the end of 2023 to finalize projects and spend all funding.
Aspects of Play in Academia: The History of CHI PLAY and how to Nurture Interdisciplinary Scholarship
If you were to ask any Games Institute (GI) member to generally state what their area of expertise is, almost a third would identify themselves as an “HCI researcher”. Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a multidisciplinary and intersectoral field where researchers investigate information technology design in various, intersectional ways. From improving the usability of interactive devices, understanding user behaviour, to broadly, and ubiquitously, understanding human experiences with technology, the field is constantly evolving and expanding the spectrum of what is considered “HCI research”.
The Unlikely Collaboration that led to the Creation of the University of Waterloo Interdisciplinary Network for Esports
Esports is a burgeoning field working to establish itself as a legitimate sport, industry, and academic discipline, that is worthy of investment and investigation. Games Institute researchers have often found academia’s slow pace at odds with the roaring highway of the rapidly advancing tech industry.