Author: hevga

Washington, DC – May 4, 2017

The Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) is working with Uppsala University, Sweden, and the Gotland Game Conference to expand its international goals on a broader scale. HEVGA’s mission is to create a platform for higher education leaders which will underscore the cultural, scientific, and economic importance of video game programs in colleges and universities. The key is to create a robust network of resources–including unified advocacy, policymaker engagement, media coverage, and external funding–in order to incubate and harness the impact of this community in a 21st century learning environment.

How does this translate to an international scene? How do we build a network of resources that are valuable by country, across institutions and across borders?

At this year’s Gotland Game Conference, the Department of Game Design at Uppsala University is hosting an international summit for game educators, and inviting all game educations to participate.

An outcome of HEVGA’s Annual Meeting on February 26, this is a first meeting to start working towards a European alliance of game educations. The goal is to ask basic questions such as: who are we, what do we teach now, and how do we see that changing in the future; and, the deeper ones, like how can we build a network of resources that are valuable across institutions in each country and across borders?

The summit takes place on two days, separated by the GGC. Sunday (28/5) is spent getting know other meeting participants; informal presentations that focus on the work we do and how we do it, followed by a VIP dinner and booth crawl amongst the games on the show floor. 29-30/5 is spent networking and soaking up inspiration at the conference proper, before the summit picks up again with a working day on Wednesday 31/5.

The second day of the summit will focus on what HEVGA in Europe could look like, with a focus on actionable goals for building a platform that supports us all: a unified advocacy, a media amplifier, taking local achievements global, a better way to secure funding and a network that recognizes the cultural, scientific, and economic importance of game educations at colleges and universities.

If time allows, there will be a breakout into groups in the afternoon, to discuss specific topics like base education, research, industry outreach, alliance details, and [insert-your-suggestions-here!].

Register for a conference- and summit pass here: https://ti.to/campus-gotland-game/ggc2017

For summit details, and to submit a presentation: http://gotlandgameconference.com/2017/game- educators-summit/

For more information about the GGC, see: http://gotlandgameconference.com/2017/about/

For questions or inquiries, please email Jonathan Elmergreen, Executive Director, at jonathan@138.197.45.69.

Washington, DC – April 12, 2017

The Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) applauds New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan (D) for introducing the Reigniting Opportunity for Innovators (ROI) Act to help alleviate student debt by supporting young entrepreneurs to grow small businesses. Young entrepreneurs have declined while student loan debt has sharply risen. The act would help entrepreneurs reduce federal student loan debt by allowing deferment of loan payments and interest accrual as well as eligibility for $20,000 in debt cancellation by locating the start-up in economically distressed areas.

“We praise Senator Hassan for her continued support of students and recognition that young people are important innovators in business and the economy,” said HEVGA President Constance Steinkuehler. “For young entrepreneurs hoping to start-up a games studio or games related organization in the tech industry, student loan debt is a major obstacle and can result in delays or complete abandonment of a start-up for fear of defaulting on loans or not being able to secure capital above their own resources.”

“New York’s recent decision to offer free tuition to full-time students at two- and four-year SUNY/CUNY schools for families making $125,000 or less clearly shows the growing interest and need to address soaring student debt. Senator Hassan’s bill simultaneously works to alleviate debt while also growing our economy,” said Andy Phelps, HEVGA Treasurer. “Similarly, state-funded efforts to establish regional interactive gaming hubs at NYU, RPI, and RIT, as well as state support of the RIT MAGIC Spell Studios effort, speak to continued investment in university-based commercialization and entrepreneurship efforts. Programs such as these are critical if we are to continue the growth of games and media as a critical STEM sector of the national economy.

“Our reports show that alumni of games-based programs in higher education do well on the job market, leading to high-paying jobs where the average salary for a full-time position is $76,200 and 82.9% of graduates describe themselves as “thriving” at work,” said Katherine Isbister, HEVGA Communications and Outreach Officer. “Many alumni go on to found or work in start-ups or small studios in the multi-billion dollar games industry, a driver of economic activity and innovation. The ROI Act would provide our graduates with crucial support towards alleviating the financial worry that comes with student loan debt and help encourage the growth of small businesses in the games industry, leading to a more creative workforce, job creation, and well-paid positions. We praise Senator Hassan for introducing this bill.”

The Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) is the professional organization for video games scholars and programs at universities across the country and abroad. Our mission is to create a platform for higher education leaders which will underscore the cultural, scientific, and economic importance of video game programs in colleges and universities. The key is to create a robust network of resources–including unified advocacy, policymaker engagement, media coverage, and external funding–in order to incubate and harness the impact of this community in a 21st century learning environment. For more information, please visit www.hevga.org

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Washington, DC – February 27, 2017 – Today, The Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) proudly announces their Fellows program, inducting 30 scholars into their inaugural cohort of leaders in games in higher education. Established in 2017, The Higher Education Video Game Alliance Fellows program recognizes senior scholars in the games domain who have made significant contribution to the field in design, theory, or research. HEVGA Fellows are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to games-based research and design in higher education. Fellows serve as integral ambassadors for the organization and are inducted as lifetime members. HEVGA is committed to providing a robust network of resources and support to its members and member institutions, whose contributions are essential to the success of the field and the international games community.

An ASU professor is pushing back against criticism by Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake of government-funded video game development.

“Whether or not you like them as a platform for learning, to condemn these programs for which there are hundreds of emerging game designers is to really lock out your state of an emerging industry,” said James Gee, a Regent Professor at ASU’s Teacher’s College of Education.

To read the full story, click here.

Washington, DC – January 11, 2017

To my friends and colleagues:

I have a favor to ask you. Today, Arizona Senator Jeff Flake published his 2017 “Wastebook,” complete with Pokémon-inspired cover artwork. This document is in keeping with a long tradition of the Senator’s efforts to highlight some of the most outlandish government expenditures. In this year’s report, Senator Flake included Becker College’s Massachusetts Digital Games Institute and commented that while “coming up with new concepts may literally be all fun and games, doing so should not be paid for by gaming the taxpayers.”

As is often the case, this unfortunate incident was most likely born out of misunderstanding.

Many continue to be unaware of the important jobs skills training work taking place at our schools and colleges, and don’t recognize the many contributions the video game industry is making to the country, our workforce and our economy. With this background, here is my ask: Please join me in responding to Senator Flake on Twitter, and encourage your staff and students to help correct the record.

Please find several suggested tweets below. I encourage you to share one or more of these across your own social platforms.

.@jeffflake says @Beckercollege video game program is wasteful but Princeton Review ranks it in Top 5. https://www.princetonreview.com/press/game-design-press-release #STEAMjobs

.@jeffflake AZ is home to 40+ video game companies and 23 AZ colleges offer game programs. @beckercollege is in good company! #STEAMjobs

.@jeffflake Video game programs at @beckercollege & 400+ U.S. schools aren’t wasteful – they’re training a high-skilled workforce #STEAMjobs

.@jeffflake Here is a fact about higher ed video game programs: Grads make $24k MORE than average! #STEAMjobs

.@jeffflake mentions video game programs in waste report but programs at 400+ colleges produce skilled workers #STEAMjobs

(And for those of you who aren’t fluent in Twitter, the period before @jeffflake is intentional – be sure to use it so he sees your message)

If your colleagues, your school and/or your students choose to address the issue in your own words, please advise them to keep their responses positive—we want to remain educational, not confrontational. And to help keep track of all the messages, be sure to tag @jeffflake and use #STEAMjobs in any tweets.

Thank you for your help in drawing attention to the cultural, scientific and economic importance of video game programs at our colleges and universities.

Sincerely,
Constance Steinkuehler
President, HEVGA

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CONTACT
Jonathan Elmergreen
Executive Director
855.304.3842
jonathan@138.197.45.69

About HEVGA
HEVGA’s mission is to create a platform for higher education leaders which will underscore the cultural, scientific, and economic importance of video game programs in colleges and universities. The key is to create a robust network of resources – including unified advocacy, policymaker engagement, media coverage, and external funding – in order to incubate and harness the impact of this community in a 21st century learning environment. For more information, visit hevga.org, like HEVGA on Facebook, or follow @HigherEdGames on Twitter.