Could Rhode Island become a hotspot for the video game industry? A group of innovators has created a new organization called the Rhode Island Digital Games Institute, or RI DIGI, with the vision of making the Ocean State a digital games hub.
Hosted by the New England Institute of Technology (NEIT), which has a campus in East Greenwich, RI DIGI aims to collaborate with area schools, industry leadership and local organizations to become a one-stop shop for the people, resources and ideas needed to make that vision a reality.
The organization has already built partnerships with the Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, Bryant University, Innovation Studio, IGDA RI and MassDigi.
Alan Resnick, vice president for strategic planning at NEIT, said the idea grew from a video game industry summit held earlier in the year. At the State of Play conference in June, leaders gathered to brainstorm what steps they could take to "level up" Rhode Island's video game industry, Resnick said.
"What we heard at that meeting, loud and clear, was that Rhode Island has great talent and great companies but what we need is leadership to bring all these interests and resources together, which will promote the industry and help provide what they lack," Resnick said.
Last week, the organization officially formed at the State of Play 2.0.
William Collis, a digital game and esports expert, was named chairman of RI DIGI’s board of advisors.
Resnick said RI DIGI would focus on three goals within its first year, including assembling small teams of college students to develop games from the ground up. He said the program would likely last six to eight weeks and include disciplines from every aspect of the video game development world. RI DIGI would also bring in industry leaders to critique their work, give a sense of best business practices and run through what a marketing pitch looks like.
"Students would get to work with an entire team and most schools wouldn't be able to do something like that," Resnick said. "We want to be setting the stage to create highly desirable employees that are ready to work on high performing digital games. That strong talent pool will help companies not only keep employees here but also demonstrate the benefit of relocating to Rhode Island."
In addition to the team programming, Resnick said, the new group would also aim to provide networking, internship and employment opportunities between different area companies. Ultimately, RI DIGI hopes to be instrumental in developing the ways new games are applied to all kinds of non-entertainment industries.
This “gamification” or development of “serious play” elements in technology is currently ramping up in markets like healthcare, education, workforce development and pharmaceuticals. This gamified approach, Resnick said, is helping users engage with their service at a deeper level.
"Games could be used to help people using their medical devices in a way they don't have to be intimidating, or help train workers or even help with administering medications or help the elderly with their memory," Resnick said.
