Abertay Responds to Games Up Attacks on UK Gaming Degree Plans

The University of Abertay in Scotland has issued a response to recent claims by game studio lobbying group Games Up that UK game development degrees fail to adequately prepare graduates for a career in the games industry. Games Up noted that a "shocking 95 per cent" of degrees awarded in the field of game development in the UK do not result in an education fit for an industry career. Abertay professor and head of the university's school for computing Lachlan MacKinnon claims that game studios and universities should instead focus on "collaboration, not castigation." "The argument that British universities are failing to equip graduates with the rights skills for industry cannot be applied across the board because there are universities that are getting it right," MacKinnon continues. "What we need is better collaboration between industry and universities." MacKinnon believes that the games industry needs to identify its changing needs and emphasize their importance to universities. "The need is not to generally castigate universities for failing to meet industry needs," he says, "but for industries to work with the universities to identify appropriate graduate outcomes that reflect these industry needs. "The danger if we don't follow this route is that industry demands that we train personnel to 'fit the mould' rather than educating graduates who can perform in a range of roles."