image of video game controller, CD and game boy

UTM Games Studies Launch - November 9, 2023

We’re pleased to announce that the UTM Game Studies Launch will take place in-person and virtually on Thursday November 9th. Join us for a public forum and reception to launch UTM’s collections, curriculum, and programming to support the study of games.

Date: November 9, 2023
Time: 3-6pm in-person | 3.30-5pm virtual
Location: UTM Library 1st Floor | Zoom

Registration is now open! Please register on our event page.

Full Event Description

The University of Toronto Mississauga has recently made significant investments in the study of games through the acquisition of three important collections and the launch of a new Game Studies minor program.

  1. The Syd Bolton Collection contains over 14,000 video games and hundreds of consoles and systems, along with over 5,000 issues of game magazines, hundreds of books and literature, peripherals, and related technology, materials, and documents.
  2. The Personal Computer Museum includes over fifty unique personal computers, including Apple II, Commodore PET, Radio Shack’s TRS-80, and the Commodore 64, in addition to thousands of computer games, software, and literature.
  3. The EP Media Archive of over 10,000 audiovisual records containing all the episodes of Electric Playground, Reviews on the Run, and other spinoff shows and documentaries, alongside the raw audiovisual footage of the shows, interviews with game developers and executives, gameplay recordings, and video game industry promotional materials.
  4. The Game Studies minor program in the Department of English & Drama prepares students to contribute to the present and future of game design and criticism by focusing on how interactive technologies can be used to create, distribute, and play digital games—a global industry with a major presence in the Greater Toronto Area.

Taken together, these historical collections and curriculum situate the University of Toronto Mississauga as an institution prioritizing the preservation and study of games.

To celebrate these collections and the launch of the Game Studies minor program, we have put together a public forum that will be led by a group of academics, journalists, game designers, and game community organizers to discuss the role of the University in building game collections for curriculum and research, providing learning opportunities for the study of games, and partnering with game communities on programming and initiatives.

Our featured moderator Jonathan Ore, Journalist CBC Radio, will be joined by a panel, including:

  1. Christine H. Tran, Doctoral Candidate, U of T Faculty of Information
  2. Larry Switzky, Associate Chair, Research and Associate Professor UTM English & Drama
  3. Kadeem Dunn, Founder of Diaspora Games
  4. Stephanie Fisher, Co-Director of Pixelles
  5. Victor Lucas, Creator and Host of The Electric Playground

The in-person public forum will be proceeded and followed by a reception that will allow attendees to play and interact with games and interactive media from the UTM Library’s historical Syd Bolton Collection of video games. Virtual attendees will be able to participate in the hybrid portion of the launch event from 3.30-5pm.

All members of the UTM and local community are welcome to register and attend this event. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided during the reception portion of the event.

The closest parking to the UTM Library is the P9 and CCT Underground parking lots. Instructions for other modes of transportation are available on the UTM Visitors page.

The UTM Game Studies Launch event is located on the 1st Floor of the UTM Library within the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre.