AUSTIN, Texas — A new gaming institute at The University of Texas at Austin will help position students for careers in the rapidly growing video game industry. UT’s Moody College of Communication will be home to the Karch Gaming Institute, which will be dedicated to shaping the next generation of creative leaders in the gaming industry thanks to a generous gift from Matt Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive, a worldwide video game developer and publisher, on behalf of the Karch family.
Aided by the $5 million gift, the Karch Gaming Institute will teach students about all aspects of the digital gaming industry from concept to distribution to the convergence of gaming with film, broadcast and other media. Students will gain the skills and knowledge needed to thrive as leaders in the most profitable sector of entertainment.
“At Moody College, we are continuously evolving to meet the needs of our students and the industries they want to work in upon graduation,” said Anita Vangelisti, Moody College interim dean. “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, while also providing our students with even more experiential, collaborative learning opportunities alongside our outstanding faculty and industry experts.”
According to the Entertainment Software Association, the U.S. video game industry generated more than $100 billion in annual economic impact in 2024 while supporting almost 350,000 U.S. jobs. As the gaming industry continues to rapidly grow and expand, the institute will go beyond traditional education, offering students a comprehensive curriculum that combines the rich history, cultural context, ethics and art of storytelling in gaming with practical and hands-on courses focused on the business and development workflows of the industry.
“I have spent the past 25 years immersed in the business of making games,” Karch said. “In that timespan, the industry has grown at an unprecedented rate. Until today, the same couldn’t be said about education in the gaming space. The University of Texas at Austin and Moody College are the perfect place to build the world’s leading game education program. It is a world-class university in one of the country’s leading hubs for game development. This program is designed to give students the knowledge and skills that many of us game veterans have only been able to acquire with decades of practical experience. The Karch Gaming Institute will play a key role in training future leaders of our industry. I am proud to be able to be a part of that.”
With the support of the Karch Gaming Institute, Moody College is developing courses with the initial goal of creating a minor to focus on the business and production of digital games. This initiative will be unique, multidisciplinary, and offer exciting opportunities to UT students to connect with this vibrant industry.
The institute will offer the first two courses, “Business of Gaming: From Concept to Console” and “Gaming Usability Lab Fundamentals” this fall for any UT student. The concept-to-console course will feature guest speakers from various UT departments and careers within the gaming industry and will include hands-on exercises such as concept pitching techniques. The usability lab course will teach students how this type of lab is used within the industry. As part of the course, students will be given access to a not-yet-released game to use as a case study.
Faculty members from Moody College will oversee the curriculum and instruct the courses in partnership with faculty members from the College of Fine Arts and College of Natural Sciences.
“It’s impossible to deny the growth of the video game industry and its intersection with the entertainment industry,” said Cindy McCreery, chair of the Department of Radio-Television-Film at Moody College. “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. These courses will help to fill those gaps, better preparing students for these emerging career opportunities upon graduation.”
Those interested in learning more about the Karch Gaming Institute should stay tuned to Moody College’s website. The latest news will also be posted on Moody College’s Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook sites.
About Moody College of Communication
Moody College of Communication is one of the largest and most comprehensive communication colleges in the country, consistently ranked among the top communication and media studies programs in the world. With programs in Advertising and Public Relations; Communication Studies; Communication and Leadership; Journalism and Media; Radio-Television-Film; and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Moody College provides students with the most current and in-demand skills and hands-on, life-changing experiences in one of the most vibrant cities in the nation.
About Saber Interactive
Saber Interactive is a worldwide publisher and developer consisting of 13 studios in the Americas and Europe. Creating games for all major platforms based on original and licensed IPs, Saber’s titles include “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2,” “John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando,” “Jurassic Park: Survival,” “Turok: Origins,” “World War Z,” “SnowRunner,” “Expeditions: A MudRunner Game” and “RoadCraft.” Founded in 2001, Saber is known for two decades of development partnerships with leading developers and publishers, including producing “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” for Nintendo Switch, “Halo: The Master Chief Collection,” “Crysis Remastered,” and many others. Learn more at https://saber.games.
