Master's-level graduates with specialist skills in researching and solving current issues related to the content, creation and culture of video games are in demand in the industry. Do you fancy studying scientific literature, looking for ways to develop practical applications? As it happens, the existing gap between scientific theories and relevant applications offers plenty of opportunities to do so.

This Master in Game Technology is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to gain the very sought-after research skills that the industry is focusing on more and more, while becoming an expert in their chosen field, whether that be art, design, or programming. 

Focus

The Master Game Technology focuses on facilitating your growth in research and development with support from industry partners and expert lecturers from the game industry. Training in research methods allows you to develop deep insights into your chosen area of game development.

Craftsmanship

Staff of the Master Game Technology consists of industry veterans, trained at master’s or PhD level. This ensures a practical focus, realistic assignments, a large international industry network, and knowledge that is directly applicable to modern game development, along with supervisors that understand academic rigour.

Research areas

You can enter the programme with your own research proposal that describes the research area you want to work in and as well your current skills and experience in that field. Research areas our programme shows strong expertise in include: procedural content generation, deep learning, animation, graphics, rendering, development and production pipelines, enhanced board games, player experience and data.

Examples of papers

Sometimes it can be difficult to visualise how you can do research in your sector. Is research in Art even possible? What kind of data could a Design & Production paper yield? What are some interesting developments in the Programming-related fields?

Here you will find some examples of papers written in the Master Game Technology, divided into our three disciplines.

Visual Arts 

• Polman, H. - Enhancing the Player Experience Using Real-Time Biometric Data to Adapt a Mood in a Virtual Reality Game Environment
• Habekotté, J. - Framing the Value of Concept Art An insight into the applicability and development of concept art in the game industry 

Design and Production 

• Pastoors, J. - The Opposite of Love How parasocial interaction with NPCs can be enhanced through intergroup competition

Programming 

• Matthieu Delaere - Caching Shading Information in World Space using Implicit Progressive Low Discrepancy Point Sets
• Luca Quartesan - Neural Bidirectional Texture Function Compression and Rendering

The programme is structured in four blocks, each consisting of ten weeks. At the end of every block you present your work and progress is evaluated. The work involves both a research thesis and the practical development of artefacts which allow you to gather data and prove the application of your research.

Block A: Concept (15 ECTS credits)
During this first block you will be finetuning your topic of choice and phrasing your research question. You will also learn how to tackle your thesis and do your literature review so you know exactly what has been written on your topic.

Block B: Pre-production (15 ECTS credits)
During the second block you will be describing and planning your research and doing your first tests to check your process.

Block C: Production (15 ECTS credits)
In this block you will conduct your research, collect your data, and interpret it. Your thesis is coming together, and you can see how your initial research question can be answered.

Block D: Release (15 ECTS credits)
Finally, it is time to put in the finishing touches on your work and share your knowledge with the world by publishing your paper.

Year long graduation

You will have a whole year to work on a specific topic based on your own proposal. Of course, we will assist you in finding a research question that allows you to explore that topic in depth, and all of your assessments are related to that research and work delivered.

Research and development

We offer courses on a variety of fundamental research and development topics. You attend courses covering general research methodologies, game-related research, and also presentation skills and thesis writing. The curriculum has set sessions for critique, discussions and debates in which students present their project progress and examine each other’s decisions and approaches.

Industry involvement

We put a strong focus on collaborating with the industry. The industry is involved with reviewing your intake assignment, which can lead to the assignment of an industry supervisor. During the year, the industry is invited to presentations and poster sessions creating valuable moments for feedback.

Specialisations

Advanced Graphics Programming with Jacco Bikker 
Applied Science approach to real-time, photo-realistic rendering for movies and games, enabling students to access state-of-the-art academic material and to apply theory in the field using state-of-the-art engineering skills. 

Current Applied Research with Igor Mayer 
Serious Games for Learning and Change: Dive into the design and evaluation of a serious game on a specific topic, such as broad prosperity, poverty, team interactions, and more. 

Virtual Humans – Real Emotions 
Technical studies, design studies, and user interaction studies of highly realistic Virtual Humans, for instance, in the context of studying Emotions, Charismatic Leadership, Therapy, etc. 

Digital Twins (for the Ocean) 
Technical development, design studies, and user interaction studies of 3D immersive realities, VR, and AR for Ocean Digital Twinning. 

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