The University of Utah Division of Games celebrated the opening of their new building, located in downtown Salt Lake City. Students, faculty, and staff welcomed donors and community members into the space to celebrate a bold step forward for Utah Games. The new facility represents the first phase of a larger expansion plan to grow the division’s research capabilities and academic offerings in game development.
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Mitzi Montoya, College of Architecture + Planning Dean Arnab Chakraborty, and Utah Games Chair Michael Young addressed attendees, highlighting the dedication and perseverance of the faculty and staff whose work made the opening possible. Guests had the opportunity to tour the building, engage with students and faculty and see firsthand how the space is designed to foster collaboration and innovation.
“As a world-leading program, we must have facilities that are state of the art, to attract the best students, staff, and faculty,” Chakraborty said. “Completion of phase one, which we are celebrating today, focuses on the graduate students and programming for the faculty and staff to serve those students more successfully.”
The 23,000-square-foot space includes computer labs for graduate students to bring their game designs to life, as well as upgraded offices, dedicated studios and flexible spaces for events and collaboration. Sky Wess, a master’s student in Utah Games, noted that the new layout makes teamwork much easier.
“We have a meeting room we can check out, making it a lot easier to collaborate. You have space to work where, before, it was more work to find space,” Wess said.
Colorful walls and animated characters throughout the halls reflect the imagination and innovation that gaming brings to the university community.
As the division continues to grow as a leader in game‑development education, the U remains committed to supporting its efforts, raising awareness and expanding opportunities for students and researchers.
To learn more about what the Division of Games is working on, visit their website here.
This story was originally posted by the College of Architecture + Planning.