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.
Find us on …
David developed an innovative model for understanding board game involvement for his thesis.
It is an environment roaring with ideas, thoughts, games, prototypes, concepts. It was a period when I felt constantly inspired.
Rebecca is researching narrative in games. As part of her thesis, she developed a choice-driven video game.
Practice in the form of game project assignments and a supportive teaching staff really boost your confidence as a game designer!
The Institute feels like a little community that you're part of.
William's research explored the procedural generation of multi-floor levels for first-person shooters.
Being involved in the research process, I realised how passionate everyone at IDG is about their research.
Blog What we have been up to lately
Mixed-initiative and Board game design at CHI 2017
At the 35th Annual CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing System, better known as CHI, there were several initiatives related to design practice that the IDG was involved in. For starters, the Mixed-Initiative Creative Interfaces workshop took … read more
Interdisciplinary Challenges for Game Studies in Copenhagen
On Wednesday 3 May the IDG members made a joint appearance at the IT University of Copenhagen, where they participated in a series of talks on the Interdisciplinary Challenges for Game Studies. The afternoon included four talks on diverse topics: Antonios … read more
Go Go Gozo 2017 - Exhibition
GoGoGozo is a project that looks at playful research methods and digital mapping, and takes place in Gozo from May 2nd to 12th 2017. Over 10 days, students from UK, Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Malta, will playfully engage with research, with field … read more
Game Lecture: Tomasz Majkowski
Right after the vacations, we come back on Tuesday 25 April 2017 with a great lecture by Tomasz Majkowski on how the expressions of humor and immaturity in games can be also understood as the expression of the carnivalesque. As usual, the … read more
Experimental, Experiential Game Design - IDG Alumnus …
Institute of Digital Games Alumnus Jean-Luc Portelli's research is featured in the most recent issue of THINK Magazine. He describes Spectrum, a tool he designed for the creation and analysis of game ideas. Read more about his research … read more
Chicken and Egg (public talk)
Which came first: the chicken or the egg? This talk by IGD's Stefano Gualeni will settle this issue once and for all. This upcoming public talk, part of the Cafe' Scientifique talk series is titled: ‘Chicken and Egg’ philosophical play with thought … read more