University of Glamorgan signing

TIGA, the trade association representing the UK games industry,today announced the University of Glamorgan as its newest member.

The University of Glamorgan offers a range of courses to students wishing to enter the videogames industry, including a BA in Game Art and Animation. Graduates of the university have gone on to work at companies such as EA, Sony, Crytek, Ninja Theory, Lionhead Studios and Blitz Games Studios.

The University recently secured £422,555 in funding from Welsh Assembly to create a Digital Games Content Laboratory (DIGiLab) at the University. The project aims to promote knowledge transfer between academia and the computer games industry.

Led by Professor Peter Robertson, Dean of the University’s Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries, in collaboration with Swansea Metropolitan University and @Wales Digital Media, the project will provide a unique resource to support open innovation in the Welsh media industries. DiGiLab will produce digital games prototypes, broker relationships between existing companies, academia, and games industry bodies (such as TIGA) and provide work based experiential learning opportunities for graduates to develop the next generation of games developers in Wales.

Professor Robertson, commented, “The videogames industry is a key part of the creative industries in the UK but in Wales, proportionally, there are few companies and approximately only 100 people employed, well below the UK sector average. Recent consultation with companies has highlighted there is lack of expertise in computer games content development in Wales. The aim is to stimulate new product development of games content within existing media companies in Wales and also attract existing companies or start-ups to relocate to Wales. We are keen to work with TIGA and its members to spread the message that Wales is a fantastic place to live and work, with a talented workforce, relatively low overheads and a local Government committed to supporting the sector.”

Dr. Richard Wilson TIGA CEO stated: “The Welsh assembly has shown considerable foresight by investing in the computer games sector and recognizing its potential for growth. We will assist The University of Glamorgan and DiGiLab wherever possible and hope this will be the start of a burgeoning gaming sector in Wales.”

Notes to editors:

About TIGA:

TIGA is the trade association representing the UK’s games industry. The majority of our members are either independent games developers or in-house publisher owned developers. We also have games publishers, outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership. TIGA was awarded ‘Trade Association of the Year’ and the ‘Member Recruitment Award’ at the Trade Association Forum Best Practice Awards 2010.

TIGA's vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to do games business. We focus on three sets of activities: political representation, generating media coverage and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our members. This means that TIGA members are effectively represented in the corridors of power, their voice is heard in the media and they receive benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.

For further information, please contact Eva Field, TIGA PR Manager on: 07814 039 983, or email eva@tiga.org.