50 university students to be trained in leading game development tool

Students from University of Malta’s AI department will receive certification in using Unity programming engine, sought after by Esports and video game industry

The Unity game engine is one of the leading game development tools
The Unity game engine is one of the leading game development tools

The government and the University of Malta have signed an agreement which will see 50 students receive certification and training in the use of a popular game programming engine.

Through the agreement, students of the university’s AI department will receive certification in using a game engine known as Unity, which is sought after by the Esports and video game industry.

The agreement, signed today and presided over by digital economy parliamentary secretary Silvio Schembri, aims to accelerate careers in the video game development sector.

“Education is at the core of our vision for the Esports and video game development industry. Today’s agreement is an important step forward,” Schembri said, “The Unity Game Engine programming certification by the University of Malta is more than praiseworthy; it adds valuable prestige to the excellent educational programmes already provided at Post Grad M.Sc and Doctorate levels by the Institute of Digital Games.”

“The fact that by 2020, Malta will have a cohort of 50 certified Unity programmers - placing Malta in a very attractive position vis-à-vis foreign gaming companies that want to settle here - is another encouraging affirmation that we are definitely on the right track,” he said.

University rector Alfred Vella highlighted that the agreement was a sign of the university’s commitment to serve students, who will become tomorrow’s workforce and an essential part of the country’s economic growth.

AI department head Alexiei Dingli said the agreement ensured that AI graduates got the best of both worlds. “AI graduates will get a valuable degree from the University of Malta and the Unity certification,, which is sought after in the video gaming industry, therefore making them very attractive to potential employers and will help towards boosting the success of the video gaming sector in Malta,” he underscored.

Ivan Filletti from Gaming Malta emphasised that education and the renewal of skills within the digital sector and game development was of utmost importance. “This collaboration within the University of Malta will enhance the vision which was launched by the Government together with GamingMalta in order to sustain this emergent sector in a sustainable manner,” said Filletti.

The Unity Game Engine programme is one of the most successful gaming engines in the world. Half of all the games in the world are written using Unity, and it has a market share of around 48%.