Peter Raad

Dr. Peter Raad’s opening remarks from the Game Education Summit

Peter Raad
August 14 2008

Dr. Peter Raad, founder and executive director, The Guildhall at SMU, calls on universities to make game development programs a discipline or school in his opening remarks at the Game Education Summit in June at SMU. Content from his speech is below:

“The purpose of the Game Education Summit is to provide a forum for academia and industry to discuss the key issues relating to the future development of programs for students wishing to pursue fulfilling careers in video game development for both the entertainment and educational game industries. Or, as some would like to say, the frivolous and the serious game industries.

But I believe it is much more than that. I believe it is the first crucial step in turning what we (and others at leading universities across the country) do from a program into a new discipline, even school … a discipline that can be promulgated at colleges and universities across the country.

There is a critical, and growing, skill shortage facing the game industry – one that could well have a negative impact on growth in the medium horizon. At the same time, academic institutions of all kinds are rapidly compiling courses offering a variety of qualifications to people looking to enter the industry. It is essential then to the future success of all concerned – the student, game companies, and academia – that the course design, content, and teaching methods are focused on the same goal – developing a pipeline of highly qualified and motivated people, who can be today’s professionals and tomorrow’s leaders.

No longer can the academic leadership sit on the sidelines and allow our centuries-old (read: antiquated) silo-structured, university system to hem and haw through the process of producing tomorrow’s game developers and leaders. It is time we put some skin into the game as they say. Change doesn't come easily at universities. But by working together, we can make our university leadership understand that video games are the 21st Century’s newest form of communication, that will greatly affect how all of us live, learn, work, and play in the years to come. No longer can we be just a small subset of a school or a few courses of studies.

In my opinion, the stakes for the United States are high. If we don't change, you can start driving another nail into America's innovation coffin. The information age is already behind us; we live in the imagination era. They say the world is flat, and indeed it is when it comes to making things. I’m one of those who believe that the world is also spiky! The creative class, that fuels economic engines, needs fertile eco-spaces (clusters!). The games profession is at the heart of the creative class, and institutions of higher learning are integral to healthy clusters. Indeed then, if we don't change, you can start driving another nail into America's innovation coffin.

Almost five years ago, on July 7, 2003 in fact, we opened our doors to our first 32 students to study video game development at the graduate level. John Carmack mobilized them to action on their convocation day. Warren Spector will remember launching them on their way on graduation day, which now seems like eons ago. It was at that time, and sometimes it still feels like, a bold experiment. A very bold experiment for a "Methodist" university I might add. But five short years later, The Guildhall at SMU is not only considered to be one of the top graduate programs of its kind but, more importantly, we now have over 230 alums who have contributed their creative talents at more than 80 video game studios across North America.

So, how did we get from there to here? Well, thanks to two visionary philanthropists, Mitch and Linda Hart, who donated $6 million to form the Hart eCenter, which gave us the freedom and the flexibility to incubate The Guildhall; a supportive university administration; and a dedicated faculty and staff. But the key ingredient was the video game industry. Local leaders approached us and said that capital was not the issue; game ideas were not the issue; rather, talented, prepared, credible, and credentialed professionals are the bottleneck.

We started – backwards – with a blank sheet of paper and asked them to tell us what type of people and skill sets they needed. The result was – is – a graduate level program that works at the pace and in the style of the industry it serves, and produces professionals that are ready to contribute on day one.

At this summit, you have that chance to start with a blank sheet of paper. No preconceived notions, no artificial constraints, just an honest dialogue about possibilities, ideals, and best outcomes.

We always ask our industry friends the same question when they come to visit us ... what one thing can we do to help the industry more. And their answer is always the same ... graduate more students. Well even if we at The Guildhall at SMU tripled the number of graduates we have each year, we still wouldn't be putting a dent in the need for new and more creative talent.

But together, we can!”