Uni gets £2.5m to expand computer games courses

Funding of £2.5m will be used to establish a new computer games design facility in Cambridge

A university has been given £2.5m to establish a new computer games design facility.

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has been awarded the government grant money and will use it to build new classrooms and digital media spaces at its Cambridge campus.

Students on several computer games courses will benefit, and outreach courses for disadvantaged learners and short courses for those already employed in the industry will also be offered.

The grant is from a bigger pot of cash that has been awarded to institutions nationwide, for projects that "offer a boost to local and regional economies and promote national growth", said the Office for Students (OfS).

ARU said its new facility would provide students with a more flexible working environment, "reflecting the real-life collaboration between disciplines that would be found in a professional computer games studio".

The university currently offers a range of courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including in computer games design and art, and in games development.

The new facility would allow it to double capacity and student enrolment in these subjects by the 2028 academic year, ARU said.

Facilities will reflect what it is like working in the profession, ARU said

According to a recent report by the trade association TIGA (The Independent Game Developers' Association), the computer games industry currently supported more than 73,000 jobs, including about 28,000 developers, and contributed £2.2bn in tax revenues.

Prof Catherine Lee, ARU's pro vice chancellor, said: "This new facility will further enhance the experience for students on our computer gaming courses, support lifelong learning, and contribute to national and regional skills priorities in the creative industries."

OfS director of resources and finance, Nolan Smith, said: "The projects we are supporting will make a tangible difference to current and future students.

"As well as expanding opportunities for students in strategically important subject areas, these projects will offer a boost to local and regional economies and promote national growth."