A new gaming institute is being established at The University of Texas at Austin to prepare students for careers in the constantly expanding video game industry. The Moody College of Communication has announced the creation of the Karch Gaming Institute, made possible by a donation from Matt Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive, on behalf of the Karch family.
The institute, benefiting from a $5 million gift, will educate students across all aspects of the digital gaming industry, from initial concepts to distribution and the merging of gaming with film, broadcast, and other media. Anita Vangelisti, the interim dean of Moody College, stated, "At Moody College, we are continuously evolving to meet the needs of our students and the industries they want to work in upon graduation. This generous gift will help advance our offerings in an exciting and growing field that aligns so well with our existing strengths in new media and radio, television, and film."
The U.S. video game industry reportedly had a significant economic impact of over $100 billion in 2024, supporting nearly 350,000 jobs, according to the Entertainment Software Association. The new institute aims to integrate traditional education with hands-on courses, focusing on the storytelling, ethics, and business of gaming.
“I have spent the past 25 years immersed in the business of making games,” Karch shared. “In that timespan, the industry has grown at an unprecedented rate. The University of Texas at Austin and Moody College are the perfect place to build the world’s leading game education program."
Moody College, with support from the Karch Gaming Institute, aims to develop courses to create a minor concentrated on the business and production of digital games. Two inaugural courses, “Business of Gaming: From Concept to Console” and “Gaming Usability Lab Fundamentals” will be available to any UT student this fall. As Cindy McCreery, chair of the Radio-Television-Film Department at Moody College, noted, “Video game leaders have shared with me the missing component for many students once they’re out of school has been understanding the big-picture ecosystems and workflows when it comes to video game development to distribution.”
For further updates on the Karch Gaming Institute, Moody College’s website, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook sites will provide the latest information.