, the Institute is already pushing the boundaries of research & innovation, with three exciting new research projects of wide-ranging impact being undertaken.
During a visit to the premises on 3 September 2020, Parliamentary Secretary for Financial 福利在线免费 and Digital Economy, Hon. Clayton Bartolo, welcomed this success, especially in light of Malta鈥檚 , as well as the .
"Witnessing such research is astounding - what is even better is that UM is recognising the potential this industry has for our economy", said Hon. Bartolo.
Adding to a successful stream of prestigious research grants, the Institute of Digital Games will be kicking-off this academic year with new three large-scale projects collectively bringing in just under a million Euro of research funding to the University of Malta:
As part of , the Institute of Digital Games is working with world-renowned architect firm Zaha Hadid and a number of other European research centers and companies to use AI technology and VR to allow architects and engineers to immersively interact with their creations and understand the consequences of their decisions.
Powerful software already exists that allow for the accurate digital modelling of complex and creative designs, however these do not focus on functionality. Through PrismArch, the designers will be able to experience in real-time how their decisions affect both their own and other disciplines via a discipline-specific and personalized point of view.
The project encompases 30 leading partners in the areas of AI and media including Queen Mary University in London, IBM, as well as RAI - the Italian Radio and Television company - to foster deeper and long-running interactions between academia and industry. In an area where AI is fast making strides the project aims to ensure the ethical and trustworthiness of future AI deployments and reimagine its uses in media.
The (Tensor-based Machine learning towards genEral moDels of affect) project is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship that aims to create new methods and algorithms to realise aspects of general emotional intelligence (i.e.the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and those of the people around you), one of the core long-term goals of artificial intelligence and artificial psychology.
However, beyond merely economic considerations digital games push to the development of new technology as well as shaping the cultural discourse. First chess, then Go, and now the far more complex Starcraft have pushed the boundaries of what was possible in the field of artificial intelligence and computing. The popularity of games and the messages they communicate contribute to the cultural discourse. Therefore, analysing the games and understanding the cultural dialogue around games is also a critical skill in the modern educational landscape.
Within the walls of the Institute of Digital Games, Malta hosts one of the leading videogame programmes in the world ( and ) that operates in the multidisciplinary field of games at the intersection of art, humanities, and computer science.
The global videogame sector has thrived in the midst of the pandemic with engagement and sales on the rise. There is no question of the economic power of the video game industry with projections indicating that the industry will generate over 159 billion in revenue in 2020, still an increase of over 9% despite the current economic climate.
Speaking to the media during the visit, the Director of the Institute of Digital Games, Prof. Georgios Yannakakis, , said 鈥渢he potential for games is far greater than merely entertainment and we鈥檙e well-placed to harness such potential at the Institute, at the University, and as a country on the whole鈥.
鈥淩esearch, Innovation and discovery is about connecting the dots. None of these just lives in a vacuum; these projects are connecting industry and academia and thus they provide fertile ground for improvement and progress in media, creative industries and artificial intelligence鈥, he continued.
University of Malta Rector, Prof. Alfred J. Vella lauded the efforts of the Institute, saying it is valuably contributing to the UM鈥檚 evolution as a centre of research excellence. By continuously challenging the boundaries of knowledge, these academics' striving for success is further motivated by the funding opportunities received by the government and other entities, which Prof. Vella expressed his gratitude for.
