EAST GREENWICH – The New England Institute of Technology will launch a new initiative to expand the digital game industry both locally and nationally and help other industries as well.
The technical college will launch a new digital games institute on August 3 that will connect entrepreneurial industry leaders with digital students to provide internships and employment opportunities. The new organization, which will be located in the atrium of New England Tech’s main campus at 1 New England Tech Blvd., will also help attract new businesses to Rhode Island and support small business growth in the state through the following generation of gaming and esports talent to nurture.
New England Tech says video games are a $300 billion global industry, but games, game mechanics and similar technology influence other industries. Alan I. Resnick, New England Tech’s vice president for strategic planning who is leading the effort, told Providence Business News. On Friday, the college held an open roundtable in June to brainstorm where the gaming industry stands today and whether industry growth can be a reality.
The discussions delivered a “clear message” that the state has the talent and business infrastructure to improve digital gaming in Rhode Island, Resnick said. He said the parts are there to grow the industry, but leadership was needed to put the parts together to develop comprehensive programming.
“We [at New England Tech] decided to take the initiative and form that leadership,” Resnick said, “and bring everyone together in a collaborative way to move forward.”
Resnick says the new institute — whose training is expected to start next summer — has three main functions. The first, he said, is educating students interested in digital technologies, such as game design, “a little above” what they normally get from a typical college degree.
New England Tech currently has students enrolled in several game design education programs, which launched in 2006 and during that time had about 200 students in its digital arts programs, such as video game development and design. But Resnick says the institute will be different because teams will be formed to create new games in a multidisciplinary setting. Those teams, he said, will include not only programmers, digital game designers and production people, but also musicians and storytellers.
“We’re reaching students from across the region who bring these disciplines,” Resnick said. “There will be five to six students for each team, and they will put together these games. It’s even broader than what we’re doing here.”
Resnick also said students from the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University had participated in previous game design programs at New England Tech, and hopes students from those institutions — as well as others from around Rhode Island — will be part of the institute.
Second, the institute will help students network with the industry and create an environment for local digital game companies to grow and potentially attract new game companies to the Ocean State. It will be a form of economic development, Resnick said. The new institute will also explore and develop ways in which the dynamics of digital games can be applied to other organizations and industries to “improve people’s lives and the bottom line” of industries within the state.
“Digital games are based on engaging the user,” Resnick says. “There are techniques to engage customers in business, to engage patients in healthcare, to engage students in the delivery of educational content, and within business and industry to improve workflow.”
For example, Resnick noted that a Boston company is developing games for young people who may be on the autism spectrum or have other emotional challenges to help them use and manage their emotions through various exercises. Resnick said healthcare, pharmaceuticals, educational content, workplace personnel and entertainment will be the industries for which the institute hopes to develop technology and talent.
The institute will also further prepare students for careers in game design. Resnick said students from across the country, including Rhode Island, will have the opportunity to participate in collaborative projects that will enhance their skills and make them “highly desirable and competitive employees” within the gaming industry.
Resnick said New England Tech is funding the institute’s development, including the renovation of the atrium space to house the institute, but didn’t say what the price tag is. As the program matures, Resnick said it “wouldn’t surprise him” if the institute attracted other supporting funding, possibly from industry foundations.
Resnick says the institute will host meetings for college students interested in game design to gather and build connections before formal training begins next summer. There will also be exhibitions and other demonstrations for students to promote the gaming industry through the institute as well, he said.
Resnick expects the new institute to be a highly visible program at New England Tech.
“It increases brand and visibility and creates partnerships, all within the context of digital technology,” he said.
(Update: photo changed)
James Bessette is the editor of PBN’s special projects and also covers the non-profit and education sectors. You can reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
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