A group of academic researchers from the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of ICT at the University of Malta have embarked on a research project to determine the use of digital games in Malta with a view of supporting the budding local digital game development industry.
We do not know exactly who is playing what
Vanessa Camilleri, Leonard Busuttil, Alexiei Dingli, Matthew Montebello and Adrian Muscat are conducting the study to gather statistics about the games people play, the frequency with which they play, and the games that are the most popular with target age groups. Igaming is not included in the study which is being supported by the Malta Communications Authority.
“As for all investigations, it started out with a simple observation and a question. It seemed that people we met of all ages were talking about the time they or their children spend playing digital and video games,” one of the researchers, Vanessa Camilleri, explained.
“In the meantime, we were also asking ourselves: were we to design a game for children and adults, what sort of game would be most appealing? Would something like Farmville appeal to the audience, or would something more on the lines of Call of Duty appeal? Most probably both would appeal to different people of different ages within the community. Up to now there are no written records that contain this kind of information. Therefore we felt the need to carry out this study, which is to be used as a platform to launch other exciting projects in the field of digital and video games.”
It seems that the interest in games both from the design and production perspective is increasing. During the last Digital Games Forum which was held in Malta, there was remarkable interest from the industry sector but there was also a marked presence from students and young people in search of doing something which they believe is exciting. The University of Malta is also investing effort and resources in support of the digital games industry through Master’s courses and other initiatives.
“We have to admit that the area itself is pretty exciting for young people,” Ms Camilleri added. “Imagine working in an environment where it is legitimate to have fun. An environment that begs for your creativity – for you to invent something and be innovative. We know for a fact that the only industry which thrived during the 2009 economic crisis was the industry that belonged to the digital games that are used mostly for leisure and that is a telling fact for prospective entrepreneurs wishing to invest in that sector. Hence the growing interest from a number of businesses wishing to produce and develop digital games.”
Some people still think that playing games is a simple waste of time and the research also want to prove them wrong.
Ms Camilleri is convinced that “there is potential in digital and video games that can be exploited much more than for simple leisure purposes. We believe that playing games might indeed not be such a bad thing as people make it out to be – with a capacity to develop certain skills and competences that might not be so easy to achieve otherwise.”
The university researchers think that their initiative is an important step in the creation of a thriving local digital games industry which is of benefit to the country not just in economic terms.
“We think that having deeper insights into the local market needs and trends is fundamental if we wish to advance further in the field,” Ms Camilleri explained. “We know people are playing but we do not know exactly who is playing what. We know there is a certain reception to digital and video games but we do not know the motives. Many researchers believe playing games is an essential component of human development but we do not know whether people in Malta are open to such statements.
“What we can say is that our research is definitely the precursor to deeper and more exciting studies in the area that can lead to a number of important contributions to the present and future developments in the field of digital and video games with impacts on education, community and economy.”
The survey is accessible at www.digitalgamesmalta.com.