UCI informatics professors relaunch center on computer games, learning and society

Irvine, Calif., Sept. 22, 2021 – The intersection of computer games, education and social activism is to be the focal point of a joint center being newly relaunched this fall at the University of California, Irvine by interactive media research and development experts Kurt Squire and Constance Steinkuehler.

The two professors in UCI’s Department of Informatics founded Games + Learning + Society in 2005 while at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Now they have reimagined it to explore game development and research in a new context dominated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, political upheaval and change in the United States and abroad, and reignited movements supporting racial justice and women’s rights.

In addition, GLS has been redesigned to allow students to take full advantage of UCI’s unique position in Southern California’s computer gaming ecosystem, according to Squire.

“UCI is in the heart of ‘Silicon Beach,’ which means students here have ready access to a host of game developers headquartered in Irvine and other close-by cities,” he said. “Our people get to meet, collaborate with and learn from developers at Blizzard, Activision and other firms both on the UCI campus and at the companies’ facilities – something that’s just not possible to this extent outside this region.”

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