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The Haptics Experience Lab is seeking a full stack developer to rebuild the Haptiverse platform from scratch within a project timeline of 1.5 to 2 months. The developer should have experience with both front-end and back-end technologies, databases, DevOps skills, communication skills, and experience with support and maintenance. The developer will be provided design/assets and any support as needed. There’s a requirement document and a preliminary database architecture available.

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On March 7, 2023, the Games Institute welcomed a delegation of researchers from Saxion University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands. The researchers, guests of the Dean of Health Dr. Lili Liu, presented health research that intersects with games and immersive and interactive technologies. 

On January 24th, the Office of Research hosted “The AI Tsunami – Where will it take us?”, a panel discussion on the future and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Jobsite Brewing Co. in Stratford, Ontario. Dr. Will Zhao (Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business) and Evan Jones (GI Advisory Board Member) were among those speaking on the panel. 

GI member and PhD candidate, Toben Racicot (English Language and Literature) braved the weather on January 25, 2023, to present a lecture on making loot in role-playing games (RPGs) more accessible and enjoyable. This was a part of the “Projects and Research by English Students” (PRES) lecture series run outside of the UW English Languages and Literature Department.  

On January 19th, 2023, Dr. Adan Jerreat-Poole (Communication Arts) was a speaker at the 6-part “DS Bytes: A Lunchtime Speaker Series” where they discussed Glitch Feminism, disability, and technology.  

The University of Waterloo Games Institute has secured $25,000 of funding per year over two years from the Ontario government to provide scholarships to students pursuing careers in the gaming and esports industries. The successful application was an interdisciplinary collaborative effort between the Games Institute (GI) and the faculties of Arts, Health, Math, Engineering, and Science.

On November 22nd, GI membersDrs. Jennifer Whitson (Sociology and Legal Studies), Kristina Llewellyn (Social Development Studies), and Steve Wilcox (University of Wilfrid Laurier) discussed the intersection between education and games.

In partnership with the GI, AGE-WELL hosted a hybrid networking event for researchers, industry professionals, and advocates in public health and aging on November 18th. The event was managed by Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Hector Perez (School of Public Health Sciences) and PhD students Adebusola Adekoya (School of Public Health Sciences) and Isabella Rosa Chawrun (School of Public Health Sciences)

On November 4th, Drs. Lai-Tze Fan and Jon Saklofske led a game jam workshop where participants explored how game environments and tools can encourage players and developers to pursue broader social, cultural, and interpersonal understandings.