Scottish university launches ‘leading-edge’ labs to drive innovation in the games sector.

Abertay University has launched new "leading-edge" labs to support research in video game design and digital art in a bid to keep up with global competition.  

With the new sites, the university hopes to ensure the games sector, which is estimated to contribute £350m to the Scottish economy, becomes more cyber resilient and inclusive.

The new Competitive Games Lab (CGL) and Wacom Cintiq Lab (WCL), partly funded by the Dundee City Council, will be equipped with the “latest, industry-standard equipment and facilities”, the university has said.

The labs will help ensure students have “the skillset that the industry needs and expects”, said the university’s vice chancellor, Professor Liz Bacon.

The announcement comes after Abertay University was ranked as the top international school for video game design by the educational services firm, Princeton Review, earlier this year.

Bacon continued: “The video games industry is an important economic driver for Dundee, Scotland and the UK and it’s vital that we keep investing – both at individual institution and government level – if we are to keep pace with the many other competitors in games clusters across the globe. Our sincere thanks go to Dundee City Council for supporting the creation of these leading-edge spaces which will be an asset to Abertay and the city.” 

Wacom Cintiq Lab | Abertay University 

Equipped with high-specification gaming PCs, the CGL will provide a space for designers to play-test games, with a focus on accessibility features for those with additional needs, as well as for research into how to defend esport events from cyber-attacks and how to boost gender balance within the sector.

Academics will also explore how in-game dynamics can increase the time that online game players interact with others of similar abilities, potentially improving both user experience and profitability. 

Meanwhile, the CWL will allow students to learn how to create their artwork using interactive style and incorporate their designs into games, via specialist digital arts tablets.

Dundee City Council leader Mark Flynn said: “Abertay University plays a crucial role in Scotland’s video games sector, making an important contribution to the national economy and supporting a significant number of highly skilled jobs. The university’s work is fundamental to maintaining and growing the success of Dundee in the digital industries and we are very pleased to have been able to contribute to the development of this first-rate new accommodation for teaching and research.”  

The labs will be part of the university’s Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education and were partly funded by £41,000 provided by Dundee City Council through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.