Welcome to the Games Institute
The Games Institute (GI) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Waterloo, advancing the study of games, gamification, interactive technologies and immersive environments (AR/VR).
News Items
Our members are busy people; whether they’re taking their research to conferences, delivering keynote addresses, or running workshops at museums, we bring you the news to keep you informed on the latest research and activities.
Research Spotlights
Every story offers an insider’s look into the Games Institute. How does brainstorming lead to new research directions? What really happens at the GI Game Jams? How does play-testing drive better game design? All this and more.
News
- May 16, 2022Games Institute Launches Seed Funding Program
The Games Institute (GI) is currently accepting applications for our first-ever seed funding competition! Both students and faculty are eligible to apply for this funding of up to $15,000 per proposal.
This program is in place to promote interdisciplinary collaborations between interdisciplinary researchers and to encourage researchers to reach out to colleagues outside their home disciplines with whom they have not worked previously.
- May 5, 2022“Digital Public Interest Collective Podcast” features interview with Emma Vossen and Kishonna Gray
GI members Dr. Emma Vossen and Dr. Kishonna Gray were interviewed about harassment and abuse in games and games culture for the “Digital Public Interest Collective Podcast.”
- May 5, 2022GI members Aleksander Franiczek and Alexander Flek participate in Waterloo lecture series
On April 29th, PhD student Aleksander Franiczek (English Language and Literature) presented his research as part of the English Department’s PRES (Projects and Research by English Students) Lecture series, followed by a response by PhD candidate Alexander Fleck (English Language and Literature).
Blog
- Apr. 26, 2022Networked Feminisms: Activist Assemblies and Digital Practices – with Feminist Think Tank Panel Overview
To celebrate the launch of their edited collection Networked Feminisms: Activist Assemblies and Digital Practices, editors Drs. Shana MacDonald (Communication Arts), Bri Wiens (Communication Arts), Milena Radzikowska (Mount Royal University), and Michelle MacArthur (University of Windsor) invited their fellow co-authors to discuss the intersections between feminist theories and digital technologies with researchers at the Games Institute.
- Apr. 26, 2022Games Institute and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology partner to create educational game about nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine
Games Institute (GI) and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) researchers have been working together on strategies to better educate the public about how the application of nanotechnology (the manipulation of materials on an atomic or molecular scale) impacts our daily lives. The first of these projects focuses on educating the public about how DNA-based nasal sprays can be used as intranasal vaccines during this crucial time.
- Mar. 2, 2022“Objects to be looked at”: Misogyny in Gaming Panel with the UW Women’s Center for “Love Your Body” Week
Panel Overview
This collaboration between the Games Institute and the UW Women’s Center highlighted a considerable range of issues with misogyny, homophobia, and racism in gaming. The panel, moderated by Gioia Myers, was planned for “love your body week” and discussed the policing of women and LGBTQ+ people’s bodies in both games and game spaces. The panelists, PhD Candidate Lindsay Meaning (English), Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Brianna Wiens (Communication Arts), Associate Professor Dr Shana MacDonald (Communication Arts), and Game Design and Development Instructor Dr Emma Vossen (UW Games Institute, GDD WLU) made connections between current events in games and historical and feminist events in media at large.
