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
Ontario eSports Scholarship Continued for 2025
In 2022, the University of Waterloo Games Institute secured $50,000 of funding over two years from the Ontario government to provide scholarships to students pursuing careers in the gaming and esports industries. Following a successful first round of scholarships awarded to thirteen students (two graduate and eleven undergraduate), the next round of applications is now open!
First Personal Scholar Publishes New Special Issue
First Person Scholar (FPS), a middle-state publication supported and published by the Games Institute, has released its latest special issue titled “Gaming Paratexts.”
International Conference on Games and Narrative 2025 Puts out Call For Participation
The Games Institute is excited to announce the CfP for the upcoming International Conference on Games and Narrative 2025 (ICGaN'25). This year’s conference theme is “Adapt, Adopt, Adjust: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Adaptation, Storytelling, and Simulation” asks us to consider the power of adapted and adaptive narratives, experiences, genres, and mechanics.
Blog
Curating a Community for Novices and Experts: Lessons Learned from the International Conference on Games and Narrative
From May 15-19, 2023, the GI hosted the second iteration of the International Conference on Games and Narrative (ICGaN). 120 attendees from 34 universities, 14 countries, and 4 continents joined to explore the conference theme of Isolation and Return: The Making of Narrative Worlds.
Virtual Reality for Social Justice with Dr. Kristina Llewellyn
An interview with Dr. Kristina R. Llewellyn about the Digital Oral Histories for Reconciliation project
From Can Lit to VR Caves: A Spotlight on Games Institute Executive Director Dr. Neil Randall
A Spotlight on Games Institute Executive Director, Dr. Neil Randall