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.
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"Studying at the IDG it’s been one of the best experiences of my life, and has been foundational to my academic growth. The game studies and game design courses provided me with a solid theoretical grounding, and the network of opportunities around academia."
"One of the most impactful aspects of the Institute on my career has been its emphasis on interdisciplinary research and collaboration. The lecturers have diverse backgrounds and expertise, and this fosters a stimulating environment for exploring the multifaceted aspects of game research and development. The research-driven approach has enabled me to contribute critically to discussions with my colleagues."
"Studying at the IDG has really been an experience better than I could have ever asked for. Not only because it aligns with my goals from as long as I remember, but also because the content and support I have received while studying there has always been stellar."
Blog What we have been up to lately
Insulting with Emotes in Hearthstone: Examining use of …
The Institute of Digital Games is thrilled to have Dr Jonne Arjoranta in this academic year's Game Seminar Series with his presentation Insulting with Emotes in Hearthstone: Examining use of communication in an Online Multiplayer Game - 6th … read more
Awe, terror and spreadsheets: Video game monsters as …
The Institute of Digital Games is thrilled to have Dr. Jaroslav Švelch kick-off this academic years Game Seminar Series with his presentation Awe, terror and spreadsheets: Video game monsters as computational others - 26th October 15:00 at the Institute of … read more
Sept the. 21st: Game Studies and the Digital Humanities
Together with the Centre for the Digital Humanities, and as part of his visiting professorship at the University of Gothenburg, IDG's Stefano Gualeni is organizing a day-long seminar titled 'GAME STUDIES AND THE DIGITAL HUMANITIES'. This seminar will … read more
PhD student work at FDG and CIG conferences
The work of IDG Ph.D. student Daniel Karavolos has been presented in two conferences during August 2018: "Using a Surrogate Model of Gameplay for Automated Level Design" was presented in the international conference on Computational … read more
Procedurally Generated Game: DATA Agent game released
Not a Completely Randomly Generated Game DATA Agent, the game entirely generated on Wikipedia data and OpenStreetMap, has been released on itch.io and is playable both online and via download for both Windows and Mac. Its basis in real … read more
Developer, PhD and Postdoc positions at Institute of …
Come and work with Prof. Georgios Yannakakis and Dr. Antonis Liapis, and our team at the Institute of Digital Games - University of Malta in the areas of artificial intelligence and games, machine learning, affective computing, and computational … read more