Abertay University’s influence on the global computer games sector has been strengthened during a Sino-British trade symposium.
Principal Professor Nigel Seaton travelled to the UK-China Creative Innovators Forum in Shanghai to seal the new partnership with games industry major Perfect World.
The Abertay deal was one of five new commercial agreements signed at the event. It will see a new bespoke orientation course, the Master of Professional Practice in Games Development Orientation Programme (MPPOP), taught in Perfect World’s new digital arts school in Beijing.
The five-month programme prepares Chinese students for entering the MProf Games Development programme on campus in Dundee.
Professor Nigel Seaton, Abertay University Principal, said: “I am delighted that Abertay University and Perfect World Education have agreed a strategic partnership to develop and nurture new talent to meet the demands of the international computer games industry.
“China has a rapidly expanding games development sector, and is now the second largest market for UK game exports.
“As Europe’s leading university for computer games education, we are ideally placed to foster university-business links in this area, and we are confident it will prove to be a great success for both the UK and Chinese creative industries.”
Wang Yuyun, President of Perfect World Education, said: “We believe Abertay is the ideal partner for a project like this. It is the top ranked games university in Europe, and its staff have over 75 years combined experience in developing some of the most iconic games the world has seen, including Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings.
“Dundee is also the birthplace of these, and many more games. It has a thriving games development industry, and these links will prove very valuable to the education of students.”
The formalisation of the partnership follows a visit by senior Perfect World executives to Abertay University’s annual Dare Protoplay computer games festival in August.
More than 150 UK and Chinese business and academic leaders travelled to Shanghai to attend the forum, which was co-organised by the UK Department for International Trade and the Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said: “The UK and China have entered a golden era of collaboration and it’s fantastic to see a flourishing relationship between two countries that have both made the creative industries one of their priorities.
“In fact, the creative industries are a key part of the UK Government’s industrial strategy and form part of China’s thirteenth 5 Year Plan.”
