‘The university can play key role in Silicon Stoke’
MORE than 50 years ago, Staffordshire University was one of the first universities to offer a degree in computer science and our mission to prepare students for careers of the future continues today.
Last week, Minister of State for Universities, Michelle Donelan MP, joined Stoke-on-trent North MP Jonathan Gullis for a virtual tour of computer games facilities at the University.
It was a wonderful opportunity for us to demonstrate our pivotal role in Stoke-ontrent’s ambition to become a UK hub for the games industry.
With our own ambitions to become the UK’S foremost digital university, we are firmly behind the Silicon Stoke plan, which aims to stimulate growth and investment by tech companies and create high quality jobs in our city.
Staffordshire University can be one of the cornerstones upon which Silicon Stoke is built – with one of the greatest assets being the concentration of our highly skilled games graduates.
As part of the visit, associate professor Bobbie Fletcher led a virtual tour of specialist facilities including the epic games centre, virtual reality centre, motion capture studio and esports hub where the minister and Mr Gullis heard from academics and students about exciting innovations in games education and the wider industry.
The UK’S gaming sector is experiencing massive growth and within the next three years, its value is predicted to triple to 10 billion. In the last year game purchases have grown by 218 per cent and during the pandemic the gaming sector has made more money than video, music, and film.
Staffordshire University is among the biggest providers of computer games courses in the UK, with 17 different degree courses and a total of 2,000 students enrolled. We are primed to capitalise on this growth for the benefit of our students and the economy.
But it is not just about games – serious games and gamification is touching all sectors and industries.
A key growth area in the games and entertainment sector, esports supported more than 1,200 jobs in the UK in 2019, representing just under eight per cent of the global market.
In September 2018 our university became the first in the country to offer a dedicated undergraduate degree in esports.
About 27,000 people are employed in the games sector in the UK and it’s estimated that employment is anticipated to triple within the next five years as games companies expand.
Our university is working hard to build relationships between students and employers to support our graduates into careers in this exciting sector.
It’s an area where we continue to excel. Last year, the university won the Best Education Institution prize at TIGA Games Awards which celebrates the best in creativity, innovation and business in the games industry and attracts hundreds of entries from all over the world.
The university was also successful at the Grads in Games 2020 Awards where we were named overall winner in the Higher Education Institution category, followed by being listed as the 13th in The Rookies 2020 Best Game Development Schools and Colleges in the world rankings.
In the near future, we will be launching the Staffordshire University Games
Institute that will be backed by our strong ties to the games industry and will incorporate our research in computer games.
During the virtual visit, the minister and Mr Gullis were also introduced to Staffordshire University London, which is dedicated to new and emerging technologies. It has seen us establish ourselves in Here East – a technology campus situated in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London – as part of an exciting esports cluster, connecting us with leading employers and further cementing the connections between London and Stoke-on-trent.
Forward-thinking is critical for our university in these challenging times and expanding into the capital means better networking with employers, direct contact with bigger games design companies, and an international stage for esports tournaments.
We are proud to have our main base in Stoke-on-trent and Stafford, and with our global connections we are confident we can add strength to plans to boost the region’s economy.
We’ll continue to build on our heritage as digital pioneers in a world of technology and, as a civic university committed to the economic prosperity of the region, we hope to play a lead role in the bid to levelup study and employment opportunities across our wonderful city.